Snowbirds returning to Vancouver Island next month
![snowbirds The Snowbirds fly in formation ahead of training on Vancouver Island. (Canadian Forces Snowbirds / Facebook)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/4/23/snowbirds-1-5400327-1656088258712.jpg)
The country's national aerobatics team, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, is returning to Vancouver Island in April to train for its upcoming season.
The snowbirds will be in the Comox Valley from April 18 to May 12 for the training.
The aerobatics team says it will post a more detailed schedule on its time on the island closer to the training start date.
The Snowbirds' official season runs from June 3 to Oct. 8.
The team has shows scheduled from coast to coast, as well as two stops in California.
However, its B.C. stops are limited this year, with only one official show stop in the province taking place in Abbotsford from Aug. 11 to 13.
The Snowbirds' 2023 season comes after a turbulent showing last year.
In late June, the team's aircraft were briefly grounded after an issue with the planes' parachutes was detected.
Then, in August, one of the team's CT-114 Tutor aircraft crashed in Fort St. John, B.C., cutting the 2022 show season short.
No one was injured in the hard landing on Aug. 2 after the pilot made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.
On Sept. 21, the Department of National Defence said the crash was caused by an oil filter that was incorrectly assembled onboard the plane, according to initial assessments.
The oil filter then caused one of the jet's engines to fail shortly after takeoff.
The Royal Canadian Airforce maintains a fleet of 20 Tutor jets used exclusively by the Snowbirds aerobatic demonstration team.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Todd Coyne.
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