It’s been eight years since the Canadian Forces Snowbirds put on an amazing show for the people of Kelowna, but they’re back in action this weekend and ready to put on a breathtaking show over Okanagan Lake.
“Coming to Kelowna is a huge undertaking. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that the city of Kelowna does to accommodate us obviously, which we greatly appreciate. We just get to skydive and put on a display after all the hard work behind the scenes to fly over the lake for you guys,” smiled Snowbird captain Dominic Apolloni.
Once the team’s takeoff is given the green light from Kelowna International Airport, the snowbirds will have 45 minutes to ooo and impress the people watching from the ground and will follow a strict formation given to them by their leader, snowbird one .
“Snowbird one, he will lead everything we do in the air. We’re about to head to our briefing room where we’re going to go over the whole plan and we’re not going to deviate from it, once we’re in the air we’re going to fly this show that we’ve got planned. It’s just going to be a snowbird talking on the radio and telling us what’s going on, Apolloni added.
This weekend’s two shows unfortunately won’t be the fan-favorite high-profile show, but according to public relations officer Gabrielle Farris, viewers can expect some mesmerizing line-up changes and divisions.
“The reason for that is when we’re doing a high show, we need a sterile box, which is a big box where nobody’s allowed to get under it and move or walk or drive or float. And as you can imagine, closing Okanagan Lake on the weekend can be a little difficult to pilot a show, and we don’t want to do that, so we don’t do aerobatics. It will still be great for the population. There’s going to be some smoke over your head, there’s going to be some noise, but there’s not going to be any rolls and loops and things like that,” he explained.
The snowbirds will fly in a formation of seven this Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm over Okanagan Lake, and the best viewing spot is along the shore near the William R. Bennett Bridge.
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