I don't know how I stumbled across it, but in late July I discovered that somehow, impossibly, there would be a local airshow this year. I confirmed with Glory (still in Churchill) that she wanted to go to one, and she declared her willingness authoritatively.
And so, on her first Saturday back in the province, we drove out to the tiny Villeneuve airport west of Edmonton - along with 25,000 other event-starved attendees.
It was a zoo. They had anticipated perhaps 16,000 people based on ticket sales, but with the second day of the show threatened by rain, there were a ton of last-minute purchases and walk-ups. It's not a concert where you can run out of seats, and there was plenty of room, but the crowds meant an excruciating 90 min crawl to the parking lot, then another hour in line waiting to have out tickets scanned and enter the airfield.
By the time we got our chairs placed, we had just enough time to go line up at a food truck for lunch, and were there when the opening ceremonies commenced.
Watching an American C-130 Hercules deliver the British Army's Red Devils parachute demonstration team to they could unfurl the flags of Canada, the U.S. and a 5000 sq. ft. Union Jack while the crowds sang the appropriate anthems was a real treat, and not significantly diminished by waiting in line for Bacon Bomb sandwiches at the Smokehouse BBQ truck.
Glory had brought along her SLR and managed to get some great shots throughout the day.
Alberta pilot Kyle Fowler then did a demo with his Burt Rutan-designed plane, the Long EZ, which he built himself from a kit. With its delta wing, forward canards and pusher props, it is a very-elegant looking aircraft.
The Long EZ is not really an aerobatic plane, but Fowler really really put it through its paces, returning for another neat stunt later in the show.
As cool as it was though, Glory and I were there primarily for the fast movers, and the first pair of jhets we saw really delivered the goods. Two EA-18G Growlers, electronic warfare Hornets from the U.S. Navy, did their rolls, loops, Cuban 8s and more with tremendous skill and precision, but nothing thrilled us more than the simple high-speed, low altitude overhead passes they did.
As they roared overhead, afterburners crackling as they quickly diminished in size and then broke formation, Glory lowered her camera and looked at me with the biggest grin I have seen on her in years. I laughed, and held up my arm so she could see all the hairs standing on end as well as the gooseflesh, before it receded.
At that point, the ticket prices (a very reasonable $25 which included parking), and miserable drive and that long wait to get in, all became more than worth it, for us at least. But there was still more show to come.
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