By Kayla Bruch

History meets excitement during 2015 Air Show

Jan 10, 2015 | 10:26 AM

Rare aircrafts and pilots from across Canada and the United States will glide across the sky in the 2015 AirFair in Prince Albert.

For months now the Prairie Heritage Air Show Society has been planning the event which runs from July 14-16 at the Prince Albert Municipal Airport.  

“Prince Albert has an awesome history of air traffic. What we’re trying to do is enhance…the aviation and understanding of the aviation [and the] role [it played] in [the] history of the prairies,” said Real Dagenais, president of the society.

It’s been since 2013 that people in Prince Albert and surrounding areas have seen an air show and when asked, Dagenais said the show is all about excitement and that’s why they don’t host it annually.

“We didn’t want to do this every year because we feel that it gets boring if all the sudden you’re bringing in the same aircrafts…every year,” he said.

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According to Dagenais the airshows in 2012 and 2013 were so successful they have aircraft personnel asking them if they can participate this year. In 2012 he said they saw around 18,000 people through the gates and 5,000 people attended the following year.

“The Centennial of Flight [in 2012] that was a big show, I would like to top it. I don’t know if we can,” he said. “It took about two hours to create that and it took a lot of funding.”

This year’s AirFair may not break attendance records but Dagenais said they have several flight teams signed up and it should be another great show.

“At this point we have of course the SnowBirds our own provincial airshow team, the CF-18 [Demo Team] are coming in and I don’t know if there [bringing] two or three [planes], we have the B-17 bomber returning and…they’re from Mesa Arizona [Wing] the Commemorative Air Force and they are also bringing in a B-45 bomber so their bringing two aircrafts.”

Dagenais said there are several crowd favourites and the B-17 is one of them. However he said this bomber is also part of our history.

“This is a war-bird from you know, World War II, there’s ten left in the world which is you know a big thing and there was squadrons of about 2800 aircraft at one time of these things,” he said.

There will also be several static display planes and Dagenais has yet to confirm which specific ones. They hope to have Yellow Wings, Tiger Moths and Harvards.

If you are looking to bring your family to the event there will also be entertainment and food on-site.

“Prince Albert Tourism will also be presenting the Borealis Music Festival Artists who will be showcased as entertainment for the AirFair. Food and merchandise vendors will also be on site all three days,” said Dagenais.

The society is looking for members and volunteers for the AirFair during a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p. m. at the Seniors Center located at First Avenue and 12th Street West.

For more information about the AirFair, check out the event website as well as the Celebration of Flight Facebook page.

kbruch@panow.com

On Twitter: @KaylaBruch1