Updated: Clusters of people gathered all over Greater Victoria and around Vancouver Island on Monday afternoon for a Snowbirds flyover. Some of them sought high spots, such as Mount Douglas and Mount Tolmie, for an unobstructed view. Others went to their rooftops to watch as the jets roared overhead.
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The Snowbirds will be flying over Vancouver Island on Monday as part of Operation Inspiration.
The flight comes one day after the CF-18 Demonstration Team conducted a flypast over Nanaimo, Parksville Tofino and Greater Victoria on Sunday.
Monday’s flyby has two parts, each about one hour in length.
The first part will see the team leave Vancouver International Airport about 10 a.m. and go to Nanaimo, where they will pass over Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni (West Coast General Hospital) and Tofino (Tofino General Hospital) before landing in Comox.
At 1 p.m., the team will take off from Comox and head to Sooke and Greater Victoria, where they will pass over the following locations before returning to Vancouver:
• Victoria General Hospital
• CFB Esquimalt
• Downtown core
• Gorge Road Hospital
• Glengarry Hospital
• Royal Jubilee Hospital
• Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health
• Saanich Peninsula Hospital
• Sidney
Times may change based on weather or operations, the team said.
Operation Inspiration began last year as a cross-country tour to boost morale during the pandemic but came to an aburpt end in May 2020 following a fatal crash in Kamloops.
Capt. Jenn Casey, the Snowbirds’ public affairs officer, died when she ejected from the jet she was in. The pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, was seriously injured.
