Snowbirds, SkyHawks performances scrubbed in Moncton

There was a lot of disappointment in the Greater Moncton area on Saturday.

Thousands of people gathered along Moncton’s Riverfront Park to watch the SkyHawks Parachute Team and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, but it was not to be.

The SkyHawks were scheduled to jump at 1:30 p.m., but that was scrubbed due to the weather.

At 2:30 p.m., the Snowbirds were scheduled to perform, but that was also cancelled too.

At 3:30 p.m., an hour after they were scheduled to fly over the city, a military helicopter did a reconnaissance flight to check if the ceiling was high enough for the Snowbirds.

Capt Gabriel Ferris, the public affairs officer for the Snowbirds, explained why they had to call it off.

“For us to be able to fly today, we need a certain ceiling of clouds to be able to do the show underneath. Right now, the ceiling is too low for us so we had to cancel,” said Ferris.

Ferris said when they cancelled, there was only 500 feet of ceiling from the ground.

“We’re looking for a minimum of 1,000 feet to be able to do anything in the air,” said Ferris. “We have different shows. We can do a high show, which is about 4,000 feet that we need, and we have a low show and a flat show. So we were hoping to get in, squeeze in a flat show at least, but sadly, it’s still 500 feet too short.”

A huge crowd had gathered along the edge of the Petitcodiac River despite the unseasonably cool temperatures in hopes of seeing both teams perform.

Alexandra Collin’s family of five were among them and they were looking forward to both shows.

“Just being out, seeing the parachutes, seeing the planes. The girls wanted the parachutes most,” said Collin.

While she’s disappointed, Collin understands why the decision was made.

“I mean, you want the pilot’s security, right? As long as they’re secure, we’re happy,” she said.

Practice jumps and flights were scheduled for Friday, but weather kept the teams on the ground.

Both the SkyHakws and the Snowbirds are scheduled to perform on Sunday, but the forecast for the Greater Moncton area is calling for rain.

Ferris said Monday is a maintenance day for the squadron, so it’s possible the jets may still fly over the city.

“Sometimes on the day we’re departing, we can put some smoke above the city as well, it depends on where we are going next,” said Ferris.