Int’l Air Show Set To Take Flight This Long Weekend
Posted September 1, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The 128th edition of the Canadian National Exhibition wraps up on Monday and there are countless events on the last weekend of the famous fair, including the highlight of the end of the Ex – the International Air Show.
You may have already heard the rumble of jets streaking across the sky as pilots prepare for the high flying spectacle that kicks off on Saturday. Stunt pilot Rick Volker offered a sneak preview of some of the aerial tricks you can expect to see.
“Doing endless rolls while going all the way around the regular loop. Going up and doing backwards tumbling end over end, almost like a diver going up a diving board forwards and then tumbling backwards,” he explained.
Tropical depression Ernesto is threatening to put a damper on the celebrations as the storm is expected to make its way across the GTA Saturday, ushering in some cool temperatures and precipitation.
The rain won’t stop the planes, but they will stay on the ground if there’s lightning.
“We never say the “R” word. But if it does, we have a meteorologist on site who determines for us whether or not the show goes, whether we have a show delay, or whether or not it’s cancelled completely,” air show spokeswoman Colleen Swider explained.
And if the Ex isn’t your style you can catch a Shakespeare show in High Park until Sept. 3. The Dream in High Park is presenting the Bard’s “The Comedy of Errors” this season.
World Jam at Dundas Square features poets from several of the city’s diverse communities reading their work in English and their native tongues. Toronto’s Poet Laureate will also be there. It kicks off at 12pm and runs to midnight on Sunday.
The Pirate Festival continues at Fort York over the holiday long weekend. You and the kids can head down to eat some pirate fare and wash it down with some grog, do some shopping and take in some swashbuckling shows.
Here’s some more information on events happening at the Ex this weekend:
The International Air Show runs at 1pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
For more information on the show and the planes and pilots participating, click here.
For more information on events at the C.N.E. this weekend, click here.
