Report by Rene Vallee
The weekend of 22nd and 23rd June 2024 saw the opening of its doors at CFB Bagotville, Quebec to over 150,000 visitors for the much-awaited International Air Show. Delayed for 12 months due to the restructuring of the Canadian Armed Forces, 2024 didn’t disappoint the enthusiast, with the show being a truly international affair with representation from Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
2024 was the 100th Anniversary and Centenary of the Royal Canadian Air Force and was showcased on the very colourful display CF-188 ‘774’. For the ‘Snowbirds’, they were performing a new display routine introduced for the Centenary year, a routine with over fifty separate display manoeuvres.
A majority of RCAF types were on static display along with three USAF large transport aircraft, the USAF C-17A Globemaster III from operated by the New York Air National Guard, the KC-46A Pegasus from the New Hampshire ANG and a USAF Air Force Reserve KC-135R Stratotanker operated from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana by the 434thAir Refuelling Wing. Accompanying the Italian Air Force display team on their ten location North America Tour (NAT-24), including Bagotville, QUE and Cold Lake, AB was a true work horse, the C-130J Hercules.
Perhaps due to the inclement weather both on the Friday and Saturday, sadly only one warbird type was present in the static display area, that being an ex CC-129 (Dakota 3) C-GRSB marked as FZ692. It was displayed in the markings that 437 Squadron wore at the end of WW2 and it is now owned and flown by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Hamilton, Ontario.
Aerial displays included solo demonstrations from the RCAF CF-188, the RAF Typhoon FGR.4 and USAF F-35A Lightning II along with a ‘Victory Flight’ comprising the demo CF-188, a Spitfire Mk.IX, a P-51D Mustang and Hurricane Mk.XII and a ‘Heritage Flight’ which involved the CF-188, the RAF’s Typhoon FGR.4 and the Spitfire Mk.IX. The Italian Air Force were making their first appearance in Canada since 1992 and thoroughly impressed the crowd with their colourful nine-aircraft display routines!
Our thanks go to Public Affairs Office
CFB Bagotville,
Saugenay, Quebec