Looks like Hawk One might be coming after all.
Local air show waiting for word from Snowbirds By CHIP MARTIN
It's enough to make an air show organizer fret.
And yesterday afternoon, Peter Garland, executive director of this weekend's Wings and Wheels in St. Thomas -- Southwestern Ontario's largest air show -- was fretting.
The Star attractions, the Snowbirds, were on "operational pause," grounded at a Canadian Forces base in Quebec where a problem with the ejection system tied to pilot lap belts was found during a routine pre-flight inspection a few days ago.
And then there was the weather forecast calling for showers right into Saturday.
Garland, a retired London radio announcer and flight enthusiast, was looking skyward from his perch at St. Thomas Municipal Airport, site of the airshow.
"I'm hoping," he said yesterday afternoon. "I'm hoping."
He was awaiting definitive word from the Snowbirds, the Canadian Armed Forces' acrobatic flight team.
Garland said he remains optimistic the Snowbirds will arrive in the skies above London and St. Thomas as planned this afternoon.
A sister aircraft, an F86 jet, was released to perform in St. Thomas after it was inspected for a similar problem, he noted. He said plenty of other aerial and static displays are planned for the event so a no-show by the Snowbirds would not prove a disaster, simply a disappointment.
Snowbirds spokesperson Capt. Jennifer Jones said the problem with the lap belts is being worked on and she's hopeful the aircraft would appear as scheduled. The team had to cancel an appearance yesterday at Baddeck, N.S.
"We hope to have this matter resolved," Jones said. "We're optimistic, provided there are no surprises."
Chip Martin is a Free Press reporter.
chip.martin@sunmedia.ca
