Page 10 - World Airshow News Autumn 2023

Kerry J. Newstead: Guest Commentator

From the Bleachers

A few years ago, the skies were days later. Their show was like a sandwich – a great opener with
the Blue Angels, a closer with the Snowbirds, and lots of good
filled with airshows and then
the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Airshows disappeared from the ra- stuff in between. We saw Gord Price return to perform his last
ever show with his Yak-50. There were two heritage flights, the
dar faster than you could blink your USAF Heritage Flight with a P-51 flying alongside Capt. Aimee
eyes. They slowly came back, but “Rebel” Fiedler in the F-16, and the RCAF Heritage Flight with
some were drive-in, some were done the RCAF CF-18 team and Rob “Scratch” Mitchell flying the T-33
live over the internet, and a few were Ace Maker. Many other Canadian acts were on the schedule, in-
open to only a limited number of cluding a SAR demo by 424 Squadron and a Chinook from 450
people. Squadron. Doing double duty was Ken Rieder flying in this show
By 2022, things were getting more as well as Wings Over Batavia across the border in New York.
back to normal for airshows, and I at- A week later was Airshow London. The favorite of the week-
tended a couple of shows, but it was end is always the Friday night show, which this year featured a
a hard season for me. I lost my air- rare Snowbird night show. With the low skies, most of the “zoom”
show partner and the love of my life, was cancelled, but Capt. Sam “RaZZ” Larson put on a great show
my wife Donna Newstead. I also lost three more members of my below the overcast. During the day shows on Saturday and Sun-
family. day, there were three air refueling displays – the CF-18 with a
In Ontario, where I live, there were a couple of airshows earlier Hercules, Special Ops with their Hercules and an Osprey, and the
this year, but the main thrust of our 2023 airshow season hap- KC-135 and C-17 to provide some “heavy” action.
pened within just twenty-five days in the late summer and early With the dust just settling at London, the Canadian Harvard
fall. I decided to check out a few of them. Aircraft Association (CHAA) held their last open house of the
In Brantford, the Community Charity Airshow returned on year, Wings and Wheels. Many beautiful cars came out for the
August 30 with a small event featuring some local talent, Trev- show, and the skies were filled with the sounds of Harvards. For
or Rafferty and Mike Tryggvason. The big attraction at Brant- one flight, my friend and daughter, Karen Carmicheal took her
ford was the Canadian Skyhawks parachute team, but they were first Harvard flight.
grounded by low weather. A surprise visitor was a RCAF CC-150 I would especially like to dedicate this article to my wife Don-
Polaris. na, who is watching airshows from the bleachers in the sky.
The Canadian International Air Show in Toronto was three

Left: Capt. Sam “RaZZ” Larson didn’t let low ceiling stop him from delivering an awesome flight demonstration in the F-22 Raptor at Airshow London.
Right: The Blue Angels’ C-130J support aircraft named “Fat Albert” opened the Blues’ performances at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto
(photos by the author).

www.airshowmag.com 10 Autumn 2023