July 10, 2022 The Return of The Snowbirds

Barrman, Kaydee, Crispee and Cookster sat looking skyward in anticipation. It was 13:00 hours and the show was scheduled to begin at any moment. The four friends gathered on the old ferry wharf across from downtown Kelowna and awaited the return of Canada’s aerobatic finest.

The crowd had gathered on the ferry wharf, and the day’s heat warmed the ground below. But the hot temperatures of the afternoon sun weren’t the only thing warming people who were looking to the heavens. A buzz of excitement hovered in the air. 

Then out of the east, they saw seven planes in tight formation.

The Snowbirds were back.

It was something the friends weren’t sure they would ever see.  The prolific flyers were performing their first show above Okanagan Lake in over eight years. After the tragedy that struck the aeronautic team in Kamloops two years prior, there was doubt if the planes would perform again. That fateful May 17, 2020, when Captain Jennifer Casey died after the plane struck a bird there was doubt if the group would fly again.

And here they were.

And then they were gone.

And back again.

Spinning, turning, diving. They flew the sixty-plus-year-old Tutor jets in tight formations, it was an impressive show of acrobatic skill. They would fly within two metre’s of each other and do rolls and then separate and go their own ways.

“Where did they go?” Crispee asked as she searched the sky.

“Over there.” Barrman pointed into the distance as a plane dove around, smoke trailing behind it.

“What I find so amazing is one plane will just disappear into the sky and then return as if out of nowhere.” Crispee pointed to the blue sky above. Another plane with a trail of mist circled in. 

The lake was filled with boaters watching the show and the beaches were filled with excited onlookers taking in the spectacle. 

Kelowna was the first stop on a tour of North America that will end in October of 2022. After fourty-five minutes of acrobatic wizardry, the planes flew back into the east and toward the Kelowna Aiport.

“Well that was awesome.” all four friends chimed in unison.

The group of buddies hung around at the ferry wharf and soaked up the moment. The sunshine, the scenery, and the camaraderie made the connection to the moment all that much better. 

And everything felt right in the world.