Week in Midwest Aviation: Cape Girardeau Airshow Tuesday Arrivals From North Of The Border

By Leo Cachat

The Aero Experience coverage of the Cape Girardeau Airshow continues with some behind-the-scenes views of the arrivals and preparations on the Tuesday before the event.  Upon my arrival at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Tuesday, everyone was concerned about the weather as there were several systems in the area playing havoc with flying conditions.  Upon receiving my credentials, I headed out to the ramp to find that the U.S. Army Golden Knights and the Canadian Forces Skyhawks had already arrived and were preparing for a jump.  Snowbird 10 had also arrived just prior to my arrival.  One of the members of the Skyhawks picked me up and took me to the landing area to get a first hand look at what goes into a successful jump.

 

  



























This jump was performed by both the U.S. Army GoldenKnights and the Skyhawks, both teams making the difficult look easy in less than ideal conditions.













































At the conclusion of the demonstration it was back to the ramp to await the arrival of both the CF-18 demonstration team and the Snowbirds. Weather was the main factor, as thunderstorms bubbled up around not just Cape Girardeau but the entire Midwest.  A heavy shower lasting about ten minutes blew through the area, leaving a wet ramp but sunny skies to photograph the aircraft.

As the storm passed, word was starting to spread that the CF-18 would be arriving shortly. Everyone on hand was anticipating this aircraft's arrival and anxious to see the beautiful paint job the Canadians are known for on their CF-18 demo bird. Capt. Ryan "Roid" Kean did not disappoint with his arrival, making several passes over the airfield before parking the beautiful aircraft and stepping out onto the red carpet his team unrolled for him.

 

Then the Snowbirds arrived at the airport, flying in an eight plane formation. They overflew the airport twice with smoke on before breaking to land in two sets of three, and one set of two, taxiing into their parking spots on the taxiway at show center.

At this point, the airport staff rolled out their own CF-18 and CT-114 that they had made to honor both the Snowbirds and the CF-18 demo team. Both teams really appreciated the work the staff had put into the groundcraft, and even had some fun testing them out.  It was truly a memorable and funny sight to behold, and just once again showed how much fun aviation can be.  Our neighbors from the north could not have been more friendly and engaging, and they set a high standard for others in their support of aviation and air shows.  What a great start to a great two days!
 

As shown in a previous post, a great group photo opportunity was produced by the three Canadian Forces teams to commemorate their only U.S. engagement together.