Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival: Canadian Snowbirds Begin Their Airshow Season in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

By Carmelo Turdo

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds Demonstration Team began their 2014 airshow season at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival last weekend to the delight of the crowds who flocked to the airport.  The Snowbirds, officially known as the Royal Canadian Air Force 431st Air Demonstration Squadron based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, fly the Canadair CT-114 Tutor jet trainer in formations numbering from five to nine aircraft.  The Midwest Aviation audience is proud to host the Snowbirds on their first two engagements this season to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (they will leave for Columbia, MO tomorrow for this weekend's Memorial Day Salute to Veterans Corporation Airshow).  In fact, the opportunity to host the Snowbirds at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport was due in large part to the close proximity to Columbia, MO and the airport's reputation for hosting other demonstration teams such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron in recent years.  Thus the date of the Air Festival was changed to mid May to accommodate the available weekend.  Despite a short-lived cancellation of U.S. dates on the Snowbirds' schedule, the airshow proved to be a great example of a successful Midwest Aviation event!