For 72-year-old retired Navy and commercial pilot Allan Snowie, the First World War was his grandfather's war.

But for the past three months the West Coast man has been one of 10 former military pilots and Canadian Forces members flying three replica Nieuport 11s — one of the types of planes flown in the war — across the country on a tour commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge on its centennial and Canada's 150th anniversary.

The latest leg of their journey brought them to Regina, where they showed off the aircraft to crowds on Sunday. After two days of rest, they will continue on to Davidson, Sask., then Saskatoon.

"They're kites, really. That's what they were called in World War I," Snowie said of the planes.

"They're at the mercy of the wind and the weather."

Flight over Vimy Ridge

Called Vimy Flight: Birth of a Nation, the tour began in France this spring where Snowie and the other volunteer pilots commemorated the battle with a fly-past on April 9, its 100th anniversary.

"To fly over Vimy Ridge, to look down on that magnificent monument, I did the first trip over and I kind of misted up my goggles," Snowie said.

"When I came back I said, before anyone else flies over the ridge, no formation. Do it individually, get the emotions out of your way and then we'll get the job done."

After returning from Europe, the pilots set off on a cross-Canada tour, beginning in Nova Scotia in May and anticipating to make a final landing in B.C. this fall.

When the pilots are not in flight, they spent their time resting and taking part in public events like the one held Sunday, where they talk to aviation enthusiasts and those interested in history about their journey and the planes.

"It's been a real thrill," he said.

"I'll probably have postpartum depression when it's all over."

Allan Snowie (left) talks to aviation fan Chad Wells about one of the replica WW I planes. (Stephanie Taylor/CBC)

A windy ride

So, what's it like flying a plane from the First World War?

"You wipe your brow when you get to where you're going," Snowie said.

He said the aircraft, which have open cockpits, cruise at an altitude of between 3,000 and 4,000 feet at a speed of around 105 kilometres per hour.

"School buses pass us. They let off children and they pass us again," he joked.

He added that no matter how many cushions one puts down in the cockpit, the wooden plank seat is still uncomfortable.

Snowie said three hours is the longest he's flown one of the planes, which is when they require refuelling.

The planes cruise at around 3,000 to 4,000 feet in the air. (Stephanie Taylor/CBC)

Because prevailing winds blow from the west, the pilots have battled head winds the entire tour, including on their latest trip from Brandon to Regina, said Snowie.

Typically, at public events people comment on the small size of the aircraft, Snowie said. He said the planes were likely the smallest of the fighter aircraft during the First World War.

Chad Wells came to Sunday's event to see the places and called the machinery "incredible."

"When you see them flying, they appear stronger than they really are."

Sunday's event was hosted by local chapters of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society and the Experimental Aircraft Association.