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CF-18 Rolls Into Town for Calgary Stampede --- Literally!

Article by Holly Bridges
Photos by Christian Coulombe

June 5, 2006 - Corporal Tan Rickman (standing by tail) and Master Corporal Maria Vidotto (in cockpit) Aviation Technicians from 4 Wing Cold Lake watch for dangers as a CF-18 is towed under an overpass in Calgary.

Rollin', rollin', rollin' - keep that CF-18 rollin'. Huh? You're darn tootin' partner, a CF-18 fighter jet rolled along the streets of Calgary in the middle of the night Wednesday, July 5 en route to a recruiting display at Calgary Stampede Park.

It took two hours for the jet to make its way from the Calgary International Airport to Stampede Park, with Military Police and Calgary Police providing escort while a team of maintainers and other logistics personnel from 4 Wing Cold Lake ensured its safe passage.

"A number of people stopped to take photos because you certainly don't see a CF-18 rolling down the streets of Calgary every day," said Brian Hillier, spokesperson for Joint Task Force West, the Department of National Defence unit coordinating Canadian Forces support to the Calgary Stampede.

Lieutenant Adam D'Souza, Recovery and Salvage Team Officer, led the team that towed the fighter on its overnight journey. "It took a couple of months of careful planning with an actual walk-through of the entire route by the staff to make sure the move of the CF-18 took place safely and without incident."

The CF-18 will remain on display at Stampeded Park as part of an expanded Canadian Forces exhibit for the duration of the 2006 Calgary Stampede.

Once the jet arrived at Stampede Park, it was parked at the corner of Corral and Agriculture Trails inside the ground display area where it will remain for the entire Stampede, from July 7 to 17. Captain Varinder Dhillon, who ferried the jet from Cold Lake to Calgary, will be staffing the display for the first half of the Stampede and offering visitors the chance to see the fighter up close and hear what it's like to fly the high performance jet.

"410 Squadron is happy to participate in the Calgary Stampede," says Capt Dhillon. "We're here to showcase the equipment that the military has and the cool stuff you cannot get anywhere else. And it certainly is a good opportunity for recruiting for the Canadian Forces."

There will be a lot of other exciting opportunities to see Air Force aircraft at the Stampede this year. The Snowbirds are scheduled to kick off the parade on July 7 with a fly-past over Calgary, a CC-115 Buffalo aircraft from 19 Wing Comox will drop the Skyhawks on July 10 and 11 to kick off the Rodeo, and two CH-146 Griffon helicopters will be on hand every day, one on static display beside the CF-18 with the other doing a fly-past every night at the Grand Stand Show towing a Canadian Flag.