Emotions soar at air show
Connection made between pilots and community members larger than expected
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 15, 2017
INUVIK
What some might have considered a couple hours of fleeting entertainment has turned into a connection pilots and organizers of the Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour did not expect.
Ken Fowler stands with his homebuilt aircraft. He and his son Kyle both performed over Inuvik last weekend. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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"The tour and what's happening in the communities is beyond belief," said Nancy McClure, executive director of the project, which has a team of pilots performing 97 stunt shows across Canada's North this summer.
Hundreds of people gathered to watch the show last Saturday, which involved small planes flying upside down at high speeds, doing loop-de-loops and more. Many attended the post-event at the airport to meet the pilots.
The goal of the show is not just to provide entertainment, but also to encourage people to consider careers related to aviation.
Ken Fowler, who flew his own homebuilt aircraft in the show, said he's been able to see the effect the show is having.
"We have so many people coming up to us that are literally in tears," he said.
"They just went through this big emotional rush from something they just experienced with the airshow, the music and the announcing, and that impacts all of us also. We feel that emotionally. I've been watching all the performers and I can see how they're being affected emotionally by these really awesome people."
For McClure, the stop in Aklavik especially stood out.
She called it "hugely emotional" for the pilots and said the team met many people who had stories and dreams about aviation. During a debriefing after the show, the team knew it had to remain involved with some of those people to see the fruition of what they talked about.
"It was very profound in Aklavik," said McClure.
It hasn't come without challenges, though. Trying to schedule 97 airshows in a summer, plus dealing with regulatory issues, has been a big task.
Fowler feels like the show has found its groove now. There were other homebuilt aircraft in the show, along with some old military test planes and passenger craft.
Fowler built his in 1997.
"It's been all over Canada, all over the U.S., Mexico, Central America," he said proudly.
"I've flown it everywhere. Because it's such a fast airplane and I carry a fair amount of fuel, I can fly quite far in a short amount of time."
Aircraft from the Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour dazzle viewers during a performance in Inuvik Saturday, June 10. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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The northern climate is harsh on some of the aircraft and causes them to break down easier.
All of the pilots are highly trained and the stunts performed are well-practised. Pilots must graduate to new levels of expertise, such as being allowed to fly closer to the ground, during the training process.
Fowler's son Kyle, who was in a yellow alien-looking aircraft, performed with him in the show.
"He's been doing aerobatics since he was this big," laughed Fowler. "When he was a little boy, I was teaching him to fly upside down before he even had a pilot licence."
McClure said there was a list of criteria for pilots to meet before they could take part in the show. High on that list was the desire to connect with people in a personal way.
"If one person shows up or a thousand people show up, it doesn't change what we're going to do, because our goal is about whether or not those people connected in some way," said McClure.
"If we talk to one kid or one elder or one person of any sort that somehow sees something about a hope or a dream or an opportunity or possibility, then we've succeeded."
The show goes on now, as it continues its tour around the territory and soon to Nunavut.
"The people that we're affecting will remember that for the rest of their lives, but all of us performers will even more remember that for the rest of our lives," said Fowler.
