Canada’s 431 Air Demonstration Squadron traces its roots to a WWII bomber squadron, but the Snowbirds as an aerobatic act began in 1969 as informal CFL-game flyovers by CT-114 Tutor trainers out of CFB Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The team earned its “Snowbirds” name in 1971 and was formally chartered as the Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Team in 1975, becoming its own squadron in 1978.
Flying up to nine Tutors in tight formation, the Snowbirds are one of only a handful of nine-plane military demonstration teams in the world and a frequent cross-border guest at major US airshows. The Canadian government has announced plans to replace the decades-old Tutor fleet with a new aircraft in the coming years.