Title: Snowbirds FAQ | Royal Canadian Air Force
Headings: FAQ
FAQ
What kind of aircraft do the Snowbirds fly?
How many Snowbirds are there?
How many shows do the Snowbirds perform each year?
How much time do the Snowbirds spend travelling?
How does someone become a Snowbird pilot or technician?
How long does each Snowbird stay with the Team?
How is the Snowbird Team Lead (Boss) chosen?
How do I get the Snowbirds to fly at our air show?
What does the Snowbird crest symbolize?
Why is there a blue stripe painted along the side of the jets?
Where did the Snowbirds get their name?
How fast do you fly?
How close are the jets when they are flying in formation?
When the two solo aircraft perform their head-on passes, how fast are they flying and how close do they get to one another?
How is the white smoke made?
I've been to an air show and saw only eight aircraft flying instead of all nine. Was one of them broken?
What happens if the Boss gets sick?
How can I go flying with the Snowbirds?
Can you send me pictures of the Snowbirds?

Content: Since the Snowbirds do not have any spare pilots, if one of the pilots gets sick, then that person cannot fly in the show. The Team will then make minor changes to their performance and fly without that one pilot. What happens if the Boss gets sick? That is a more serious problem since the Snowbirds don't have a spare Boss. If the Boss cannot fly, then the Snowbirds will not fly. How can I go flying with the Snowbirds? Unfortunately the Snowbirds are not permitted to take the general public flying with them. There are occasions when they are authorized to take a member of the media on a designated flight that does not involve aerobatics. These people are carefully screened to ensure they are healthy and the flight would not endanger themselves or the pilots flying the aircraft. The purpose of media flights is to share with them the exhilaration of military formation flying so that they can pass this information to the general public in their publication or television show.