Abbotsford airshow

I've heard about the Abbotsford airshow for as long as I can remember but yesterday was the first time I have attended. It was worth the wait.



Marilyn spent the first part of the week up at McLean Lake getting radioactive. I met her flight at 8:30 in Abbotsford and we went directly to the airshow. I wasn't dressed warmly enough but once we were on the grounds there was no way I was going to give up any show time just to get some warm clothes.

We started out on fighter row and then moved to the heavies. I was wishing that one of the boys was with us to tell us about each of the planes because they weren't particularly well identified. There were plenty of airmen around to answer questions but you need a base level of knowledge to even ask a question & I don't have that level of knowledge. So I mainly just wandered around taking pictures and looking. One thing I didn't need to ask any questions to learn was that the Americans spend a lot more money on their Air Force and Navy than we do. But I didn't need to go to the airshow to learn that. Anybody who knows anything about the Canadian Sea King helicopter fiasco will appreciate the irony of the open hatches and mechanic in the third picture above.

In addition to the current technology there was an extensive collection of vintage warbirds, starting with a Tiger Moth owned by a local preservation society. This year was the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in Canada. I happened to be standing by the Tiger Moth when the pilot showed up to do his preflight. Shortly after the picture was taken this Tiger Moth flew to open the show.

These two P51 Mustangs still have their covers on but you can see the difference in the canopies if you look closely. I believe the closest one is a P51-B and the more distant one is a P51-D (distinguished by the bubble canopy) Both of these planes flew during the opening ceremonies as well.

The highlight of the show for me was the Harvards. American readers may know them as a "Texan" but to commonwealth airmen they were Harvard Trainers and plenty of airmen got their first taste of a real airplane at the controls of a Harvard Trainer. There were four Harvard Mk IIs on the grounds and they managed to put together a fairly decent close formation in the early afternoon.

The first time I saw a Harvard was about 40 years ago at a fly-in at Leask, SK. There was a brief period in father's life where he thought he was going to learn to fly. He joined the local flying club and took about 15 hours of lessons. I believe he soloed but I'm not sure about that. He didn't get a lot of support for his dream - OK - I was probably the only family member who actively supported him and the dream died completely when we left Shellbrook. Along the way though there was a fly-in at a grass field somewhere near Leask and somebody brought a Harvard. I can still remember the excitement when they cranked the big Pratt & Whitney and the smoke started seeping out of the cylinders but that was nothing compared to when the pilot buzzed the field. We could hear him coming behind a ridge of trees to the west but when he popped over the treetops the noise was deafening and it felt like he was going to take our heads off with the prop.

The Canadian forces jump team - the Skyhawks - were performing at the show but the low ceiling made their jump pretty mundane. They did their best but we saw them jump in Nipawin several years ago on a clear blue day with unlimited ceiling. Yesterday's performance didn't come close to what they are capable of.

The day closed with a Snowbird performance but my feeble photography skills don't do their performance justice. I really screwed up by taking my snapshot camera instead of the Rebel. Next year I will be better prepared.