Last week, we visited the Aero-Gatineau Airshow 2024 and some of the performers that appeared during the event. This week we return to the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport (CYND) and the airshow to see who else performed over the weekend.

During the airshow, despite the rather chilly September weather, airshow performers did their best to put on a great show and they did that. Even with lower ceilings than high show performers typically prefer to have, they managed to performed their low show which is still an exciting, loud and, at times, colourful aerobatic show.

As we saw last week, the RAF Red Arrows put on a great show, wowing crowds with their aerobatics, trailing red, white and blue smoke, the colours of the United Kingdom's Union Jack. Their opposing solos crossing centre stage at a combined speed of over 500knots. The 9 and 5 ship aerobatics offered graceful rolls and smoke filled passes.

Nathan K. Hammond performed aerobatics both in the daytime and Friday evening shows in his highly modified de Havilland of Canada Super Chipmunk sporting a pyrotechnic and lighting set up for the night show, very visible on the aircraft. Nathan throws the Supper Chippie around the sky showing the ability of the aircraft, and himself. To make a de Havilland Chipmunk into a Super Chipmunk meant hours of work into making this Chippie faster with a 150mph cruising speed and a superb climb rate of 2500 fpm and has a range in excess of 500 miles. Not bad for a basic training aircraft from the 1940s, designed for use for the RCAF.

The USAF Thunderbirds offered the fastest and loudest performance over the weekend flying their F-16 Fighting Falcons as they've done so for many years now. The F-16 is a single engine, high performance jet fighter and the Thunderbirds pilots certainly enjoy putting the aircraft through its paces during the show. The USAF Thunderbirds were first formed in 1953, just 6 years after the USAF was officially designated its own branch of the military, known as the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit at Luke AFB, Arizona flying the F-84G Thunderjet, Next in line was the F-100 Super Sabre, with a brief use of the F-105 Thunderchief which proved to be less than suitable so, back to the F-100. In 1969 they moved to the big F-4E Phantom, which they operated until 1973 when they switched to using the T-38 Talon and, finally, moving to the USAF frontline fighter, the F-16A. The Thunderbirds call Nellis AFB their home, still operating the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

As a team, the Thunderbirds are seen throughout the United States Canada and have performed around the world. The team consists of 8 pilots (6 demonstration pilots), four supporting officers, 3 civilians and more than 130 enlisted personnel representing 25 military career fields. During the year the team performs roughly 75 airshows, thrilling crowds with their loud, high speed, fast action shows, often flying sneak from behind, low high speed passes by a single jet. The team consists of 6 F-16s that perform full team passes as well as 4 ship and opposing solos performances. Though the F-16 can operate well above the speed of sound, they don't see those speeds during their aerobatic performances but they do reach speeds in excess of 450 - 550mph during several passes.

The Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188/CF-18 Demonstration Hornet honoured the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2024. Formed in 1924, 6 years after the end of the Great War (World War I), the RCAF has a storied history. From its first official base, CFB Borden located in central Ontario, the RCAF grew into a formidable air force by the end of World War II and was one of the largest air forces in the world post-war. Though still a proud air force, governments over the years have done little to support the RCAF, or the Canadian Forces for that matter, and the current state of Canada's air force is but a shell of its former self. Members of the RCAF are extremely well trained and the hope is future procurement of military hardware will bolster the capabilities of the force.

Despite the issues that face the RCAF, its members are very capable and it shows in the performance of the aging CF-18 Demo Hornet flown by Captain Caleb "Tango" Robert. Tango earned his wings, as many CF-18 Demo pilots have, through the Royal Canadian Air Cadet, Central Region Gliding School glider pilot course as well as the power pilot license course the following year, eventually enrolled in the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario. Eventually, Capt. Robert earned his RCAF wings and served in Romania as part of NATOs team in Operation Reassurancee. "Tango" put the aging CF-18 through its paces with rolls, loops, the high alpha pass, high speed passes and more. Though the CF-18s are coming to the end of their life, the RCAF continues to rely on the Hornet as their frontline fighter, soon to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning. Despite the age of the Hornet, they are highly maintained by dedicated maintenance teams. This year the Demo Hornet was painted in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force with the winning scheme designed by MCpl Kevin Kelly from 10 Field Technical Training (FTTS). The scheme combines images of former RCAF aircraft, gear and electronic circuits and a binary pattern of ones and zeros that represent technology in the RCAF. The underside wears a large maple leaf that includes the "100th" which represents the 100th anniversary logo of the RCAF as well as the underside "canopy," typically a black canopy silhouette, painted with the RCAF official tartan.

The Vintage Wings of Canada Spitfire Mk IX came to VWC from a group in western Canada at 19 Wing, CFB Comox in B.C. where restoration initially began in 1999. VWC took possession of the aircraft after the Comox group surrendered the project due to financial issues. Vintage Wings continued the restoration and completed it in 2017. The aircraft is finished in the livery honouring Lt. Arnold Roseland who flew 65 sorties in the original Y2-K Spitfire during a battle in the war torn skies of Europe. He was shot down and killed over Normandy, France in 1944.

Another fabulous restoration by the VWC team is the Hurricane Mk XII, a Canadian built aircraft by Canada Car & Foundry in Fort William (Now Thunder Bay), Ontario in the early 1940s. This gorgeous warbird was one of 1451 built in Canada during the war. The restoration took VWC 15-20 years to complete and is finished in the livery of Flying Officer William "Willie" McKnight, DFC and Bar. He is known as Canada's "... most outstanding fighter pilot..." in the RAF during the first 18 months of World War II having flown during the Battle of France, Dunkirk and Battle of Britain. McKnight's wartime Hurricane was built by Gloster and was a Mk I P2691, operating with an all Canadian RAF 242 Sqn after the Battle of Britain. McKnight was thought to have been shot down over the English Channel in 1941 and has no known grave.

The last of the three fighters that Vintage Wings put into the skies during the airshow was their fabulous North American P-51D Mustang. The VWC Mustang is painted in the livery of 442 Caribou Sqn, RCAF, during late World War II and wears the markings of the Mustang that Roger (Rocky) Robillard flew while with 442 Sqn. Rocky and his brother, Laurent (Larry) Robillard both flew with 442 though only Rocky flew the Mustang. Production of the Mustang exceeded 15,500 aircraft in several different variants operating with militaries around the world. It was a highly successful long range fighter aircraft that changed the battle over the skies of Europe, capable of escorting long range bombers well into Germany. It was a deadly aircraft in the hands of very capable combat veterans and shot down over 6000 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter during the war.

The Aero-Gatineau Airshow offers the National Capital Region an outstanding aviation attraction in combination with Vintage Wings of Canada. Between aerobatic display teams and aircraft, general aviation aircraft and vintage aircraft, the Aero-Gatineau Airshow is a great place for aviation enthusiasts to see it all and enjoy a day with like-minded people. Give Vintage Wings of Canada a call and make arrangements to go visit their hangar and have a look at ongoing projects. Make plans to visit the 2025 airshow at Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport next September.