More Fun Than A Dozen Wide Awake Kittens

During the 2000 Abbotsford Air Show I had the unique opportunity to fly in the lead aircraft of the Snowbirds Aerobatic Team as we buzzed Vancouver, the south Fraser Delta and then the western Cascade range of the Rocky Mountains.

It was one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. So fantastic in fact that mid way through the flight, which lasted for 90 minutes but seemed like an instant yet forever at the same time, I wished that everyone I'd ever known could experience what I was chest deep in.


The Snowbirds no longer take press up prior to a show which is a sad but understandable thing. Prior to the flight we'd spent an hour going through the mechanics of how to perform a high speed ejection in the event of an inflight emergency.

To be honest as we were getting ready for the flight and I was being strapped in to Snowbird 1 by the ground crew I was reviewing in my head the emergency procedures I'd just been taught. Part of me knew that the half I'd forgotten I would have a tough time remembering while turning end over end at 10,000 feet and 450 km/hr.

The other part of me though knew that if push came to shove I'd figure out the half dozen steps needed to free myself from the various bits and pieces of the aircraft that would still be stuck to me after I'd ejected. The risk seemed worth it regardless and pailed in comparison to what lay ahead.

The pictures in this blog entry were taken with my first generation Nikon digital. The aptly named Nikon CoolPic 950. I'd bought the camera 9 months earlier and thanks to the fish eye lens and huge 1 gigabyte high speed flash card that I'd also bought I was able to take 80+ self portraits during the flight.

Sigh. I would so love to experience that afternoon again. And again.

What impressed me the most and is the memory that will be with me forever is how the Snowbirds, in flight, demonstrated the true meaning of 'team'. They fly as one organic creature of metal, machine and human. Interlocked in a an aireal ballet that, outside of the aerobatic teams of other countries, has no equal.

I wish everyone could have a day like I did that wonderful hazy August Friday of 2000.