B14 Abbotsford News Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Celebrating 50 Years of Aviation Excellence in the skies over Abbotsford.
Local air shows date back to the 1920s Fundraising event held in ’48 before present version began in 1962 Kris FOULDS The Reach
THE REACH
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An air show was held at the Abbotsford Airport from July 2-4, 1948. It was held to raise funds to aid flood victims.
50 years of fabulous.
Abbotsford’s first airshows were held in the late 1920s on a landing strip in the Matsqui Prairie community of Gifford. Two brothers, Joseph and Bob Lundstrom, became determined to build a plane of their own. With the use of an engine from a disused Oakland car and the help of some mail order plans, the brothers slowly began construction. Their father, Daniel Lundstrom, built a large shop, still standing, to accommodate his sons’ project and a landing strip on the family farm. During the show, 14 planes came from Chilliwack and Vancouver and passengers were able to fly in a Piper Cub for the reasonable fee of a penny a pound. July 1, 2 and 3, 1948 saw the first airshow held at the Abbotsford airport, built during the Second World War as a flight training school. At the time of the first show, the airport was still The Fokker Triplane, home to about 600 the 1963 show. people displaced by the disastrous flood that had inundated most of Matsqui in May of that year. Sponsored by the Abbotsford Lions and the Chilliwack Flying Club, the three-day event attracted 18,000 spectators. Thrill followed thrill as plane after plane took to the air. Highlights of each day were demonstrations by R.W. “Swede” Ralston, 29-year-old flying marvel, who went up in a D-26 Harvard,
and 60-year-old “Pop” Whittier from Seattle who performed a thrilling 5,000 -foot parachute jump, free falling 2500 feet before pulling the ripcord and finally drifting to safety. Dances were held each evening and one third of the proceeds went to the B.C. Flood Relief Fund. The concept of the airshow as we know it today occurred in 1961, when the Abbotsford Flying Club formed. The founding 40 members felt the Abbotsford Airport was too valuable a resource to waste. Through the initial support of $700 from the Abbotsford Rotary Club, the first show went ahead with over 14,000 spectators. In 1963, the crowd of spectators doubled that of the first year and Toby Trowbridge joined the airshow as announcer. His colourful commentaries would make Toby “the voice of the Abbotsford Airshow” for years to come. 1967 saw the first THE REACH P2278 visit of the Golden Centennaires aeroRed Baron in flight at batic flying team. In 1968 they returned, recreated as the Snowbirds. Their popularity at Abbotsford played a large role in the Snowbirds becoming a permanent squadron. Attendance also reached an all-time peak of 340,000. Canada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau opened the 1969 Abbotsford Airshow and proclaimed it Canada’s Continued on B15
CONGRATULATIONS
Abbotsford International Airshow 50 years of "edge-of-your-seat" entertainment!
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