Posted on 05/11/2005 6:35:05 PM PDT by NorthOf45
U.S., Cdn flying teams in Pensacola
Canoe Network ... cnews
May 9, 2005
PENSACOLA, Fla. (CP) - Canada's Snowbirds will join both American military precision flying teams as well as U.S. army and navy parachute squads for a pair of rare joint public appearances Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting.
The Blue Angels will host the other teams for practice shows at Pensacola Naval Air Station, where the Navy flight demonstration squadron is based.
The flying is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., which is when the Blue Angels normally conduct public practice sessions, and continue through 1 p.m. both days. Public viewing will be allowed only from a designated area behind the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
The air force's Thunderbirds, headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; the army's Golden Knights Parachute Team from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the navy's Leap Frogs from Coronado Naval Amphibious Base, Calif., also will perform.
The Snowbirds and Golden Knights are scheduled to remain in the Florida Panhandle for shows Saturday and Sunday at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City.
The Canadian team fills the sky with nine CT-114 Tutor training jets. The U.S. jet teams have six planes each, the Blue Angels flying F/A-18 Hornets and the Thunderbirds flying F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The Snowbirds are celebrating their 35th anniversary this year and to date have flown for over 116 million spectators across North America.
And this is the air force of the Realm of Canada. Yeah right.
I am actually surprised that the Canadians were able to fly their Sopwith Camels that far to penasacola.:-)
Mind you, Canada is spelled L-I-B-E-R-A-L.
Oooooh! I wish I could see that!
Thanks for posting.
I would love to be there and see all that! DANG!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. ; )
I wish I could be there too ... dang!
BUMP
We vacation in that area every year. This spring though we had to go farther east due to the hurricane clean up still ongoing. I missed seeing the Blue Angels fly - we go to the NAS while we're there on a Tuesday. I got their autographs a couple years ago. *sigh*
While of course I salute the barbs generated towards our northern friends, anyone that bad mouths the flying ability or danger associated with the Snowbirds doesn't have a clue. Having watched them fly dozens of times, I can attest to the very difficult routine they fly, especially with an underpowered, very old jet.
And, having flown in the right seat of the number 4 jet (the slot) during a practice flight, I can assure you these pilots are good, DAMN good. And you haven't lived until you've been in a nine ship landing!
(((.)))
the Snowbirds is the one thing we Canadians can be proud of militarily
ain't that a sad statement in a way
and the government is thinking of scrapping the Snowbirds
now I think if Martin did that, he could lose an election on that issue......
I live on the local airport's approach route, and when the Snowbirds come to town, you can just sit in my front yard and watch the show, the noise they make is so awesome
Give the Snowbirds the respect they deserve for their service and their flying ability. Feel free to hammer their leaders but remember, some of us served under Klintoon and Carter also, and hated every minute of it.
WOW...GREAT shot of a rare meeting...THANK YOU for posting!
It would have been an enjoyable trip, and the sound of the massed recips music to my ears.. even if they weren't round. I could still enjoy them....
again, many thanks for the ping.
Greg
My son is in Air Force Tech School at Pensacola.
Every chance he gets he has been watching these teams practice for the past week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.