A crowd of roughly 20,000 people are expected to gather at 19 Wing Comox this Saturday to celebrate the Comox Air Show, as well as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100th anniversary.
The free, family-friendly event takes place at 19 Wing Comox on May 18, with gates opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m.
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatics team will perform above the air show, as well as the CF-18 Demo Team and the base’s own CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft.
“They are a Canadian icon, you know, I think when people see the Snowbirds they think of Canada, especially in that big diamond formation,” said Snowbirds #4 pilot Cpt. Scott Boyd. “So I think they’re a very important thing in Canada and we just want to keep spreading the message that we’re representing the military out there. We’re not just a Canadian icon, we’re a Canadian military icon and an icon of the Air Force.”
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A CC-130 Hercules plane will also perform a rescue para-drop.
“It’s an extremely busy Wing with a lot of capability. We’re talking about maritime patrol, search and rescue and so forth and the Wing is expanding, so it’s kind of our chance to open our door to the public and say, ‘Come and see us and see what we do,'” said Air Show Director L. Col. Jean Leroux.
On the ground, visitors can expect to see other aircraft, including a CH-148 Cyclone, an Airbus 330, Jayhawk and Dolphin helicopters used by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), a USCG Hercules, and a PBY Canso from Canadian Heritage Warplanes.
Besides the aerial displays and aircraft on the ground, there will also be a kids zone, food trucks and people will have a chance to “talk with aircrew, groundcrew, and all the personnel who enable the RCAF to fulfill its operational mission,” reads the Comox Air Show website.
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BC Transit is also offering free shuttle service to the Comox Air Show.
Starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, shuttles will be leaving from the North Island College transit exchange and the Comox Mall transit exchange every 15 minutes.
“Both shuttles will service stops along the way and free parking will be available at both the College and the Comox Mall,” said BC Transit in a release on May 9.
Meanwhile, shuttles will be leaving from the air show from Military Row near Glacier Gardens Arena throughout the day until 6 p.m.
While the shuttle service is free, BC Transit encourages riders to make a donation. It adds that drivers should expect heavy traffic in the area, with priority being given to buses during the air show.
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(Comox Air Show)
Adam Chan
Dean Stoltz
