Snowbird 8

Gallery Article by Harv on Oct 7 2011

 

The Snowbirds, or 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, have been entertaining crowds for generations. They are the pride of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Yup, ROYAL. After over 40 yrs it's good to have the distinction again.

 

Click on images below to see larger images

This is the Hobbycraft 1/48 Tutor. Not bad, but not great. With a bit of effort it looks good on the shelf. I chose a special tail number, 114118/Snowbird 8. This was the solo aircraft flown by Capt Gord DeJong for the 1978 season.

 During the show in Grand Prairie Alberta, #8 was performing his routine when the horizontal stab separated at low level in a roll. He was killed on impact.

As a 7 yr old living in Moose Jaw (home of the Snowbirds) I developed my lifelong fascination with aviation, and got my first taste of model building. I'll always have fond memories...

Harv

      

Photos and text © by Harv