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Photo feature: The best of Airshow London SkyDrive 2022
This year's Airshow London lived up to its title as No. 1 Airshow in North America.
By Dayna Fedy-MacDonald | October 14, 2022
Estimated reading time 9 minutes, 36 seconds.
It was another sold-out year for the annual Airshow London SkyDrive, which was held Sept. 9 to 11 at London International Airport (YXU). A true military air power themed show, this year’s event welcomed an impressive variety of air display performers, including the renowned U.S. Air Force (USAF) Thunderbirds as the headliners for the show.
Other performers this year included the F-22 Raptor Demo Team, E-3 Sentry, and two F-15 Eagles from the USAF; the CF-18 Demo Team, CC-130J Hercules, CT-155 Hawk, CT-156 Harvard IIs, and CC-150 Polaris from the Royal Canadian Air Force; and, so much more. The enthralling B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber also performed a flyby.
In addition to thrilling air display performers, SkyDrive had an exciting ground display lineup, too. Some of the aircraft on static display included the P-8A Poseidon, KC-10 Extender, KC-46A Pegasus, CC-177 Globemaster III, CT-146 King Air, U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, two KC-135 Stratotankers, and several F-16 Fighting Falcons. Showgoers had the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft and even meet the crews.
The event saw the return of the successful drive-in format for the third consecutive year, with roughly 2,500 cars and 10,000 attendees per day. Showgoers were able to watch the performers tailgate-style from their own 20- by 25-foot parking site, and also utilize the new hop-on hop-off trolley to check out the ground display area.
Airshow London director of flight operations, Gerry Vanderhoek, said the show’s success would not be possible without the amazing logistics team that works tirelessly to plan an event that is both epic and enjoyable.
“The team behind the show is what makes the guest experience, the pilot experience, and our sponsors’ experience so great,” he said. “It’s a veteran crew that puts in a lot of hours, and we feel pretty blessed to have that.”
The countdown is already on for next year’s show; see you in 2023!
Great article! You did Airshow London proud. We have never been to an Airshow that we did not enjoy, this was right up there with the best of them. All three days.
Great article! You did Airshow London proud. We have never been to an Airshow that we did not enjoy, this was right up there with the best of them. All three days.