A Message from the Commanding Team of 431 (Air Demonstration) Squadron

This year marks our 55th anniversary and the final season of the legendary CT-114 Tutor, the only jet the Snowbirds have ever flown. With 431 Air Demonstration Squadron standing down temporarily in 2027, every loop, roll, and formation pass this season carries even greater meaning.

Chief Warrant Officer Abernethy and I could not be prouder of this great team. For 55 years, our pilots, technicians, logisticians, support staff, and public servants have shown up for each other and for Canada. What they create together is far more than an air show. It is a demonstration of what dedication, precision, trust, and shared purpose look like in practice and it reflects the vision Colonel O.B. Philp had when he founded this world-class aerobatic demonstration team, a team that could move people in ways words never could with exceptional discipline and passion..

431 Squadron was formed during the war in 1942, and that legacy lives on in every performance we fly today. It is not just history remembered, but history carried forward.

Each performance is dedicated to those who never came home, including the members of the Snowbirds we have lost over the years, a solemn reminder that military service, in war and in peace, demands extraordinary commitment and sacrifice. We fly in their honour and we carry their memory with us every time we take to the sky.

The Tutor itself, a Canadian designed and built aircraft, is a piece of national pride and living history. From 1963 to 2000, it served as the Royal Canadian Air Force primary jet trainer and since 1971, it has been the only aircraft ever flown by the Snowbirds. Also in 1971, students from an elementary school in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan helped give the team its famous name through a “Name the Team” contest. The squadron crest, four stylized speedbirds flying in formation, shaped like an ear of wheat, is rich in symbolism representing our home base and local heritage, a quiet nod to the great Saskatchewan prairies. That same speedbird still appears on the underside of every Snowbird aircraft.

After more than five decades of excellence, nearly 2900 official shows and more than a 1000 flypasts across every region of Canada and much of the Continental United States, including Guadalajara, Mexico (1993), the Snowbirds have performed before an estimated audience of more than 150 million people. Yet the legacy we carry stretches back even further: nearly a century to 1929, when the RCAF Siskins first took to the skies, beginning Canada’s proud military air demonstration tradition.

During the pandemic, when Canadians needed hope and connection most, the Snowbirds flew across the country not simply to perform, but to pay tribute to healthcare workers and all those serving on the front lines. Through every flypast, we sought to inspire, uplift, and remind Canadians that even in the most difficult moments, we stand together.

With every performance, we carry a deeper purpose with us: to connect with the Canadians we proudly serve. For many people, a Snowbirds performance will be their first and most direct encounter with the men and women who wear the uniform. This encounter begins the moment spectators hear the words, “please look ahead and watch for the iconic twinkling lights.” What follows brings the skills, professionalism, dedication, and teamwork of the Canadian Armed Forces to life overhead in a way everyone can understand. That drive to connect with people, to stir something in them, and leave a lasting impression is at the core of everything we do.

After more than 65 years of service to the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Tutor has earned its well-deserved rest. Time has made the aircraft increasingly challenging to maintain, and the RCAF it serves today is faster, more advanced, and more technologically sophisticated than the force it was originally designed to support. As an organization, it is time to innovate and modernize. Yet the legacy of the Tutor is not defined only by the aircraft itself, but by the people who kept it flying. The members of 431 Squadron, past and present, who maintained and flew these jets with extraordinary dedication, professionalism, and care will carry that same spirit into the future. The connection present and past Snowbirds members built between the RCAF and Canadians from coast to coast to coast does not retire with the Tutor, it will endure for generations to come.

This season, we celebrate more than one milestone. We celebrate 55 years of excellence in the skies, a legendary aircraft that became a symbol of Canada, and every individual who has ever worn the Snowbirds patch with pride. We honour Colonel Philp’s vision, remember those we have lost, and reaffirm the purpose that has guided this fine team from the very beginning: to inspire every person who looks skyward and remind Canadians what can be achieved through courage, discipline, and teamwork. As this remarkable chapter comes to a close, a new future begins to emerge; one built on the same excellence, professionalism, and spirit that have defined the Snowbirds for generations.

On behalf of myself, the Sqn Chief Warrant Officer and all members of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, we sincerely hope Canadians across the country will join us at an airshow this season to celebrate 55 years of excellence and the enduring legacy of Canada’s premier aerobatic demonstration team!

Lieutenant Colonel Guillaume Paquet, Commanding Officer & Chief Warrant Officer Cheryl Abernethy, Squadron Chief Warrant Officer