Abbotsford International Airshow 2018

Discussion relating to 2018 airshows/fly-ins/exercises/other events. Post news before the event and post your photos afterwards! Please create only one thread per event.
Frenetic Enigma
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Post by Frenetic Enigma » 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.
Last edited by Frenetic Enigma on Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dan Gagnon
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Post by Dan Gagnon » Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:41 pm

RyanS wrote: Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:28 pm
JA Boomer wrote: Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:44 am -Zero security check at the foot entrance, what a joke.
Wingnut wrote: Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:52 pm Agreed. Security at the gate was a joke. ‘Any alcohol?’ ‘Nope’ ‘ok you can go’ without checking our bags. We didn’t.
I can't fathom how this is a complaint?
I totally agree, unless your complaint with no security, means you're scared for your life or someone stealing a Q400 (too soon?) Most folks want to breeze thru security ASAP.
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Dan Gagnon

JA Boomer
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Post by JA Boomer » Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:15 pm

So my concern/complaint is only that I would rather incur reasonable security measures becasue:

-My entire immediate family is at the airshow, and I would like to believe it's a safe place with appropriate security in place.

-A security incident could have negative effects on the future of the airshow.

-I believe if the wrong USAF general were to see the security yesterday all of the US planes would be in the air headed for home within the hour, and may not be returning anytime soon. Maybe not that severe but I do think there would be negative repercussions for the airshow.

I only have the best interest of the airshow in mind.

Btw, today was a wonderful time. King entrance was a breeze, had many great conversations with aircrew on the static ramp, the Blues were great, and the rain stayed away. Couldn't have asked for a better day, or a better contrast to yesterday.
Last edited by JA Boomer on Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AirshowHawk
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Post by AirshowHawk » Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:21 am

JA Boomer wrote: Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:15 pm So my concern/complaint is only that I would rather incur reasonable security measures becasue:

-My entire immediate family is at the airshow, and I would like to believe it's a safe place with appropriate security in place.

-A security incident could have negative effects on the future of the airshow.

-I believe if the wrong USAF general were to see the security yesterday all of the US planes would be in the air headed for home within the hour, and may not be returning anytime soon. Maybe not that severe but I do think there would be negative repercussions for the airshow.
Although I agree the security can be lazy at times, I hope you understand that the event security/staff that interact with you at the gate are simply volunteers that often have very little experience. They are just there to ensure no contraband is brought into the spectator area such as weapons or drugs. I wouldn’t expect them to be patting everyone down and making us walk through metal detectors. Ironically the security staff isn’t even allowed to touch you, they may only inspect your bags and that’s due to legal concerns. The police play a bigger roll than you think at the Airshow. Who knows, a camera slinging guy that may have been standing 20 feet away from you at the event could have easily been a plain clothed police officer. The military also provides a sense of security when it comes to aircraft being secured so I highly doubt that the USAF would withdraw participation because one of the security volunteers forgot to check for a joint or a bottle of booze. There is far more security in place in the restricted areas and in the crowd area than you think.

Now on a positive note, I’ve had a blast the past few days and the A-4J demo today made me one happy aviation fan! Boy was it cool to see the yellow helmet worn by the ‘78-79 Blue Angels leader in the backseat!
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JA Boomer
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Post by JA Boomer » Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:43 am

AirshowHawk wrote: Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:21 am Although I agree the security can be lazy at times, I hope you understand that the event security/staff that interact with you at the gate are simply volunteers that often have very little experience.
I do, just explaining why I don't mind reasonable security measures vs walking straight into the show grounds.

My best so far:
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Last edited by JA Boomer on Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Dan Gagnon
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Post by Dan Gagnon » Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:13 am

How was the NORAD fly-by? I know the F-15 not showing up sucked, but it sounds like Friday had 2 x CF-18s and 2 x F-16s, which is still a good looking formation. Was it the same today? Any extra solo passes by aircraft?
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Dan Gagnon

Wingnut
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Post by Wingnut » Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:16 am

The Airshow fb just announced there was an incident after the show today involving an aircraft and that emerg responders are on scene. Anyone see/know anything?
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RyanS
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Post by RyanS » Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:17 am

Wingnut wrote: Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:16 am The Airshow fb just announced there was an incident after the show today involving an aircraft and that emerg responders are on scene. Anyone see/know anything?
Seems rather late in the day for flying. Hopefully nothing major!
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Ryan Sundheimer
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Wingnut
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Post by Wingnut » Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:22 am

Vancouver courier just posted this image. Can’t quite tell what it is but it doesn’t look good. Hope everyone on board is ok
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E8824BDB-AF9E-414E-909B-4B307352E223.jpeg (303.3 KiB) Viewed 17047 times
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RyanS
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Post by RyanS » Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:23 am

Update on the incident from someone at the airport.

Sounds like a loss of control on takeoff or landing for a warbird passenger flight after the airshow. It does not sound fatal or catastrophic, but the aircraft is significantly damaged.
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Ryan Sundheimer
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