Share you videos, photos, and stories below

It was a good show Saturday. The weather was crummy, didn't stay for the Snowbirds, but was happily pleased by the Strike Eagle & Rhino demos. Had a great time and got some great shots. I'm not on my home computer, so I'll have to wait to upload some photos. I'll be back with Sunday's review.

It was a good show. A real shame about the weather. I agree about the Strike Eagle and Rhino demos. Here are a couple of shots I have managed to get ready to post. Hopefully more to follow.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Damn, man, now I'm afraid to post my photos! Good shots! Yeah, they're saying that Sunday should be better weather. You going?

EDIT: Here are a few of my photos. I had only 15 of my 1400 turn out well.

Just one more shot to post tonight.

Click to view attachment

Unfortunately not. I will be reading all about it tomorrow night though.

Have fun!

...And a few others.







Too bad, bud. Well, I'm pretty sure the weather will be just as murky, so you probebly won't miss a thing.

I was at Abbotsford on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Friday was great weather. Saturday was a little wet, but I stayed for the entire show.

RHINO demo

CF Assault demo

I attended on Sunday, and the weather cooperated for a great day.

Although the Osprey was advertised to attend, it was not there on Sunday, and I was wondering if it was there on Friday and Saturday? I was disappointed that there was no mention during the day that it would not be there. I thought they may have made an announcement.

The Thinderbirds were very good, and so were the Snowbirds, even though they only had 8 planes on Sunday.

The weather was GREAT on Saturday! I dunno what you all are talking about, gettin a few sprinkles is so much better than getting baked and as an added bonus they cut out a few shows that are.... slower, if you catch my driiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffffft.

I went Fri/Sat/Sun and I think they all were pretty good, I'm putting together a video but its not ready yet, it was shot on digital video cam though so its not gonna be a phenom.


Good thing the U.S Airforce showed up, without them that show would have had barely ANY static at all. And lets be honest, The F-15, F18 S.H and the Thunderbirds stole the show, I love the Thunderbirds scare tactics as they tell you to look left at a diamond formation only to have an F-16 rip right over the crowd...beautiful.

Canadian military demo was great, woulda been better if there was no talking and they just let them do there thing as fast as possible, next year they should put the explination in the airshow magazine...program...whatever you wanna call it and let people follow along with that if they really can't figgure out whats going on. The f-18's made the speakers hard to hear anyway and the troops had to sit point blank at eachother and pretend to fight for 5 min while we heard about WHY they are moving in that fashon, kinda wierd. BUT HEY!!! at least they did it. Nice work!


--Rummors of a Sabre jet next year make me happy. maybe we can do a 60's/70's portion theme next year? and did i hear someone say something about a Phantom? i thought i did.



nice work airshow team.

oh...and deep fried oreo's will make you sick


1 more thing, I have a question that most of you wont be able to answer but i hope someone can.

I noticed that Saturday was pretty empty compaired to Friday and Sunday and it got me wondering about the financial issues having to do with Abbotsford Airshow. The question i had is basicly this. Does an airshow actualy make money? if so, do you then LOSE money on a day like saturday when it was very empty?

Does a bad year profit wise at an airshow directly effect the budget and ability to get aircraft for next year?

I went all three days as well. despite some weather issues on Saturday and soggy grounds on Sunday I had a great time. It was a bummer Snowbird #3 couldn't make it but family comes first and if you couldn't respect that then to heck with ya . I enjoyed seeing the Aurora in the air again as well as my first Bill Carter shows. I'm also glad Warren Pietsch joined Kent as he is an amazing, low to the ground, pilot. I just can't believe it was his first year there! More static would've been nice but I can't complain as i got to see lots of planes I don't see on a regular basis. I want my own Challenger to get around in. The interior of that thing was niiiiice.

A big round of applause for all of you who helped put this show together. I'm glad the weather didn't follow the forecast as it could've been a rough(er) weekend.

Can't wait til next year!

(Pictures will follow but probably not for a while as I still have over 4,000 from Oshkosh to deal with )

Impact93;

The airshow does its best to pay all the bills each year and put whatever is left in to what we call a rain-out fund. Ideally, that fund should be robust enough to pay for a completely washed out airshow. Not sure where that fund stands at this point, but the goal is to keep the contingency reserve fund topped up to help cover for when the weather turns sour.

A portion of revenues for the show is dependant on ticket sales so when the crowds don't show up, we definitely take a hit. The crowds were slim on Saturday (thought I thought okay considering the weather), but the audience on Sunday was absolutely stellar! All the parking lots were full and additional space was secured at Cascade Aerospace to handle the demand. That's definitely a good sign...

The final word won't be in for a few weeks while the "dust" settles, but my speculation is that the show will be okay.

Ken

Judging by how soggy it was on Sunday I don't think there's much dust to settle

Good job on the annouoncers stand. I tried to stop by and say hi but they've got that security over there. Maybe next year.

Ummm, call me silly, but, the whole point of narration is to TELL you exactly what is going on...if you have to "follow along" in the magazine then you are not WATCHING the show...

Glad you all enjoyed the show - wish I could have been there!

Haha... I was wondering who the lucky guy was standing out in the middle of the field behind all the action.

Anyone able to tell me what that is one the wing of the F-15? I can't figure out what those stains are.. They were on it for the whole show Saturday and they weren't there Sunday.

I peed on it.

Friday night arrivals...

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachment

and one of the heavy static display at night...
Click to view attachment

Hi Ken,

Just want to say I really enjoyed the Airshow. It was my first one in about 9 years, so I had a blast!

I will be at Abbotsford next year. My whole family is coming along!

See you next year!

Attended all three days (apart from missing the Snowbirds on Saturday, 'cos I was cold & wet)

The Airshow & performers were great - I loved watching Kent's deadstick routine. Truly an example of poetry in motion......

The organization of traffic on Friday morning bordered on farce - the pre-paid group at Queens Rd got re-routed into the general "pay at the gate" lines. Why did we pre-purchase??

Really appreciated the quantity and quality of the washrooms. Wonder if next year you could mimic Lethbridge & have complimentary water coolers & sunscreen on hand ?

Was REALLY ticked off at the thoughtlessness of the T-Bird ground crew, someone from the CF-18 demo team and their "security" motorcyclist on Friday - all 3 abandoned/parked themselves (and their equipment & vehicles) in front of Section 3 of runway seating. I got to watch an old biker in a yellow jacket and a rental Crown Vic instead of the Thunderbirds............. at least the T-birds moved their equipment for Saturday & Sunday (maybe that was partially due to the large lake that had formed in their previous stopping point )

Overall the show itself was very good - I could watch the Skyhawks canopy work forever and seeing the Snowbirds for the first time was excellent. A bit of a shame that some of the logistics coloured my first visit to Abbotsford.

Well...here's my report from this year's Abbotsford Air Show.

After our 9 hour drive, got to the airport at about 2:30...just in the nick of time to park and check out the Strike Eagle, Super Hornet, and the Thunderbirds. All were amazing, it's nice to view these performances from off show-center and without music and commentary every once in a while. Also got to see when the Thunderbirds were going to scare the crowd...twice, so I was prepared for the Sunday show. Thunderbird 5 passed so low and fast over us that afternoon, that there was an intense turbulent wake following it. Loudest thing I've ever heard .

Got to the Sunday show early as usual. Made my static rounds. The C-130J crew was very nice and eager to answer questions. The MH-65C and Sea King crews were up early as well. I wanted to talk with some fighter crews this year, but none were around when I was...next year. I was disappointed that the 8 F-16's and 2 Super Hornets failed to show up for the static display, but I figured the events in Georgia and the Middle East that week may have had a hand in that. Overall I thought static was good on the heavy side, and OK on the light. Would have been a fantastic static had all of the fighters shown up, oh well.

Got to my runway seat at 10:30. Ken, if you or any other air show administrators read this, my one complaint was with the runway seating. First, there was a large lake at the entrance to the east side runway section. The two staff at the booth laughed at my family for asking if there was another way into the runway section, or if they could move the entrance to the other side of the booth (where there was no water). Not very professional and actually kind of rude...was disappointed by this. Also, there was not enough staff to take each person to their section and seats as in years passed. Which was fine by me...except that the signs for the sections were kind of confusing this year, especially because I was told section 10 would be the first section of the east side. I noticed several people who had trouble understanding the signage, which was quite easy to follow once you understood it. I don’t mean to bitch and moan, but I thought these comments could come in handy to you organizers.

There was no remote airplanes to start the show this year (I think it may have been too windy), pity...as I was hoping to see how to correctly launch my P-51 into the air. As for the show...one of, if not the best I have ever seen. The Strike Eagle and Super Hornet TAC demos were awesome (and aside from the F-22A, they are probably the best demos going). The Strike Eagle was just as good as I remember from 2 years ago, and the Super Hornet had a few new tricks added in from last year. The CF-18 had a strong performance as well which is always a treat. I also enjoyed a little F-15C action as the static display aircraft headed to Portland for a little air show action (anyone have any idea what kind of show he put on down there?) and extra CF-18 Hornet time with the CF demo (which I really enjoyed!). Nice tribute to our fallen soldier with the missing-man formation as well. The Thunderbirds were absolutely flawless and my highlight of this year's show, and the Snowbirds seemed to step it up a notch as well...giving the Thunderbirds a run for their money with only 8 of the 9 Snowbirds in the air. Music was WAY better than last year; although the Super Hornet didn't have any...shame. Also, nice job from the announcer’s tower Ken!

My biggest disappointment this year actually came on Monday. Lots of action...but only a few aircraft were kind enough to grant the considerable crowd gathered with a fly-past without leaving. Thanks to the two C-130 crews and the F-15C pilot who took the time to do it right! The snowbird who left on Monday, Thunderbirds, and the T-6A also did a fly-past, but I was really disappointed that neither of the Strike Eagle, Super Hornet, or B-52 crews came back for a last goodbye. Anyone know why the flybys were cut down this year? Last year was absolutely amazing!

Anyways...great air show! And an awesome weekend! Thanks to everyone who had a hand in putting this year's show together! I'm already looking forward to next year's Abbotsford International Air Show!

Boomer

You were in section 10? That's where I was all three days in the front row.

HAHAHAHAHA, My family was in seats 7-10 in ROW 1...you must've been in the first few seats?

My dad and I were in seats 4 and 5 on Sunday. 6 was open and then it was you guys. What a crazy small world! We actually had seats 9 and 10 on Friday and Saturday but they were gone for Sunday. I guess now I know who got our seats .

Thanks for that answer Ken, I always get a little worried for our Airshow when i see a less then stellar crowd on 1 day. I'm glad to know that there is a strategic plan in place. I appreciate the answer.

Great Job in the announcer booth by the way, you sound pretty at home calling out the arty co-ordinates I don't think i got to hear you say anything about Sun screen this year haha.


In your honest opinion, is there anything we the general public can do to help get certain aircraft to the show next year? I spent so much time complaining on here about what isnt at the show, I figgured instead of beakin off like a 10 year old i could do something proactive. I'd still love to see a phantom or.... and yes, i know its a long long long shot... the Vulcan?? I suppose in the end its up to the people that own those aircraft, but i wonder if there is anything we can do to sway them.



As far as the Canadian forces demo went. When i said the explinations that were happening during the live action scene wasnt good. I ment the words were great and the info was great but it just seemed out of place. I liked it better last year when they just stormed the field and did there thing and THEN we got to clap for them and show our appreciation and THEN we got the rundown of what went on. Not only that, but from where i was sitting on all 3 days (General seating/ show right at the end of the pyro burn) i could hardly hear what was being said when the hornets were flying over, which was the whole time.

ANYWAY, it was Friggin awesome, i love the effort and i love how we got all kinds of Canadian forces in there. All we need now is a Herc doing a tank drop after doing a JATO takeoff of course.

Great show, can't wait for next year.

*whispers* Phaaaaaaaaaaantom

Next year is gonna rule no matter what thanks to the Canadian Heritage program. Seeing a Golden Hawk Sabre is gonna be awesome!

We should certainly get the Raptor this time as well. They can't just keep sending it to the same places over and over again.

It was cool to actually be able to look in the landing gear and bomb bays of the B-52 this year.

Haha, a small world indeed. The runway seating always has a quirk every year. Last year section 10 was the first section on the west side, and this year it was the second last on the east side. Always a good view though



You can certaintly tell they were manufactured in the early 1960's can't you, looked like they were held together with tooth floss and bubble gum. A fine machine to be sure.

Wow! Nice new signature pic, Al!

I know for a fact they tried hard to get the ACC F-4 Phantom Heritage Flight this year though I think it will be extremely unlikely to ever see that outside the U.S. I'm sure they'll keep trying and rest assured that IF it can happen it will. Aside from that, the only hope would be the Collings Foundation F-4 and unless you have countless thousands of extra dollars kicking around, I just don't think it likely we'll ever see it here. It just costs too much to bring those types of aircraft all the way across the continent and also fly them in the show. I shudder to imagine the cost of fuel alone to fly the F-4 here and back plus fly it in the show 3 days. It was that kind of spending that did the Airshow in back in the mid 90s. Every penny is counted these days.

One jet warbird I've got my fingers crossed on perhaps seeing up here one day is the F-104 from the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum in Hillsboro, OR. Its not fully restored yet but when it is at least the cost of getting it here would be minimal.

Was another successful show. I think we got pretty lucky with the weather (OK EXTREMELY lucky) as Saturday was forecast for showers all day and even Sunday was forecast for morning showers and cloudy skies all day. Sunday's attendance, I imagine could be the highest single day attendance at the show since going to the current configuration. As Ken mentioned, further space was needed for parking after the overflow parking was filled up. I'm not sure that has ever happened before since the move to the center field. On to the pics....

Let's start things off with the Super Hornet. One of the highlights for most people had to be the F/A-18F demo and all the vapour they were producing all weekend. Was pretty impressive....

Nice vapes, Chris!

thanks! i'm pretty excited about next year!

Another option is when the Starfighter team decides to bring their show to the west coast. Maybe next year or 2010 would be nice.

What about some warbird bombers like a B-17? Or even some modern military aircraft slated for next year like the F-22 or the Eurofighter? I know the EF200 is a HUGE leap, just wanted to know the odds



You're right, Chris. That was a huge advantage for Sunday shooting. I'm uploading my shots here and there when I ahve spare time, but most of them are pretty good now that I'm looking at them. Keep up the good work on those Super Hornet shots! I'm loving the tail-end one!

A B-17 would be nice to see again. I think "Sentimental Journey" was there my first year (2004).

I like the idea of the Starfighters - especially being the 100th anniversary next year, they would fit in quite nicely - and the B-17. There's actually potential of having a B-24 Liberator here next year which would be incredible as these airplanes actually flew out of Abbotsford in the 1940's. Not sure where things are at with that now...

See the thing with the Starfighters, and for all warbirdsd for that matter, is $$$. In the case of the Starfighters, unless a sponsor is willing to step up and cover their expenses, we just can't afford them. With warbirds, we try to secure a/c that are putting together a bit of a tour. Chances on a Euro fighter are pretty slim unless they're already on this side of the pond. Always think logistics and cost...

Anyway, just my two cents worth.

Which B-24? I'd guess the CAF's since they've already brought aircraft up there and the Collings operation may be a hassle if they're selling rides.

You've gotta pitch the Starfighters and get a sponsor! That'd be so awesome if they could make it.

Love the vapor shots on the Super Hornet.

The one thing I didn't like about the Airshow was the setup of the Thunderbirds. I wonder why they had to bring their own speakers (one was right in front of me), and the cart they had was in my view as well. It was kinda annoying (and very loud..especially the speaker right in front of me.) That's the only complaint I have about the entire airshow. I won't complain about the weather, because we can't control the weather, but as it was said, we were extremely lucky with the weather.

Hey everyone...

Hope it's okay to post this under the Abbotsford thread.

This year, I had the awesome opportunity to fly in to Abby '08 from Dawson Creek aboard "Miss Mitchell". This was an incredible, 2.5 hour trip that I'd like to share with you all. Following is a five and a half minute video of the adventure. It gives a unique look into flying in the B-25 and includes footage from both the cockpit and tail gunner positions.

My thanks to Terrel Stern and the crew of Miss Mitchell for accomodating me and to Darlene Hamre for organizing the ride. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea_bPXzJcOY

Ken

I'll 2nd this. That speaker stand ruined every shot I could've taken with the T-Birds in front of the mountains and it was really loud. What was wrong with Abby's PA?

I dont know but I remember them doing it back in March at San Angelo.

Wow, thats a view not everyone gets, nice video. GREAT SOUND


A sponsor hmm.... i wonder.....

awww, i wish that F4 would decide to come. I bet it would be lotsa gas but talk about a show stopper

Hey, just pitching this out there, I've been looking for something to invest in and I'd be willing to help contribute some money if it meant bringing in some really awesome performers I'd be willing to do monthly donations. Just wondering what kind of specs on how much would make a difference or so let me know. I want to help make this upcoming Abbotsford the best yet (especially since it is the Centennial of Canadian Powered Flight)!

Would it be awkward if i told you i loved you....

no wait..... i only love if you if you like F-4 phantoms.

Hmm, but those are decidedly UN-Canadian.... hmm... any Voo-doo's left flying that anyone knows about?

*dreams of a resurection of the show openers that all the air show veterans talk about*


Either way, thats awesome that people would contribute, I think there is a lack of knowledge as far as how much money it takes to put on the airshow or indeed that people could even invest in such things. I'm currently working on a pitch to throw at a few companies that my brothers own

I guess if you invest or a company invests you get a blurb in the airshow program flyer....

anyway, my A.d.d is kicken in so i'll cut this off

Although nowhere near as good as everyone else's pictures, these are a few of my favs that I snapped from the Friday show...

With all the advances we've made in aviation over the last 100 years, there is still someone out there who makes the (poor) decision to block everyones view with speakers. I'm really sorry to hear that this happend to you guys at Abby. Unfortunately it happens everyplace at one time or another. No offense to the narrator of the team, but nobody comes to listen to some guy talk about airplanes. Nor does anyone ever go to an airshow to photograph a bunch of speakers and their stands. So why on earth would anyone decide to put these things directly in front of where people will be looking? That absolutly fries my cake.

When I went to Abby in 2003 I remember all of the official speakers were up in front of the crowd line for the entire airshow... plus flags!!! Someone decided to put some nice Canadian and American flags on a bunch of the speaker stands as well.

Glad to hear the rest of the show was good!

It's only awkward when someone acts on it. I do like the Phantom II's very much (though I've never seen one outside of a museum) but my heart belongs to the P-51D Mustang (Yes, that specific model too) and the B-17 Flying Fortress (I'm a Boeing boy. Might have to do with my proximity to the Boeing Company).



Oh, looky here. Mr. Modest has the wrong idea about his photos. Great photos man! I'm no pro, but I'd say those are golden. Hope you had fun at the show!



This is toning it down a bit from the truth, but.... I envy you. A lot. I'm saving up right now to fly in the "909" this coming Summer and maybe the "Witchcraft" as well when the Collings Foundation comes back. I hope it was an experience you'll never forget.