Proud To Be Canadian

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.  As a result I spent Sunday afternoon basking in the sun watching an air show with the Rocky Mountains as a back drop.  What more could you ask for?

The line-up included a variety of planes doing aerobatics, parachute demos, and a body-vibrating demonstration by the CF-18 fighter.  The Canadian Forces Snowbirds brought the show to a graceful close with their highly skilled, nine plane flight demonstrations.

The CF-18 was painted to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the battle of Britain.  The thing that amazes me about this plane is you don’t know it’s there until it’s gone.  The angry roar of its engine vibrates through your body and you look up to see its tail disappearing in the distance!

The noise and vibration of the fighter exhilarates me, but I close my eyes, trying to imagine what it’s like for someone who sees it, not as a demonstration on a relaxing Sunday afternoon, but as an enemy bearing down on them, ready to belch out the deadly cargo in its underbelly.

The mental image shakes me more than the snarl of the fighter on its return pass and I open my eyes, watching as people flock to the runway to take pictures of the now grounded jet as it taxis toward the display area.

I look at the Canadian flags fluttering bright red and white against the afternoon sky.  How blessed we are to live in a country where CF-18 fighter jets are heard only in demonstration flights at air shows, and not at night as we lie in bed wondering when the next attack will come.

 

The Snowbirds take to the sky and I’m awed by the beauty and grace nine Tutor aircraft can display.  Flying at a speed of 600 km/hr they maintain a tight formation with only 4 feet between them.  The Snowbirds are a Canadian icon and I feel my Canadian patriotism welling up.  These are some of the best of the best in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

We live in a country full of freedoms other cultures only imagine or dream about.  We have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world right in our own back yard; the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, the flat, grain covered prairies, and the pounding surf on the East and West coasts. 

Canada is an amazing country and I’m proud to be Canadian!