In preparation for the anticipated 500-person crowd, pilots were hard at work prepping their aircraft to show off what they could do.
But the pilots were safe and secure on the ground, controlling their planes, helicopters, gliders and even a flying witch on a broomstick through a remote control.
Event organizer and Central Alberta Radio Fun Flyers group member Jon From called it a normal sized airshow with miniature sized airplanes.
The number and the wide range of acts would be comparable to the old Red Deer Airshow, which last took flight more than a decade ago.
“It covers basically aviation from the First World War, up through the Second World War, jets, airliners, modern aircraft, scale aircraft, combat, vintage and novelty things like the witch and the skydiver,” said From.
“We’ll wrap up the show with the candy bomber.”
Remote-control plane pilots came from all over Western Canada, including Victoria, Saskatchewan and all over Alberta.
Dan Hollington was up from Carstairs with a few of his remote-controlled planes. One of many participants in the airshow, has a passion for First World War era aircraft, the golden-age of flying.
He has a few bi-planes, commonly used during the First World War, but was hard at work getting his Second World War era B-25 bomber prepped. He tested both of the propellers to ensure they were operating and worked hard to get them working at the same speed so his plane would fly straight and true.
Don Forness, the announcer for the air show, said it can take about 10 to 20 hours of “dual instruction time” from someone to start the hobby, dual instruction time is a flight term for learning with an experienced flier.
There was an entrance fee to the show, but half of the proceeds from the gate went to the Red Deer Youth and Volunteer Centre.
“We’re all kids out here, some of us have gray hair or no hair, but we’re all kids,” said From.
CARFF has about 55 to 60 members and they own a small tract of land east of Red Deer on McKenzie Road. Forness said people come out often to fly their planes, and at all hours of the day.
For more information on CARFF visit www.carff.ca.
mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com