Vintage planes flying above Waterloo Region this week

Residents will see vintage planes flying around Waterloo Region and surrounding communities this week.

The Canadian Formation Clinic is taking place at the Region of Waterloo International Airport from Wednesday June 8 to Saturday June 11.

WHAT IS FORMATION FLYING?

“Formation flying is putting two airplanes very close together and it’s an advanced skill that we all enjoy doing,” said Sean Voskamp, lead instructor of the clinic. “It’s exhilarating and you’re just 20 feet from another airplane.”

Pilots from across Ontario will be training and recertifying for FAST, or Formation and Safety Team, a program used worldwide to standardize practices.

“It teaches set manoeuvres, hand signals, operating practices, so if they were to fly together, pilots from different organizations can communicate with each other and have a safe and successful formation flight,” explained Krystin Schells with the Waterloo Warbirds.

WHAT PLANES WILL BE IN THE AIR?

The clinic will include a variety of vintage planes, such as a North American Harvard aircraft, jets currently used by the Waterloo Warbirds, and other historic planes.

Flights will take place between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. until Saturday.

Planes expected to fly around Waterloo Region, the north end of Guelph, and communities between Stratford and Woodstock.

“I would say you never really get used to it. It is fun, it is neat, it’s just a higher sense of adrenaline, I would call it,” said Voskamp.

Organizers are asking spectators not to visit the airport, but instead, watch from home.

The Waterloo Warbirds are hosting the event, in collaboration with the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association.