{"id":955196,"date":"2026-11-02T06:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T06:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/955196\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T06:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T06:26:47","slug":"snowbirds-to-make-final-flight-at-grey-cup-in-calgary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/955196\/","title":{"rendered":"Snowbirds to make final flight at Grey Cup in Calgary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will take to the skies for one final flight at the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary later this month, marking the end of an era for the iconic military aerobatic team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Snowbirds will make their final appearance in the CT-114 Tutor aircraft on Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium, as part of the Canadian Football League\u2019s championship celebrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The performance will also mark the conclusion of the Snowbirds\u2019 55th anniversary season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based in Moose Jaw, Sask., the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron has been flying the CT-114 Tutor since 1971, becoming known for its signature nine-aircraft formation and precision aerobatic displays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, the Royal Canadian Air Force announced the aging aircraft would be retired following the 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor 55 years, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds have inspired communities from coast to coast to coast through extraordinary skill, teamwork and professionalism,\u201d said Maj.-Gen. Denis O\u2019Reilly, deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in a release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tutors also have a connection to Vancouver Island, with <a href=\"https:\/\/cheknews.ca\/comox-valley-residents-sad-to-see-end-to-snowbirds-tutor-jets-1325356\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Snowbirds pilots training at 19 Wing Comox<\/a> annually during their spring training prior to the airshow season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May, the federal government says the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team is being grounded until the early 2030s while its aging planes are replaced; it says the modern CT-157 Siskin II aircraft will take over for the Tutor jets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Snowbirds have a long history with the CFL, having previously performed at the 101st, 106th and 109th Grey Cup championships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said the league is honoured to be part of the historic farewell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith deep respect and gratitude, we proudly welcome the final flight of the iconic Canadian Forces Snowbirds to Canada\u2019s biggest championship celebration,\u201d Johnston noted in the release. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Grey Cup appearance follows a busy final season that included performances across Canada and the United States, including stops in Victoria and Abbotsford in August.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 113th Grey Cup kicks off at 5 p.m. Mountain Time on Nov. 15, at McMahon Stadium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">READ ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/cheknews.ca\/snowbirds-to-bid-farewell-to-tutor-jets-in-livestreamed-final-show-1352610\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Snowbirds to bid farewell to Tutor jets in livestreamed final show<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will take to the skies for one final flight at the 113th Grey Cup&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":955197,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-955196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}