SUPERIOR, WIS. – The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will offer a free air show over Duluth Harbor this summer, a return for the squadron that hasn't performed in this viewer-friendly space in more than a decade.
The acrobatic air demonstration, scheduled for 5 p.m. July 31, is among a handful of shows to mark the Royal Canadian Air Force's centennial, a milestone it hit on April 1. This team last performed over Lake Superior in 2008.
In a recorded announcement, Maj. Brent Handy, team lead of the squadron, described the event as a showcase of "precision acrobatics and the skilled professionalism and teamwork of the Canadian Armed Forces."
The city's landscape will offer viewers a unique view — with spectators on Skyline Parkway able to look down on the planes as they fly over the water, said Ryan Kern of Kern and Kompany, which announced the event billed as "Air Spectacular" on Wednesday morning at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center.
"From the lake shore, from the hillside, from Canal Park and the Lakewalk, Duluth is a natural bowl, so you will be able to see the Air Spectacular from pretty much anywhere in the central part of Duluth," Kern said.
The Snowbirds were likened to the United States Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. They fly nine slightly modified CT-114 Tutors, a plane that was primarily a jet trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force until 2000, according to the team. The Snowbirds spend winter in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, practicing the more than 50 formations and maneuvers showcased during performances.
Kern and Kompany is also behind the Duluth Airshow, which was held in mid-May.
