Tourists and Ottawa residents will get a special airshow on Canada Day as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) marks its 100th birthday.
The Canada Day centennial flypast is being described as a “parade in the sky.” The roughly 20-minute show highlights aircraft throughout the Air Force’s history, including the CT-156 Harvard II, the CC-177 Globemaster and CC-330 Husky. Smaller aircraft include the CT-114 Tutor, which is flown by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, as well as CF-18 Hornets.
The director of capital celebrations at Canadian Heritage, Melanie Brault, says this flypast is a huge part of the noon-hour Canada Day celebrations.
“It’s so important because what we are doing is paying tribute to this amazing, our amazing, Canadian history, these airplanes that have been flying and protecting Canada for so long,” she said. “To really be honoured with the presence on Canada Day is something I think Canadians are going to be happy to be a part of.”
On Wednesday, less than one week before the show, media were invited to watch as Air Force members practised for the big day(opens in a new tab).
The event is a tribute to 100 years of the RCAF(opens in a new tab). While the Air Force has roots dating back to the early 1900s, Canadians served and fought with the British until the Royal Canadian Air Force was created in 1924.
Capt. Drew Turton is the aircraft captain aboard the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter that will also take part in the flypast. Normally he and his team are out at sea, hunting and killing submarines, not flying over Parliament alongside other aircraft.
“We are planning on flying with the door open and our crew waving to everyone down below,” Turton said. “Up front, we will be busy flying the aircraft and meeting our timings because everything is pretty strict with that many aircraft moving through, but it is pretty exciting.”
The Air Force says this July 1 flypast will be its biggest in at least 20 years and potentially it’s biggest ever. More than 45 aircraft are expected to take part in the show, including one from every fleet. Turton says that fact alone makes flying in the parade more challenging but also more exciting.
“It is certainly a big endeavour, there are a lot of aircraft involved in this,” Turton said. “I have never seen as many aircraft organized in one big long line going past one spot in my life. That took a lot of coordination and a lot of organization.”
The flypast will take place over the National Capital Region at around 12:45 p.m. ET on July 1. The aircraft are expected to fly from Ottawa’s east end near Petrie Island before heading west over Parliament and LeBreton Flats, where the main celebrations will take place again this year because of construction in and around Centre Block.
Canada Day: RCAF to perform one of its largest flypasts | CTV News