The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) is an annual
air show in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. The show is an aeronautical display of military, government and civilian aircraft, primarily from Canada and the United States. The show takes place along Toronto's waterfront for three days during the Canadian
Labour Day weekend. The show began in 1946 and has been held at
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...
since 1949.
History
Toronto was the site of numerous air shows as the city developed into a centre of air transportation and aircraft manufacturing in the early twentieth century. The Canadian International Air Show began in 1946 when the National Aeronautical Association of Canada attracted overflow crowds to a show at
de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities formerly based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original home of de Havilland Canada was the home of the Canadian Air and Space Museum lo ...
manufacturing plant at
Downsview Airport. The show became an annual event. The air show moved to
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...
in 1949. In 1956, the air show became affiliated with the annual
Canadian National Exhibition
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...
(CNE).
Present
The official CIAS takes place over the
Canadian Labour Day Weekend, which coincides with the closing weekend of the CNE. The start time for the show is scheduled for 12:00 pm with the show ending at approximately 3:00 pm each afternoon. The CIAS practice session is usually held on the day before the official CIAS, taking place between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
The show is performed over Lake Ontario directly south of Exhibition Place. It can be best viewed from Exhibition Place or
Ontario Place
Ontario Place is an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toronto. ...
, although the show is visible from any other lakefront site, especially
Marilyn Bell Park or
Coronation Park. Performers fly in from
Pearson Pearson may refer to:
Organizations Education
*Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
*Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC
*Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation)
Companies
*Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...
, as well as the
island airport on nearby
Toronto Islands
The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...
. Admission to the air show is free; however, viewing from Exhibition Place requires paid admission to the CNE.
There is no static display of aircraft.
A photo tour at Pearson had been introduced in 1993 and a full static display in 1996. Although a success, the display was cancelled by the time of the 1998 air show.
In 2020, both the air show and that summer's
Canadian National Exhibition
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...
were cancelled due to the global
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In 2021, the air show took place, even though the CNE was cancelled.
Local opposition
The airshow is unpopular with some nearby residents who object to the noise created by the jet fighters participating in the show and others who object to the military participation. It has been noted that the noise of the jet fighter demonstrations specifically is similar to that experienced by persons in active war zones.
In 2016, a ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
'' columnist noted, "that in a city with a large population of refugee newcomers and people who have experienced the trauma of war it is insulting, invasive, and violent".
Since 2012, during the airshow weekend, the Wikipedia article about the show has been repeatedly vandalized as a form of protest against the airshow, a phenomenon noted by the local Toronto media.
According to the City of Toronto, the air show "complies with all regulations, including those published by Transport Canada relating to noise."
Performers
The air show is typically a mix of Canadian and United States military aircraft, private aerobatic performers and civilian aircraft flypasts. The air show is often used by the Government of Canada to display new aircraft in the use of the government, such as search and rescue aircraft. On occasion, the air show has displayed unique civilian aircraft, such as the Concorde, and military aircraft of other nations. Flypasts have often included heritage military aircraft. The air show has included demonstrations of parachuting, aerial fire fighting and search and rescue missions.
Regular performers include the
Snowbirds
The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...
, other
Canadian Armed Forces aircraft, the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
(USAF), and the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
(USN).
Past performers have included the
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
The Royal Canadian Air Cadets (french: Cadets de l'Aviation royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program for young individuals aged 12 to 18. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by the Canadian F ...
,
the
Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association (CHAA) is an all-volunteer non-profit charitable organization based in Tillsonburg, Ontario. It was founded with the aim of acquiring, preserving, restoring, maintaining, displaying and demonstrating the ...
,
Vintage Wings of Canada
Vintage Wings of Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization, with a collection of historically significant aircraft. The facility is located at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by former Cognos CE ...
,
as well as private
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
teams,
and
commercial airlines.
Notable appearances include;
*
Aeronautica Militare Frecce Tricolori
The ''Frecce Tricolori'' (; literally "Tricolour Arrows"), officially known as the ''313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori'' ("313th Acrobatic Training Group, National Aerobatic Team (PAN) Frec ...
*
Avro Lancaster
*
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
B-17 Flying Fortress
*
Breitling Jet Team
]
The Breitling Jet Team is the largest civilian aerobatic display team in Europe. Based in Dijon, France, it flies seven Aero L-39 Albatros jets.
The team flies a display lasting 18–20 minutes that includes formation flying, opposition passes, ...
*
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
*
Canadair CF-104 Starfighter
The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being des ...
* Canadian Forces
CF-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...
*
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
* Luftwaffe
F-4 Phantom II
*
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Red Arrows
* RAF
Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
*
RCAF
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
CF-105 Arrow
The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) ...
* RCAF
Golden Hawks
The Golden Hawks were a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aerobatic flying team established in 1959 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the RCAF and the "Golden" 50th anniversary of Canadian flight, which began with the AEA Silver Dart in 1909.
...
*
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
Thunderbirds
* USAF
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
* USAF
B-1 Lancer
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone" (from "B-One"). It is one of three strategic bombers serving in the U.S. Air Force fleet along with ...
* USAF
B-2 Spirit
The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying ...
* USAF
B-36 Peacemaker
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest win ...
* USAF
B-52 Stratofortress
* USAF
F-15 Eagle
* USAF
F-16 Fighting Falcon
* USAF
F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...
* USAF
F-117 Nighthawk
* USAF
SR-71 Blackbird
* USAF
U-2 Dragon Lady
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...
*
USMC
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
Harrier jump jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey, it was originally developed by British ma ...
*
USN
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.
* USN
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
* USN
F/A 18F Super Hornet (Rhino)
Accidents and incidents during air display
* 1946: United States P-80 Shooting Star overstressed during aerial display with wrinkles actually appearing in the fuselage. Aircraft was returned to Dayton on flatbed truck.
* September 20, 1952:
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
Avro Canada CF-100
The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to en ...
Mk.3T piloted by S/L R.D. Schultz made a 500-knot high speed pass with vertical pull up, which overstressed the aircraft. The aircraft recovered to
North Bay successfully.
* September 19, 1953: Royal Canadian Air Force
Canadair Sabre
The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unti ...
4, piloted by S/L W.R. Greene crashed into Lake Ontario, killing the pilot. The accident aircraft attempted loop recovery without sufficient altitude and hit Lake Ontario. A T-33 formation team also performing in the show shortened their performance due to low cloud and rain, and had entered clouds during looping maneuvers.
* September 2, 1966:
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy. pilot Lt. Cmdr. Dick Oliver was killed when he crashed his
F-11 Tiger
The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system, i ...
into a breakwater at the
Toronto Island Airport
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...
. The airplane was travelling west-to-east across the exhibition waterfront, lost altitude and crashed. Debris injured two bystanders at the Island airport.
* September 5, 1976: A De Havilland DH-83C Fox Moth spun into Lake Ontario. The aircraft came to rest approximately 50–75 feet from spectators on the shoreline in approximately 15 feet of water. The pilot, Garth Martin, directed rescuers to a passenger, George Benedik, who was submerged in the wreck. Toronto Harbour Police (THP) Leading Hand (L/H) Robert Riekstins dove into the water three times before extracting Benedik from the wreck. Benedik was unconscious and without a pulse when loaded into a rescue boat. Rescuers successfully revived Benedik with external heart massage and mouth to nose artificial resuscitation (due to facial injuries). L/H Riekstins was later presented the Toronto Harbour Police Commissioners' Award of Merit medal for "heroism and dedication to duty".
* September 2, 1977: A
Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly is a Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft that was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was developed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Avia ...
crashed after attempting to pull up after a manoeuvre. The pilot, Allen Ness, who was a founding member of the
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display.
Displayed is a ...
, stalled the aircraft and was killed.
* September 3, 1989: Canadian Forces Snowbird pilot Captain Shane Antaya died when, after a midair collision, his
Canadair CT-114 Tutor
The Canadair CT-114 Tutor (company model CL-41) was the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and later Canadian Forces, standard jet trainer between the early 1960s and 2000. It was designed and produced by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Canad ...
crashed into Lake Ontario. During the same accident, team commander Major Dan Dempsey safely
ejected
Ejection or Eject may refer to:
* Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game
* Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series
* "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...
from his aircraft.
* September 2, 1995: Seven Royal Air Force crew members were killed when their
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.2P stalled during a low altitude turn and crashed into Lake Ontario.
* September 6, 1998: Canadian Forces
SkyHawks Parachute Team
The SkyHawks are the Canadian Forces Parachute Demonstration Team. Based at CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario, they are a sub-unit of the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre (CAAWC).
The team consists of both permanent members and temporary me ...
Master Corporal Andre-Luc Bisson suffered a compound leg fracture while landing during a parachute jump. His parachute got tangled in tree branches during tricky wind conditions. Three other members of the team landed outside the landing zone, two into spectators and one hitting a car. The previous day a team member landed on
Lake Shore Boulevard
Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
.
Accidents and incidents related to air show
* August 23, 1949: During practice, two Royal Canadian Navy Seafires collided over Malton. The commanding officer, LCdr Clifford "Clunk" Watson, and Lt. Charles Elton were killed.
* September 5, 1957: During practice, Royal Canadian Air Force Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4B pulled up, flamed out, went into inverted spin and crashed. F/Os H.R. Norris and R.C. Dougall were killed.
* September 1, 2000: En route to aerial display, Helicopter Enstrom F28A bearing registration N9244 departed Toronto City Centre Airport with a fibreglass moose, known as Bruce the Moose, under hoist. At approximately 100 feet the sling hook failed and the moose fell to the ground approximately 200 feet from the departure point, just off of airport property. Although Bruce suffered minor damage he was able to perform his duties at the air show.
* September 4, 2000: En route to aerial display, Canadian Forces Snowbird Demonstration Team (431 Squadron) departed Toronto Pearson International Airport as a formation. Approximately 3 nautical miles (NM) east of the airport an emergency was declared, the formation turned south and climbed to approximately 3,500 feet. Approximately, 6 NM south of the airport Snowbird 4 requested a landing. Snowbird 4's tail had collided in mid-air with Snowbird 1's left wing leading edge and belly smoke tank.
CT114172 Tutor and CT114006 Tutor
archived
version at the Wayback Machine
The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...
.
References
External links
Canadian International Air Show
{{International Airshows
Air shows
Aviation in Canada
International Air Show
Annual events in Canada
Summer events in Canada