The Canadian Forces Snowbirds demonstration team flies at public events throughout North America from May to October every year.
They showcase a high level of skill, professionalism, teamwork, discipline and dedication. All you have to do is watch one of their shows, or practices here in the Comox Valley, to get a sense of how talented the crew is.
Captain Scott Boyd, originally from Burnaby B.C., is a captain in the Snowbirds team. This is his fifth year as part of the Snowbirds, having taken a break for a couple of years before returning to the team.
“This was always my dream job, I miss the flying. It’s a very rewarding job. Inspiring others,” said Boyd of his return to the Snowbirds.
Boyd flies the back of the formation, in the fifth plane position.
“The job itself, is everything you expect and nothing you expect at the same time. Formation flying is obviously incredible. It’s doing aerobatics travelling the country. The part you don’t really expect is the people that you get to meet. It’s just so rewarding and I didn’t expect to go to the job that I really liked,” shared Boyd.
Being a part of the Snowbirds team has been a dream of Boyd’s since he was eight years old. Seeing the Snowbirds can ignite any child's dream of flying but the world disappears when he gets into the cockpit. He doesn’t pay much attention to the crowds while he is up in the air performing but coming to Comox to practice puts the love of the Snowbirds into perspective.
“When I’m up there, I don’t pay attention to the size of the crowd, but once you’re down, it really puts it into perspective, how many people love the Snowbirds and how appreciated we are by the community, especially in Comox. You know, you see the crowds at Air Force Beach, and how the Island really loves us being here. It’s like a second home to us.”
Returning to Comox for training at 19 Wing almost feels like a homecoming for Boyd, who spent two years here.
“This is like a second home for (the Snowbirds). I lived here for two years, so I’m always thrilled to come back and see all my friends and see the public and how much they respect the team.”
While the pilots of the Snowbirds get the glory for their performances, it really is a team effort behind the scenes. The crew is made up of approximately 35 people total, with 25 people going on the road. There are only nine pilots in the air but each one has a tech that works on their plane. The thought is the aircraft belongs to the tech, the pilots just borrow them.
The Snowbirds start their training each season with greater gaps between the planes, slowly moving closer and closer as the repetition of training takes over.
"It’s one of those things we get used to. We train so much and we start in smaller formations, with a bit wider spacing. Then we start moving in, we start putting more airplanes on. By the time the performances happen, you’re just used to it and it just becomes ingrained in you. It’s something that you don’t really notice too much, it’s just the job.”
One of the main reasons that the Snowbirds return to 19 Wing each year to practice is that there is no water to train over in their home of Moose Jaw, Sask.
“The over-water practice that we don’t get back in (Moose Jaw), so we take this opportunity to train out here. It’s the over-water glassy conditions. The other training challenge right now in Saskatchewan is that it is heavy migratory bird season. (We) are right in the middle of a Canada goose fly path. So April (and May) are a really bad time for birds out there.”
Boyd looks forward to the next five months of deployment, performing all across North America, wrapping up in October in California with two shows, one in San Francisco and one in Huntington Beach.
“The biggest shows in Canada are Abbotsford in the west and then Toronto and London.”
While Boyd might be old hat at being a Snowbird, the routine is not the same every year. They see other performances by other teams and incorporate new moves.
“This year we’re changing. We’re doing a Hero Split, which is a little bit different from what we did last year and we have added our bank addition this year which is called the Tornado Pass.”
The Snowbirds will be performing in Nanaimo on on Aug. 15 and 16 before heading out on the road across Canada and then finishing in California.
