Where and When

The Canadian International Air Show occurs every Labor Day Weekend during the last days of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This means the first weekend in September. The show is entirely held on the city’s lakefront, and the main “stage” is located in front of the Exhibition Grounds where the CNE takes place.You can access the show (and thus the narration) via the CNE after paying the admission fee, or by buying VIP ticket packages from the show’s official site. The show begins at 1200 hours local (Eastern) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and ends promptly at 1500 hours local. Each act is around 10-15 minutes long with a spacing of anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes between acts, if not longer.

Performers

Every year, the CIAS tends to retain a core group of performers who generally headline the show. Typically, this includes the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 Hornet Demo, the RCAF’s Snowbirds demonstration team, Harvard/Texan warbird trainers from either the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team or the Canadian Harvard Association, a Pitts Special aerobatic biplane sponsored by Lucasoil, and a CH-146 Griffon (Bell 212) search and rescue helicopter which sometimes participates as an act, but mostly functions as a rescue/pickup “angel” helo.

On top of these acts, the US military generally sends a demo team to perform as well. This could include the US Navy’s TACDEMO, featuring the F/A-18F Super Hornet or the F/A-18C/D Legacy Hornet, or, the US Air Force’s Viper East demo team which features the F-16C Fighting Falcon. The US Navy’s Blue Angels and US Air Force’s Thunderbirds have performed very rarely in Toronto over the past 15-20 years. On occasion, US Marine Corps aircraft such as the AV-8B Harrier or MV-22 Osprey have also made an appearance in Toronto for the show. As Canadian Forces Base Trenton is a very short flight away from Toronto, the RCAF sends a C-130 Hercules from time to time for flyovers as well. Announcements on acts as well as hints to the show’s “mystery” performers are usually made in July and August, leading up to the show date in September.

There are NO STATIC DISPLAYS at the CIAS!

In summary…

Certain:

RCAF CF-18 Hornet Demo (fighter jet)

RCAF Snowbirds (aerobatics team/jet)

RCAF CH-146/Bell 212 Griffon (helicopter)

Canadian Harvard Assoc. or Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team Harvard/Texan (trainer)

Air Cadets Schweizer SGS 2-33A plus Bellanca Scout (sailplane and tug)

Lucasoil Pitts Special (aerobatics)

Variable:

RCAF C-130 Hercules (tactical airlift transport)

USMC AV-8B Harrier II (attack/strike jet)

USMC MV-22 Osprey (tiltrotor tactical aircraft)

USMC KC-130 Hercules (tactical airlift transport)

USAF F-16C Fighting Falcon/Viper (fighter jet)

USAF F-22 Raptor (fighter jet)

USAF F-15C/D Eagle (fighter jet)

USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II (attack/strike jet)

USAF Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang OR F4U Corsair (historical fighter aircraft)

USN F/A-18C/D/F Legacy Hornet/Super Hornet (fighter jet)

Tips for Planespotters

All military performers involved in the show are stationed at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), usually received at the Central Deicing Facility on Britannia Rd, or at the North Lounge private terminal. Most landings/takeoffs occur from Runway 05/23 and can be viewed up close from Airport Rd.

If you have a radio available, you can tune into the airport’s main tower frequency (118.7) and listen very closely for the military departures and arrivals. The performers usually request to do a pass above the airport to wow travelers and the civilian commercial pilots around, and the tower almost always indulges them, so look out for the Snowbirds or the CF-18 Hornet streaking low by the airport!

Practice days are held on the Thursday and Friday before the weekend, though schedules are only generated closer to the launch for these practices, so if you’re spotting, plan to spend 4-5 hours at the airport. Be prepared to be disappointed, however. The only really ideal spotting location is on Airport Rd. near a Petro Canada gas station at the foot of Runway 05/23, and the tower doesn’t necessarily always use this runway to launch and recover the military performers. Runways 15L/33R and 15R/33L are also used from time to time for launches and recoveries, though there aren’t any good (or accessible) locations to spot for those runways.

INSIDER’s Recommendations