Snowbirds Final Moose Jaw Hometown Show Sells Out in Record Time — Farewell Season Demand Surges

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are going out in style. All 2,000 seats for their final hometown air show sold out in just 18 minutes—a record that left organizers stunned.

The July 11, 2026 event at Moose Jaw Municipal Airport was announced as sold out on May 26 by Roger Blager, president of the Moose Jaw Flying Club. “We were just blown away,” Blager said. “I was surprised that the website didn’t crash.” The speed of the sellout says everything about what the public thinks of the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron as it prepares to retire the CT-114 Tutor.

There’s more to the date than convenience—July 11 marks the exact anniversary of the Snowbirds’ first public performance, 55 years ago in 1971. “July 11 is actually the date of their very first show that they did 55 years ago,” noted Al Gall, secretary-treasurer of the Moose Jaw Flying Club. For aviation fans, the timing carries real weight.

The Final Season Farewell

On May 19, the Department of National Defence dropped news that the Snowbirds would shut down after the 2026 show season ends on October 10–11 in Sacramento. The team then goes dark for roughly four years—until replacement CT-157 Siskin II turboprop trainers arrive in the early 2030s. The gap has not sat well with critics.

RCAF Commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet blamed engineering problems with the Tutor’s airframes, engines, and escape systems that “have changed that situation” from the original 2030 plan. According to a DND statement to CBC News: “This work is no longer technically feasible or practical.”

But the decision has ignited pushback. The Department of National Defence spent $31.2 million over the past five years modernizing the fleet specifically to keep it flying until 2030. A 2019 RCAF assessment by Quebec-based L3 MAS and Magellan Aerospace had concluded both the airframes and engines were “viable until 2030.”

Retired LCol Maryse Carmichael, a former Snowbird commander and alumni association member, raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t make sense to me as a taxpayer to see that,” she said, calling for an investigation into how the planning went wrong.

Moose Jaw Show Details

The final hometown event uses a drive-in format—vehicles line up along the taxiway facing the airfield. Airport gates open at 10 a.m. The Canadian Forces SkyHawks parachute demonstration team goes up around 12:15 p.m., with the Snowbirds taking center stage at 1 p.m.

Bring lawn chairs and rain gear; the venue includes static aircraft displays but no commercial vendors or midway rides. The Moose Jaw Flying Club expects roughly 2,000 attendees. Ticket money goes straight back to airport maintenance.

Why hold it at the municipal airport rather than the military’s 15 Wing base? Blager explained it preserves pilot training flexibility. A 2022 runway extension—bumped from 3,000 to 4,000 feet—let the Snowbirds train there in winter and eventually made this summer show possible.

The Tutor’s Legacy

Nine aircraft. Four-foot wingtip spacing. A 25-minute choreography routine honed to perfection. That’s the Snowbirds formation that has defined Canadian air show excellence since 1971. The Tutor itself joined the RCAF as a jet trainer way back in 1961. Over 55 years, the team has logged nearly 2,900 official performances in front of an estimated 150 million spectators across North America.

LCol Guillaume Paquet, commanding officer of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, reflected on what comes next: “After more than 65 years of service to the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Tutor has earned its well-deserved rest. Time has made the aircraft increasingly challenging to maintain.”

The Siskin II replacement will keep operations going—though retired LCol Dan Dempsey of the alumni association offered a caution. A turboprop performs fundamentally different from a jet, he noted, sparking calls for Canada to consider a jet-powered successor instead, the way other G7 nations have done.

The Snowbirds’ final bow comes October 10–11 in Sacramento. Moose Jaw stays home base for the squadron.

Sources

• CP24 News — “Shining Symbol of Our Very Nation” Campaign Launched to Keep Snowbirds Flying
• CBC News — DND Statement on CT-114 Tutor Retirement (May 2026)
• Global News — Prime Minister Mark Carney Statement on Snowbirds Announcement (May 2026)
• Moose Jaw Flying Club — Official Announcement and Show Details (May 26, 2026)
• Department of National Defence — Official Press Release on Snowbirds Retirement (May 19, 2026)
• Royal Canadian Air Force — 431 Air Demonstration Squadron Statement (2026)