NANAIMO — The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are ready to give it their all for a pair of shows in the Harbour City this weekend.
The two shows in Nanaimo take place on Friday, Aug. 15, starting at 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday at 4:15 p.m., with both shows happening above downtown Nanaimo’s waterfront.
Snowbirds pilot Cpt. Brendan Pellow told NanaimoNewsNOW the shows display the skills of their highly-trained pilots while also providing a boost of Canadian pride.
“These aircraft and the people who support them and fly them are just Canadian icons at the end of the day. Not in that rockstar way, but as a sense of national pride. It’s been something that’s been with Canada for the last 55 years, and I hope it will continue for the next 55 years, as one of those inspiring things for Canadians.”
Snowbirds pilot Cpt. Brendan Pellow at the Nanaimo Flying Club on Thursday, Aug. 14. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)Pellow has served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for 17 years, but this is his first full season with the Snowbirds, after previously working as an instructor pilot in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Pellow, who lived in Nanaimo briefly as a toddler and now calls Disney home, spends half of the year on the road for these shows, with training starting last fall.
“It’s hard leaving my wife and two kids at home for six months a year…. it’s been incredible, the interaction with the Canadian public, and being able to spread the joy of not only flying, but of the Canadian Forces and what it all means to us across this country. It’s inspiring, it’s great.”
(L-R) Engagement manager with the Port of Nanaimo Kimberly Kelly, Snowbirds technician Cpl. Dustin Poirier, pilot Cpt. Brendan Pellow, public affairs officer Cpt. Philip Rochon, and Nanaimo Airport president and CEO Dave Devana at the Nanaimo Flying Club on Thursday, Aug. 14. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)The Nanaimo Flying Club, located south of the Nanaimo Airport, hosted the Snowbirds as they prepared for showtime.
The airport also provides a quick route to their performance area, only around 10 kilometres away, which is a short trip when you’re flying at 300 nautical miles (NM) per hour, with a nautical mile equal to 1.85 kilometres.
Pellow said they’re planning to perform their full show, but they know the weather can be unpredictable at times, which is why they have two backup shows planned if the cloud base isn’t high enough or there’s a change in visibility for pilots to see the horizon.
“We have some aircraft that are going upside down and rightside up, and having that quick, visual recognition of what is up and what is down is an important thing.”
(Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)Pilots will experience a gravitational force of up to 5Gs while performing at 300NM, with only eight feet between the wings of each aircraft flying in a tight formation, with around 680 kilograms of fuel burned by each of the nine aircraft during the 45-minute shows.
It takes over 120 hours of precise, flying practice before they’re performance-ready.
Pellow said their aircraft, Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets, were built in Canada in the 60s, and is a unique design with two side-by-side seats, both capable of piloting the aircraft.
“We want to be on the same side of the aircraft that we’re looking at. For instance, everybody on the right side of the formation sits in the left seat, so they’re closer to the other aircraft they’re flying to. Everybody on the right side of the formation, left seat.”
Following their Nanaimo performances, the Snowbirds will head to North Bay, Ont. for their next show on Aug. 27, with the final shows of the season taking place in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 11-12.
The CF Snowbirds could be seen above Nanaimo on Wednesday, Aug 13, as they performed some test flights before their two shows on Friday and Saturday. (City of Nanaimo)A simulcast of the Saturday afternoon Nanaimo show, featuring commentary from a Snowbird pilot and tailored music for the air show, will be broadcast on 102.3 FM The Wave, as well as on-site via speakers.
Any changes to the show will be announced through those channels, as well as on their social media pages.
Temporary closures will be in effect starting at noon on Aug. 15 along the waterfront, including the walking and fishing pier at Maffeo Sutton Park, as well as surrounding harbour waters.
Spectators can view the performances from accessible areas along the waterfront, from the Saysutshun ferry terminal to the lot next to the Gabriola Island ferry terminal at 1 Port Dr., along with multiple places in between.
More information on the Snowbirds can be found here on their website, on Facebook, or Twitter. (X).
Air space around the performance will be closed during show time on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, with several BC Ferrys sailings to Gabriola Island being cancelled.
Those include the Friday, Aug. 15, 7:05 p.m. sailing from Gabriola, and the 7:40 p.m. return trip from the Nanaimo side.
On Saturday, both the 4:05 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. sailings from Nanaimo and their return trips are also cancelled.
We’re on Bluesky! Stay up to date on news across central Vancouver Island through Bluesky, by following @NanaimoNewsNOW.bsky.social.
info@nanaimonewsnow.com
Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook