2011 Nelson Airshow goes 'Big' and packs in the crowds
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Move over Abbotsford Air show Nelson is coming up from behind.
While Abbotsford may have the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and a few other heavyweights — CF-18 Hornet Tac and A-10 Thunderbolt II — organizers of the 2011 Nelson Flightfest did just fine, thank you very much, as thousands of spectators from throughout the region flocked to the Heritage City airport on the waterfront under sunny skies to witness a tremendous display of aviation and aerobatics.
“We’re just delighted with the response,” Bob Schmitz, president of the Nelson Pilots Association — hosts of the annual Air show (see photos in gallery below) — said from outside the tower.
“We thought big and decided let’s make it big but (I have to admit) it was a little scary from a number of different angles,” Schmitz added.
The big acts came in the form of Bill Carter and his Pitts Special Aerobatics, Paul Hajduk performing in his sailplane, John Mrazek in his Harvard “Pussy Cat II” Airshow as well as others.
Those performers kept heads gazing up into the skies over Nelson and Kootenay Lake while a host of planes on the ground had spectators seeing first hand aviation at its best.
“We went big on the show performers, and that’s expensive for us to bring in even though they give us a break,” Schmitz explained.
“So we needed sponsorship to make it go and the sponsors really jumped on board.”
The air show has been a staple in Nelson for the past handful years after area politicians considered closing the airport.
“We want to promote the airport . . . we want to give back to the community, keep the profile of the airport high and want people to remember that it’s here because there’s been occasions where we’ve almost lost (the airport),” said Schultz, president of the Nelson Pilot’s Association for the past two years.
“Where others might say we don’t need an airport here because there’s an airport in Castlegar 30 minutes away, we find it important to have in airport in Nelson and we volunteer to run it.”
The success of 2011 had organizers already planning for 2012, a special year in aviation for Nelson.
“We decided to go for it again next year because it’s the 100th anniversary of the first plane that ever landed in Nelson,” Schmidt said.
“We’re just fascinated about aviation and (by the number of spectators) you can see the public is also fascinated.”
sports@thenelsondaily.com
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