One last Canadian show for iconic Snowbird jets — in the same province they were made in
The heart and mind can be at odds with many realities of life. For Stacey McCue, the Snowbirds’ Tutor jets being retiring was an almost irreconcilable fact.
“I understand why they’re not able to fly them anymore,” McCue said, pointing at the aging planes. “It’s just hard to let go of something that you grew up with.”
McCue leaned against the metal barricades overlooking the jets on a bright Sunday, Sept. 20 afternoon, after the Snowbirds’ current Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets were flown at what would be their last full air show in Canada.
In many ways, McCue grew up with the Snowbirds’ team, which was formed in 1971 when McCue was just a one-year-old child. Years later, McCue’s now-14-year-old daughter Paeyge Newman, who stood next to her on Sunday in tears, came within hours of being born in the back of a Harvard aircraft.
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McCue was doing the membership for the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association in Tillsonburg, Ont., when she got a ride in one of the planes.
“My water broke after the flight, overnight, (and) the following day and she was born at 11 a.m.,” she said, looking at her daughter.
“She was in aviation ever since she was … well … a bun in the oven,” McCue said with a laugh. The Brantford, Ont., family, who had travelled all the way to Gatineau for Sunday’s air show, is an aviation family through and through, with McCue’s father and husband both being pilots for many years, and Newman currently carving her path to the same destination.
“I want to be a CF-18 Hornet fighter pilot for the (Royal Canadian Air Force),” said Newman, who is part of the 104 Starfighter Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron.
McCue is sad to see the Tutor jets go, but most of all her heart aches for her parents, who may no longer with her today, but whose memories live on through their shared love of aviation.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on ottawacitizen.com — the content belongs to Ottawa Citizen.
