The aircraft presented beautifully against the clear blue skies that were part of Airshow London that year. Arguably the nicest of all the CF-18 display jets, this one was predominantly painted a vibrant, rich Red and sported the Canada 150 logo on its spine in celebration of Canada's 150th year since Confederation. While there was a lot of quality military hardware on display, the highlight was definitely the 'Canada 150' CF-18 Demo Hornet. I even worked here for a short period of time but unfortunately the operation did not succeed. I attended the University of Western Ontario and rented Cessnas from CYXU, taking friends for flights to gain experience as a new pilot. For starters, although Airshow London returned in 2016, I was unable to attend so this was my first event back in London in over a decade. I have so many positive things to say about this event. The pilot, flying alone in the two-seat family model, made multiple passes and found the perfect combination of golden light, vapour and blue sky resulting in stunning pictures. The highlight for many in attendance was the Thursday evening arrival of an F-16 from the 157th Fighter Squadron based at McEntire ANGB in South Carolina. The carrier-based version of the F-35 was welcomed back, once again joining the show from the VFA-101 Grim Reapers based at Eglin AFB, Florida. Another highlight was the collection of RC and KC-135s, although this shouldn't be a surprise due to it being the favourite aircraft of the operations team. While morning light isn't terrific at London, there was a lot of moisture in the air leading to some very fun photographic opportunities. In a first of it's kind attempt, the show hosted CF-18 Hornets from CFB Bagotville and F-18E Super Hornets from the World Famous Pukin' Dogs for a training exercise on the arrivals days. Although it was a tight squeeze to fit in the front of the aircraft, the flight was incredible and I enjoyed my first aerobatic experience complete with loops, rolls and even a high speed stall.Īirshow London 2018 overcame many challenges to put on a very spirited show. After the show, I received an invitation to go flying with friend and air show performer, Mike Tryggvason, in his Giles G-202. As well I must also express my sincerest gratitude to air show organizer Mike Lewis who helped make this moment possible. I was originally the fourth person in line for the three available tandem jump positions therefore I will be forever grateful to the individual who decided not to show up. The morning started with me jumping from a Short SC.7 Skyvan while attached to a member of the Canadian Forces Parachute Demonstration Team SkyHawks. That was the experience I had on Saturday September 14th, one of the most memorable days I've enjoyed at an air show. The United States presence was also significant and included the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team in the air and a strong static display highlighted by a Navy F-35C Lightning II and a B-52H Stratofortress from the Global Strike Command.įor a more detailed review of this event please visit Checksix - the military aviation online magazine.Įvery so often the stars align and things work out perfectly. The Snowbirds, SkyHawks, CF-18 Demonstration Team, two previous CF-18 display pilots performing in CT-155 Hawks, a pair of CT-133's honouring RCAF paint schemes and a very special father and son dissimilar two-ship formation combined to make the 2019 edition of Airshow London uniquely Canadian. The B-17G "Yankee Lady" and C-47 "Hairless Joe" made the short trip from the Yankee Air Museum in Michigan and were joined by a P-51D named "Double Trouble Two" in the flying display. The CF-18 Demo Team, CT-155 Hawk, CC-130J and the beautiful CC-150 Polaris all flew displays during the weekend shows while static highlights included a CC-177 and a rare CP-140M Aurora.įinally, there were three warbirds involved this year. The RCAF was also well represented even though the Snowbirds were once again grounded. The static display returned in 2022 and was full of highlights, including six F-16s from the Air National Guard, an RC-135W Rivet Joint, and all three versions of Air Force tankers. Other representatives of the USAF included the Thunderbirds, the F-22 Raptor Demo Team and a B-2 Spirit that opened the show on Sunday. Seven versions of the Eagle were on display including five 'C' models, a 'D' model and an F-15E Strike Eagle. SkyDrive returned for the third show in a row as Airshow London celebrated the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force and the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the F-15 Eagle.
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