The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are returning to Vancouver Island.
On Friday (July 16), the air demonstration team - who spent most of May training in the Comox Valley - took part in Operation Inspiration in Vancouver.
The flyovers took place from Vancouver International Airport and took the team to an altitude of 1,000 feet throughout the Lower Mainland over a variety of places including BC Children’s Hospital, Stanley Park, Burnaby Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, White Rock Pier and the Delta Hospital.
The goal of Op Inspiration is to pay tribute and support healthcare workers for all of their work within the past year.
On Monday, July 19, the team is set to fly over Vancouver Island. Times and locations of the flyovers will be posted to the Snowbirds’ Facebook and Instagram pages.
The day before, Sunday, July 18, a CF-18 demo jet piloted by Capt. Dan Deluce will fly over areas of Vancouver Island, also as part of Operation Inspiration. According to a social media post from the CF-18 Demo Team, Deluce will leave from Delta and fly over Nanaimo at approximately 1:15 p.m., then head toward Tofino before landing in Victoria at about 2:30 p.m.
In May when the team was training in Comox, Snowbird 2 Capt. Arpit Mahajan told Black Press he hopes to inspire people and provide hope and happiness through airshows.
“With Operation Inspiration, personally, I was unsure going into it how it was going to be perceived by the public. After doing flights across Canada and getting the reception we got … based on what I saw there, I think it is a very special year to be with this team. I hope we can have the same impact as we had last year,” he said.
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