Snowbirds to headline Windsor air show


By Monica Wolfson, The Windsor StarFebruary 5, 2009 11:01 AM

The Snowbirds impress a large audience at the Leamington Airshow Monday May 19, 2003.The Windsor International Air Show is expected to thrill crowds of up to 40,000 when it flies over Windsor’s skies in late August.

Event organizers, who have been putting the program together for the past 18 months, said Wednesday they have secured marquee aerial acrobatic acts for the two-day show on Aug. 29 and 30.

Performers include the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the U.S. air force, a glider act, a woman who flies a biplane, the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team, the SkyHawks CF parachute team and several aerobatic flyers who also compete in Red Bull races.

Air show organizers will hold a kickoff event Feb. 18 when Snowbird officials come to Windsor for a site inspection of Windsor Airport.

Keith Baxter, an event organizer and pilot, has crafted an air festival that will have as much to distract spectators on the ground as in the air. When the gates open, visitors will have an opportunity to take airplane and helicopter rides, visit vendors, displays and food booths and wander through a hanger containing the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association artifacts.

“This is a homebred show,” Baxter said. “There are a lot of people at the airport who want to do this.”

Baxter plans to try to attract tourists from London, Kitchener, Ohio, New York and Indiana.

Events that motivate tourists to travel to Windsor from afar are very valuable, said Gordon Orr, managing director of the Windsor and Essex County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

“It’s good to see the air show come to the forefront and execute an event,” Orr said.

An air show isn’t cheap to run. The show is a non-profit event that will cost about $200,000 — organizers have to pay for fuel, the performers and accommodations. Baxter applied for a grant from the province, but he’s also charging visitors $17 admission to offset costs.

Matt Lear, who is designing the web- site winairshow.com, has only been to one air show.

“Doing the website you learn about the performers, I’m more excited than (the organizers) now,” he said.

The website will be one-stop shopping for information. The event is being put together by volunteers, who are still looking for sponsors to help defray costs.

The Snowbirds were frequent visitors to the area, but haven’t been seen since 2005 when they performed in the Leamington air show.

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