Re: Abbotsford International Airshow 2018
Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:40 pm
Reflections on the Friday show:
Entering: call it good fortune/good timing/planning, but we had little to no problems with entering the show, even in time to see some of the statics. I would still recommend a 2 pm gates to provide more time to wander the statics, talk to the ever-friendly and welcoming crew of the aircraft, and even tour the site as a whole. I also thought the food truck selection was quite good. Almost visited again later in the evening, but then lineups were modestly long. I imagine those lines will be very long this weekend.
Static Display: what was there was good. The Galaxy crew were very friendly, as were the NORAD guys and the Cyclone crew. The show definitely hurt from the late cancellations, as heavies were under-represented (again), and also no F-16s on static (see below). It was great to have a Galaxy back at the show! If possible, I'd almost encourage the AIAS to overbook this area, as they must be aware that there'll almost always be late cancellations.
Airshow: overall, a very good show. The Blues put on a good show, but certainly suffered from being down one soloist - I hope the weekend goes better for them in that regard. I was almost spoiled though, after finding a very fortunate spot for an incredible view of their Thursday practice. The Snowbirds always impress, and the retro music was an entertaining twist. Props to their announce team: they were absolutely hilarious at times - "gotta enjoy that early 2000s techno mix!!" Great line. The A-10 put on a fine demo and the heritage flight was very good. (Edit: nearly forgot to mention that Rob Holland was utterly fantastic! What he does with that airplane is ridiculous; brilliant show!) The CF-18 demo was strong as always; though near dark, it did allow for some great afterburner viewing, although the NORAD design wasn't really visible. This was a late start, which leads me to the two big criticisms for the show:
1. Opening Ceremonies: rarely do we ever want to hear politicians rambling on about "how much they enjoy" whatever event they happen to be attending. During a condensed twilight show, this took up way way way too much time. Push this to the Saturday morning when time is much more available. This nearly half-hour process definitely delayed a lot of things (and, yes, I'm aware they were also honouring the fallen officers in Fredericton, but even that wasn't readily apparent at first). The delays affected key elements of the show like the CF-18 demo, and...
2. NORAD Fly-by: I can only guess that this was cut short significantly due to the rambling politicians. The F-15s were sorely missed (ironically, they were busy with the unfortunate incident in WA state). The F-16s full participation led to no F-16 on static and the formation only made three passes. That's it. No solo passes, nothing high speed...very underwhelming. The clue that perhaps this was cut short was the fact that all four jets had to fly around for half an hour just to burn off enough fuel before they could land. Hopefully, this NORAD tribute will be better on the weekend.
Finally, and oddly enough, the first and one of the only signs of next year's star attraction was a single sheet of paper taped above the men's urinal annoucing next year's return of the Thunderbirds. Maybe there were other signs I didn't see.
So, a good show overall. Some things to definitely correct in terms of logistics and timing, and then the AIAS still needs more work on building up the military representation: I know it's not a military-focused show, but that is the obvious draw. Along with the return of the Thunderbirds, my hopes for 2019 will include the presence of the F-22 and/or F-35 in some way, and recognition of NATO's 70th anniversary (Eurofighter? Silver sponsor? hint hint...)
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend shows.
Entering: call it good fortune/good timing/planning, but we had little to no problems with entering the show, even in time to see some of the statics. I would still recommend a 2 pm gates to provide more time to wander the statics, talk to the ever-friendly and welcoming crew of the aircraft, and even tour the site as a whole. I also thought the food truck selection was quite good. Almost visited again later in the evening, but then lineups were modestly long. I imagine those lines will be very long this weekend.
Static Display: what was there was good. The Galaxy crew were very friendly, as were the NORAD guys and the Cyclone crew. The show definitely hurt from the late cancellations, as heavies were under-represented (again), and also no F-16s on static (see below). It was great to have a Galaxy back at the show! If possible, I'd almost encourage the AIAS to overbook this area, as they must be aware that there'll almost always be late cancellations.
Airshow: overall, a very good show. The Blues put on a good show, but certainly suffered from being down one soloist - I hope the weekend goes better for them in that regard. I was almost spoiled though, after finding a very fortunate spot for an incredible view of their Thursday practice. The Snowbirds always impress, and the retro music was an entertaining twist. Props to their announce team: they were absolutely hilarious at times - "gotta enjoy that early 2000s techno mix!!" Great line. The A-10 put on a fine demo and the heritage flight was very good. (Edit: nearly forgot to mention that Rob Holland was utterly fantastic! What he does with that airplane is ridiculous; brilliant show!) The CF-18 demo was strong as always; though near dark, it did allow for some great afterburner viewing, although the NORAD design wasn't really visible. This was a late start, which leads me to the two big criticisms for the show:
1. Opening Ceremonies: rarely do we ever want to hear politicians rambling on about "how much they enjoy" whatever event they happen to be attending. During a condensed twilight show, this took up way way way too much time. Push this to the Saturday morning when time is much more available. This nearly half-hour process definitely delayed a lot of things (and, yes, I'm aware they were also honouring the fallen officers in Fredericton, but even that wasn't readily apparent at first). The delays affected key elements of the show like the CF-18 demo, and...
2. NORAD Fly-by: I can only guess that this was cut short significantly due to the rambling politicians. The F-15s were sorely missed (ironically, they were busy with the unfortunate incident in WA state). The F-16s full participation led to no F-16 on static and the formation only made three passes. That's it. No solo passes, nothing high speed...very underwhelming. The clue that perhaps this was cut short was the fact that all four jets had to fly around for half an hour just to burn off enough fuel before they could land. Hopefully, this NORAD tribute will be better on the weekend.
Finally, and oddly enough, the first and one of the only signs of next year's star attraction was a single sheet of paper taped above the men's urinal annoucing next year's return of the Thunderbirds. Maybe there were other signs I didn't see.
So, a good show overall. Some things to definitely correct in terms of logistics and timing, and then the AIAS still needs more work on building up the military representation: I know it's not a military-focused show, but that is the obvious draw. Along with the return of the Thunderbirds, my hopes for 2019 will include the presence of the F-22 and/or F-35 in some way, and recognition of NATO's 70th anniversary (Eurofighter? Silver sponsor? hint hint...)
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend shows.