The SkyHawks are the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

Parachute Demonstration Team. Based at

CFB Trenton Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hu ...

Trenton, Ontario Trenton (2001 population 16,770) is a large unincorporated community in Central Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues no ...

, they are a sub-unit of the

Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre The Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre (CAAWC, french: links=no, Centre d'instruction supérieure de l'Armée canadienne), formerly Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre (CFLAWC), Canadian Parachute Centre (CPC), and Canadian Airborne Cen ...

(CAAWC). The team consists of both permanent members and temporary members from the Regular and Reserve Forces. They act as ambassadors for the Canadian Forces at special events, airshows and events. They are easily recognizable because their parachutes resemble the

Canadian flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...

History

The team was established in 1971 with Major John Hasek as its first commander. The SkyHawks have appeared in more than 4,200 shows, performing for over 75 million spectators. Other than

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, they have also made appearances around the world including

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The SkyHawks have demonstrated

parachuting Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

at a

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

concert in 2003, at the

Juno Beach Centre The Juno Beach Centre (french: Centre Juno Beach) is a museum located in Courseulles-sur-Mer in the Calvados region of Normandy, France. It is situated immediately behind the beach codenamed Juno, the section of the Allied beachhead on which 14 ...

opening celebrations in Normandy, and at the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland. The team conducts over 3,400 parachute descents at training camp each year in order to prepare for their show season, which runs from March until October. Over the years augmentee demonstration parachutists have been drawn from all commands of the Canadian Forces, representing a myriad of trades and officer classifications. The SkyHawks team spends five weeks training in the clear, sunny skies of California. Members of the SkyHawks also provide instructor assistance for parachute training to members of the Canadian Forces at the CAAWC. The team uses a leased Short SC.7 Skyvan aircraft as their primary jump platform.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skyhawks Parachute Team Military units and formations of the Canadian Army Military units and formations established in 1971 Parachute display teams 1971 establishments in Canada

History

See also

Other teams worldwide

External links