Bob CollinsThe Canadian Snowbirds of the Royal Canadian Air Force announced on Monday that they have canceled a portion of their airshow season because bad weather has forced them to cancel too many practices and it would otherwise be unsafe to perform.
The Snowbirds, along with the Blue Angels, were to be the signature show in this year’s Duluth Air Show, which will still go on despite the Snowbirds’ exit.
Last year, the team made its first-ever appearance at the giant AirVenture show at Oshkosh (the Blue Angels have never appeared there but will this year).
Unlike their American counterparts, the Snowbirds are all about constant precision and grace rather than flash and noise.
“A reduced training period, hampered by poor weather which continued into the show season, resulted in numerous cancelled practices,” said Major Patrick Gobeil, Snowbirds team lead. “As a result, more training is required before the Snowbirds resume their 2017 schedule. The safety of our team and spectators is extremely important. We’re going to assess where we’re at and work hard to get back to the air show circuit, so we can continue putting on safe and fantastic shows.”
There was another reason the Snowbirds were such a hit at Oshkosh last year. The pilots and crew camped on the ground in tents, just like the thousands of others at Oshkosh.
