Rick, your photos of the Snowbirds brought back some pleasant and unpleasant
memories. Last May the Snowbirds did a cross-country tour with shows in
most of the major centers called "Operation Inspiration" to "salute
Canadians doing their part to fight the spread of COID-19". On May 16, 2000
the show came to Edmonton.
May 2000 was a gloomy month in Edmonton, with bad weather and a population
trying to come to grips with the pandemic. May 16, however, was a
beautiful, sunny day. My wife and I decided to take in the show from
Valleyview Drive, which has a commanding view of the river valley, downtown
and the route of the airshow.
They gave us a show we'll never forget. Two shows, actually, because they
did a second, unscheduled, one and widened the route so that everyone in the
city had an opportunity to see them. They appear to fly almost close enough
to touch one another and amazingly low.
Between the shows my wife and I talked about the danger inherent in this
performance. We couldn't remember when they had accidents but knew they had
happened (the last was in 2008). It made us appreciate the show even more
to think that these people are putting their lives on the line for our
entertainment.
After Edmonton the Snowbirds moved on to Kamloops, where one of the planes
crashed (not in a show), killing their public affairs officer and seriously
injuring the pilot. That was May 17, 2000, one year ago yesterday. I saw
on today's news that they are planning a memorial for Captain Jennifer
Casey.
YITBOS
George Heikkinen
From: dsp-ea-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:dsp-ea-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rick Gafuik
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2021 3:06 PM
To: DeltaSigCommunicationsGroup DeltaSigCommunicationwGroup
Subject: planes
I have enjoyed reading the emails concerning the Avro plane especially as I
sit on my deck and watch the Snowbirds practise in their ancient jets. I
also remember visiting the Reynolds Museum long enough ago where we were
allowed to sit in the cars or on the motorcycles to have our picture taken.
For those really interested in historical planes, on the scenic drive from
Portland, Oregon to Lincoln City on the coast, there is a small town called
McMinnville which has a huge air museum and Howard Hughes Spruce Goose is
one of the attractions -
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Evergreen+Aviation+%26+Space+Museum/@45.20
4304,-123.14543,3a,124.9y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOS6-1bRMnMhVfUcDktqj
6Z4E4g_Q5jGd6DLob8!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FA
F1QipOS6-1bRMnMhVfUcDktqj6Z4E4g_Q5jGd6DLob8%3Dw708-h298-k-no!7i640!8i269!4m7
!3m6!1s0x0:0xcf98b5bc38f4befc!8m2!3d45.204304!4d-123.14543!14m1!1BCgIgAQ .
It is worth visiting.
I include a couple of pictures taken this past week.
Rick
