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The countdown is on for the Alberta International Air Show 20th performance anniversary celebration at the Lethbridge County Airport July 23-24. But it is only one of many big anniversaries this year.
“It will be a celebration of aviation,” said Stacy Green, the show’s public relations and publicity director. “It’s going to be a loud show, with lots of jets and lots of speed. There will be more pyro than we’ve ever had before other than with Tora Tora Tora.”
While the air show has been around for a long time, it has taken a few breaks due to circumstances beyond organizers’ control.
This year will be the 20th performance. This year also marks the 100 anniversary of flight in Alberta, the 45th anniversary of the now-defunct Time Air and the 40th anniversary of the Skyhawks.
So Green noted organizers have an excellent couple days of “soul-pounding excitement” planned for the 20,000 some people expected to attend.
In addition to popular draws like the Snowbirds and the Skyhawks parachute demonstration team, they also have many other acts coming including Firecat, a “sleek modern jet,” Canada’s No. 1 pilot “Super Dave,” the CF-18 Demonstration Team, Hawk One and Team Rocket and much more.
Another highlight will be Naperville, Ill.-based precision flying formation team Lima Lima and two C-130 Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft. There will even be a hovercraft.
As always, there will be a lot of stunts and flames.
“The Firecraft L-39 trainer jet flies through a 200-foot wall of flames. I don’t know if they will be doing that, but there will be pyro,” he said.
Green is looking forward to the show as always.
“I remember when I was eight, sitting with my dad on the swather cutting the grass for the grounds,” he reminisced.
There will be something going on throughout the day from when the gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, including a pancake breakfast (9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for $3/plate), vendors plus the popular static display of planes, some of whom fly in for the show and camp next to the runway. The show starts at noon both days. It’s the same show both days. A lineup is available at http://albertaairshow.ca/show-schedule/.
For the first time ever, an intermission has been built midway into the show.
“We’re looking at making some significant changes for next year, so this could be the last one as it is. We want people to come out and rediscover aviation and the role it has played in southern Alberta.”
He said the show couldn’t happen without the help of more than 700 volunteers who make it work.
“We only see 30 people during the rest of the year, then people just come out of the woodwork on the day of the show and they know what they are supposed to do and they do it. So we thank volunteers who every year come out and stand in 40-degree weather,” he said.
Volunteer Adam Muhly looks forward to being part of the show every year.
“I work at the airport and I have a licence to operate equipment at the airport, so that’s an asset to them. I just wanted to get involved,” he said.
He can usually be found setting up and tearing down and operating a forklift on the grounds.
“It gave me access to all of these nifty airplanes. Besides, where else are you going to get to see a F-18?”
The show has evolved somewhat from a few biplanes and barnstormers into a full-fledged event which has become respected all over North America.
“It was amazing then, but we’ve proven ourselves, because the Snowbirds come every year,” Green said.
They also help out other air shows in Alberta by lending their assets to others including the one in Airdrie. They also help a lot of community organizations as 50 per cent of the proceeds are donated to groups such as the Kinsmen and the Knights of Columbus.
A special event Saturday is the Alberta International Air Show — Portraits of Honour — Time Air Anniversary Barbecue. Tickets are $40, available from any Kinsmen or Kinette member, and offer the chance to mingle and greet the performers. The barbecue takes place at 6 p.m. in the original Time Air hangar, which is now Integra Air’s hangar. Time Air, which was started by Lethbridge businessman Walter “Stubb” Ross, will be an opportunity for former employees to gather and reminisce. Some attendees are planning to travel all the way from Halifax to be part of this celebration of the carrier that was known as the seventh largest air passenger service in Canada, said Ken Meintzer, one of the organizers.
“It’s the perfect time for them to get together and celebrate.”
The event will also feature the Kin Canada Portraits of Honour tour — a wall of painted portraits of all of the Canadian troops who died in the war in Afghanistan. The mural is immense, consisting of slightly larger-than-life portraits of the soldiers’ faces by Kinsmen and artist Dave Sopha.
Meintzer is looking forward to being part of the show.
“Lethbridge, Alberta has one of the greatest aviation histories in all Canada. So it is great to see more people celebrating that history.”
Tickets for the airshow are priced reasonably to enable more people to attend. They are $15 in advance from a variety of locations including Gas King stations in Lethbridge, Safeway stores in Lethbridge and London Drugs in Lethbridge. At the gate, tickets are $25.
More information is available online at albertaairshow.ca. |
