Candian Snowbirds Aerobatics team --2014.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Abbotsford B.C., Canada, is situated in the Fraser Valley about 70 Kilometers East of Vancouver which is situated on the Pacific Coast. It's the annual venue for the Air Show and is usually spectacular and attracts a crowd of over 100,000. It's no longer just a few dollars to gain entry to the field but things are expensive these days :

 

This year the featured team on this video is not the U.S. Blue Angels, which are peerless, but the home boys , the Snowbirds, who put on a fantastic precision flying demonstration. A year or so ago one of our pilots was killed in the States during a demonstration like this so these events are incredible to see but always carry a very high risk of disaster.

This video also features some aircraft that some of you may have never seen before such as the U.S. PF51  which was the best fighter during the 2nd W.War and literally saved our bacon when  it was introduced later on in the conflict.It is a rough and rugged plane which was superior in speed to any

fighter aircraft that the Germans could field at that stage of the war.

 

This is a very pretty  airport and the flying is done against a backdrop of mountains in the Faser River valley. The river starts 1200 miles to the North in B.C. and exits into the Pacific at Vancouver. The snow-covered round-topped mountain you will see in the background is Mount Baker, a non-active volcano, which is actually just over the border in The United States and non -varied terrain is more or less what you see and so was a little boring on the day. It's about 75 miles from Vancouver , like the airport, so it's not a favorite destination for  me.

 

Here we go :  

 

[Scarlet Pimple]

I also highly recommend the video from the selection shown at the end  of this video which is headed "learn to fly" . This  gives a tour of the inside of the cockpit of a Canadian F18 Hornet fighter with the pilot who has a French accent who then takes us up for a flight and you can see how hard he has to work, even as  a very highly trained and experienced professional. 

 

The camera is situated just behind the pilot and captures it all --I am wondering if anyone can tell me why he looks up to his right and left frequently. Stunning  experience though. Don't miss this one. Every little boy and girkl who ever wanted to be a pilot when he or she grew up will realize what their dream would have brought them.   

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I have nothing but respect fer the pilots

[Scarlet Pimple]

Who on  earth can be serious around you IHE.?   You are a narcissistic, brilliant show off.

 

One of these very eccentric but very wealthy  entrepreneurs from long ago, an American, built a huge dream seaplane and flew it a few feet off the ground in New York Harbour and named it the Flying Goose or the Sea Goose or something? What was his name again....it's on the tip of my tongue but that's now controlled by Mr Al Zheimer.

 

There we go: It's  here:                    http://www.historytoday.com/ian-fitzgerald/maiden-flight-spruce-goose

 

It was in fact a long lost relative of John Hughes 'cos his name was Howard Hughes.

 

 

But there are no eccentrics in Canada to match that by calling something the "Flying Moose".:-  So........

 

"The Flying Goose one time got loose and flew to Kessock Ferry

He bribed the Captain who then agreed to attach  a tow line to the "Eileen Dubh" and  drag him across to County Derry

 

"Hullo.Hullo" cooed the Harbour Master sitting smoking his pipe

He bribed the Master who thereupon then turned down one pound fifty p. and said" That's  a load of tripe"

"If I accept that " he rumbled   " The boss will nae gie me anither stripe."

 

So they splt the bribe and aff they went intae the nearest pub.

Therein sat IHE with a thirsty leer upon his face just sitting there on a tub

"Youse yins buying then?" he quips, all cocky like

So the Maister put doon his pipe and swatted him with a spike.

 

"Oh, that wiz nasty, ah really didna like it" Says IHE, pickin himself  up  aff the flair

Tae heck with this, it's nae ma gig,  so a'm aff tae sleep it aff in mah lair

Can wan oh youse yins haud yer wheesht  fur jus' a minute an' just gie me a haun up the stair?"

 

"O.K".  The captain says . "Ah'm sorry I hit yese sae hard.

But when ah meet a wee nyaff who get's mah goat an all

It disnae sit sae weil wi' me at all so ah gets lyrical, like, and' turn intae the BARD

 

 

So here's mah haun , just shake it well and then yese can ring mah bell

by slipping in  anither  bawbee and we'll finish it and ah promise ah willnae tell

Yer Mammy,   

 'Cos I met her  years ago and ah hiv  tae say she wiz really nice and made me a bowlie of rice.

That wiz mah meal and this is the end of mah speil so ah think ye should get back tae Inverness

So ah can drink the remains of yer beer and get back hame afore mah wifie tells me ah'm a mess.

"Cos ah tend tae shoot frae the hip and mah conshinsh is gi'ing me jip , I must now confess.

Farewell , dear mariner, speed yonnie boatie  and on yer way afore ye become a floatie.