Snowbirds History
The history of Snowbirds opens with the beginning of 1970 when the commander of the base Moose Jaw Captain O. B. Philip issues an order about unpainting of former airplanes of the Golden Centennaires. Personally, he establishes an informal team of instructors by The Second Air Training school of Canadian Air Force which is based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and there the pilots train after working day and in the weekend and they use 7 airplanes Tutor of former "centennaires". The team is presented like an aerobatic team at the school and his commander is major Glen Younghusband.
In 1971 after a competition about the name of the team is chosen the offer of one boy from Saskatchewan. The team receives the name Snowbirds and the first demonstration by the name is on 11 June the same year. In the next year the team added two more airplanes for solo performance. Later in the year at the airshow in Ontario crashed the leading solo #8.
In 1974, the Snowbirds becomes an aerobatic team of The Canadian Air Force. In that year to the team could be joined and pilots of other subdivisions of Canadian Air Force. Until then the pilots of the team are only instructors of The Second Air Training School. The color sketch is changed and it becomes white, red and blue and it is using up to the present, the blue and band in all directions of the fuselage is in honor of The Golden Centennaires. Then they become the first team in the world which makes a demonstration in the north of the polar circle.
The popularity of The Snowbirds spreads in USA too, and in 1976 they are invited to join in a show on the occasion of 4 July in Philadelphia. In that year they take part in the ceremonies on the occasion of The Olympic Games in Montreal too.
In September 1977 the team becomes permanently subdivision of The Canadian Air Force and on 1 April 1978 they receive a statute of an Air Demonstration Squadron. During an airshow in 1978 crash a pilot of Snowbirds, and again this is #8.
In 1984 at the time of the internationally airshow in Abbotsford, Snowbirds fly above the audience, leading by the fabulous airplane Miss America, and on 9 August 1986 again in Abbotsford the leader of The Snowbirds directs a formation of 5 airplanes in a historic flight which includes one of every aerobatic team in that show. These are the leader's airplanes of Snowbirds, Blue Angels, Frecce Tricolori, Patrouille de France and Esquadrilha da Fumaca.
In the winter of 1988 they take part in the ceremonies on the occasion of The Olympic Games in Calgary. In that year the case with #8 becomes unfortunate again. This time because of failure in the engine during the airshow in Pennsylvania, USA gets killed the pilot who flies with airplane number 8.
In 1989 during airshow in Toronto #2 crashed and died.
The air squadron starts to use white and red smoke to emphasize air figures in 1990 and performs its thousandthly show.
In 1991 together with The Blue Angels they take part in the celebrations about 20 anniversary of Disney. On Sept. 3 1989. Capt. Shane Antaya, Snowbirds#2 died when his aircraft(114098) collided with his lead's, who eject safely, following the split on the upward-downward bomb burst at Lake Ontario Air Show (here crash video). (via YouTube user nordyouz)
For the first time the air squadron flies out of Canada and USA in 1993 and that is in Mexico. In that year again in Abbotsford the airplane of the air squadron flies in joint flight with one of the airplanes of Russian Knights.
In 1995 dies Colonel O. B - Philip, who makes the air squadron and in his honor the whole season 95 is honored to him. In 1998 a maneuver is called to the Colonel - "Philip roll". And again in Abbotsford in 1995 the leader of The Snowbirds guides a formation of 4 airplanes of the demonstrative teams Esquadrilha da Fumaca, Halcones and one of the civilian team Northern Lights.
On 10 December 1998 in a training flight happens an incident which takes the life of one pilot of the air squadron. The crash is happened on 26 km south of Moose Jaw. During the six plane roll in a formation arrow, #6 hits in left wing the horizontal stabilizer of the #2. The whole horizontal and a part of the vertical stabilizer of #2 are destroyed. The airplane loses the control and vertically falls down with a big negative overloading. The pilot of #2 - captain Vandenbos eject successfully, but there is no enough time for the full opening of the parachute and with high speed it runs upon the earth and he is deceased.
On 4 Sept 2000, Snowbird #4 collided with leader's stabilizer during take off from Pearson International Airport for a show over the Lake Ontario waterfront, as part of the Canadian National Exhibition. Both planes land safely and the display was canceled.
In 2001 for the first time in The Snowbirds starts to fly a woman, who is a pilot of an airplane #3.
On 10 April in Canadian military base Comox, during the training, #5 endures a break - down after the landing in formation of 9 airplanes. The pilot land the airplane hardly and because of this, the hit pierces the wing. The airplane sticks the bow and owing to the crawl stops without to cause damages.
On 24 June the same year during practices about the future show in London, Ontario, The Snowbirds strike a bad patch again. Airplanes #1 and #5 meet head - in the air and after that #1 falls in the nearly Lake Erie, and #5 lands successfully. The pilot #5 - the captain Warren Wright is the same man , who flies it in the break - down on 10 April the same year and he flies with a journalist. The pilots of the leader airplane #1 ejects successfully but they received light wounds and they are taken off to the hospital, after that they are discharged from it.
On 18 May 2007 during practice flight for coming airshow at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, #2 Captain Shawn McCaughey dies in the crash. McCaughey was flying upside down about 300 feet off the ground, when the plane went down. The team had been in the air for about 45 minutes when the crash occurred. On our opinion this was a pilot mistake. Official investigation is still not announced.
Prehistory
The first aerobatic team of Canada is formed in 1919 by captain William Barker - one of the biggest aces in Canada, during the World War I. This team includes four German reconnaissance airplanes Fokker DVII which are captured during the war.
The first official team of The Royal Air Force of Canada is The Siskins, which is formed in 1929 in connection with celebrations about 20 years of The Canadian aviation founding. The team is composed by 3 fighters biplanes Armstrong - Whitworth Siskin IIIA, existing till 1932.
In 1949 is founded another aerobatic team - The Blue Devils in St. Hubert airbase by the staff of 410th Air Squadron. This is the first Canadian team which flies with jet airplanes - Vampire. In 1951 the team begin to fly with F-86 Sabre, but at the end of the year the Blue Devils team is disbanded.
In the beginning of 1950 is formed a team which is supplied with airplanes Harvard and named The Easy Aces.
In August 1953 from 439 Squadron is formed a four-ship aerobatic team Tigers, flying on F-86 Sabre planes. The team is created to take a part in World War II annual of Canadian soldiers, who billeted in England. The Tigers fly on some airshows just in England. There is no information that the team performs in Canada. In May 1954 the Tigers are disbanded.
In 1954 the air division makes a decision about creating of an aerobatic team in rotation principle. Every year will be created a new team by every wing of the air division. The first wing which is selected to make a team is #3. The team is called Fireballs and with yours red coloring airplanes takes part in some shows in Europe. The team's paint scheme existed for a very short period only, as some superior officer decided that people might mistake the team for a Russian team and ordered the red paint stripped off.
In 1955 is selected the wing #2 and it has to create an aerobatic team. The team is called The Sky Lancers and it is going on 20 shows in season 1955. In the next year the wing #4 creates a team with the same name and with the same pilots, but on 2 March 1956 during the training flight is happened a tragic incident causing the death of five team's pilots .This is the reason, that the aerobatic teams to be stopped for a few years.
In 1959 The Royal Air Force of Canada celebrate 35 anniversary and 50 years aviation in Canada too. On that occasion is created a team Golden Hawks, which is supplied with 6 airplanes Canadair Sabre Mk5, and later Mk6. The airplanes are colored in golden and in every side of the body there is a long red - white hawk, and their show continues 25 minutes. In spite of that they are created only for one year, they exist until 7 February 1964, then they are disbanded because of financial reasons. Until then they make 317 air demonstrations and in 1960 they become the first Canadian team which is visited USA. Also the team had one support T-33 (F-80) plane, painted in team's colors.
In 1962 in the base Moose Jaw is formed an aerobatic team which burlesques The Golden Hawks. This team is called The Goldilocks and flies with airplanes Harvard until 1964, then after the coming of new training airplanes Tutor, they are disbanded.
In 1967 it is 100 years since creating of Canada. On that occasion The Royal Air Force of Canada decides set up an aerobatic team, which has to do 100 air demonstrations in all over the country. The team goes by the name of The Golden Centennaires and flies with 10 golden - blue airplanes Tutor and their last demonstration is in the American base Nellis in November 1967 where they go out along with Thunderbirds.
What are The Snowbirds
The Snowbirds has 9 training airplanes Canadair CT - 114 Tutor, all of them take part in the air demonstrations, and also 2 reserve airplanes - selfsame type. Number 8 and 9 are called solo couple and its leader is #8. In the air squadron works approximately 85 people - the pilots, mechanics, subsidiary staff, rear officers and a civil secretary.
Every candidate for a pilot ought to have minimum 1300 flying hours with a fighter jet and also a recommendation of his officer. Six of all candidates have to demonstrate their potentialities in the base Moose Jaw, they fly in every 1 of 3 free positions and 3 of them are chosen as new pilots of the air squadron. The candidates for leaders have to hold at least a grade of a major and first they have to be pilots in the air squadron. The candidates for air - mechanics ought to have a recommendation and of course to be well - trained of flying with airplane of The Snowbirds. They serve in the air squadron 3 years and every year one - third of them is recharged.
Every season continues from March to the October and during that time they make approximately 70 shows. Meanwhile the airplanes come back four times in their base Moose Jaw for a mechanical review. Usually the airplanes in the formation fly to a distance of the order of 1, 2 m and commonly during a show they fly with 600 km/h. If any pilot gets ill, the others fly without him but if the leader gets ill, the show is aborted.
The airplane is a main training of The Royal Air Force of Canada. The difference between this airplane and the standard airplane is that the Royal Air Force airplanes hasn't a smoke generator and a special ignition timing, necessary for flights in a low height. The fuel for a smoke generator is a diesel and it is suspends underneath the corpse of the airplane. From there because of the pipeline it pass in the reactive jet, and makes a white smoke. The air plane is supplied with a maximum power 1220 kg. The airplane has a maximum extension 11,12 m, a height 2,82 m, a maximum weight 3260 kg and a maximum speed 750 km/h.
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CT-114 Tutor 1/48 Kit