The annual Airport Day in Pitt Meadows will feature professional acts and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
One of the headliners will be the Fraser Blues, flying in formation with their vintage L17 Navion aircraft. Part of that four-member team are the YPK general manager Guy Miller and his father and former interim airport GM George Miller.
Guy Miller was an RCAF fighter pilot and instructor who flew F-18 Hornets, then went commercial flying 747s for Cathay Pacific.
George Miller was also an RCAF pilot who retired a colonel. He was a member of the Golden Hawks, Canada’s first military aerobatic team, and later team leader of the iconic Canadian Snowbirds.
Guy Miller said the Blues used to do 20-30 air shows each summer, but now choose fewer and smaller events, and Pitt Meadows is an obvious choice.
“It’s a good team, comprised of some pretty experienced pilots,” he said.
There will be another father/son team in John and Richard Mrazek flying three different aircraft – a Harvard “Pussycat,” Yak 18T “Tweedy Bird” and an L29 Jet Delfin), and putting on an aerobatic show they say has “lots of noise, smoke and skill.”
“They put on a wonderful aerobatic show,” said Miller.
The world of female aerobatic pilots is growing and the YPK organizers were able to book Anna Serbinenko in her Super Decathlon, which she pushes high in the sky in what she calls a “Sky Dance.”
Miller said she is one of those fliers who is a full-time professional airshow act.
“She’s a heavy hitter, for sure.”
The show will also feature “The Gravel Cowboys” and their bush planes, performing short take-offs and landings, along with a friendly competition to see which cowboy is the best.
The Langley Museum of Flight and the RCAF will also be part of the show with some unique and powerful aircraft, including rescue demonstrations and fly-bys involving Cormorant rescue helicopters and Buffalo rescue planes.
Ken Hildebrandt, who is part of the Abbotsford International Airshow announcing team, will call the action.
The air show is the highlight of Pitt Meadows Airport Day, which includes a kid zone, entertainment, food trucks and other vendors.
Airport Day takes place June 1, the same as Pitt Meadows Day.
ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
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