Snowbirds Make Final Visit to Hamilton for a While

This week, the Snowbirds made what might be one of their last appearances in Hamilton for some time.

The Royal Canadian Air Force aerobatics team – which will be grounded by the government at the end of this flying season – stopped in Hamilton on Wednesday while en route to Barrie, Ont. The pilots interacted with visitors at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope and performed a formation flight with the museum’s North American B-25.

Hundreds showed up, with some waiting as long as two hours to see the Snowbirds, Lt.-Col. Daniel Dempsey told CBC Hamilton.

Dempsey noted that the Snowbirds ensured everyone who wanted an autograph got one. He described it as a “superb event.”

“One of the great things about being a Snowbird is you know you meet so many – literally thousands – of Canadians and Americans throughout the summer,” Dempsey said Thursday.

WATCH | Snowbirds soar over Hamilton:

Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly in Hamilton

Video submitted by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum shows the Canadian Forces Snowbirds flying over the Hamilton museum in formation with its North American B-25 plane on June 17. It also features attendees interacting with members of the Snowbirds. The federal government intends to ground the aerobatic team after this season, suggesting that this could be one of their final visits to Hamilton for years.

Initially, Wednesday’s plan was for the Snowbirds to fly alongside the museum’s Avro Lancaster, an iconic Canadian bomber from World War II – only two remain airworthy today. However, a technical issue kept that aircraft grounded, so instead, they flew with an American-made B-25 from 1945 that has a wingspan of 20 meters and led eight Snowbirds in their CT-114 Tutor jets.

Seeing Snowbirds ‘gets into your blood’

Dempsey mentioned that both the Snowbirds and museum hope to collaborate again before season’s end to make that Lancaster flight happen-potentially around Canada’s National Air Show during Labour Day weekend.

“Hopefully we’ll see that,” Dempsey said, expressing excitement about having those historic Canadian planes flying together.

Dempsey is a former commanding officer of the Snowbirds and currently serves as secretary and past president of the Snowbirds Alumni Association he founded in 2013 to support them.

Even after years with the team, he said he never tires of watching them perform.

“I’m always thrilled to see the Snowbirds. It just gets into your blood.”

WATCH | Snowbirds to be grounded:

Iconic Snowbirds to be grounded after 2026 season

Canada’s iconic Snowbirds will be grounded following their 2026 season until new aircraft replace their aging jets, possibly by early 2030s-a significant shift for Canada’s aerial ambassadors after more than fifty years.

Defence Minister David Mc Guinty has stated that until new aircraft arrive-specifically Swiss-made turbo-props like CT-157 Siskin IIs ordered by Canada-the team will remain grounded due to their current jets being over sixty years old. The timeline for delivery isn’t clear but is expected around early next decade.

The alumni association urges Canadians to advocate for keeping them airborne either by reducing show aircraft numbers or collaborating with private firms for maintenance support.

Dempsey pointed out that grounding means risking loss of institutional knowledge since training new pilots takes five or six months and must continue yearly.

A hiatus lasting five or six years “is not gonna be manageable,” he said.WATCH | Canadians react to grounding snow birds:<img src="https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1782075345_939_default. jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" loading="lazy"/