Successful Skyfest 50 fly-in at CWHM

Report and photos by Gord McNulty,
CAHS National Vice President
posted July 2022
A two-day Skyfest 50 fly-in staged by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on 25-26 June delighted aviation enthusiasts.
The two-day event saluted the 50th anniversary of the CWHM.  It was limited to advance ticket sales of 2,000 per day and quickly sold out.  Weary of the COVID-19 doldrums, people lined up early outside the museum doors at Hamilton International Airport to wait for the doors to open.
The prized Fairey Firefly of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Skyfest 50 on 25 June.

The CWHM Fairey Firefly, returning to the skies after an eight-year hiatus for repair, attracted considerable attention.  It was rewarding to see this impressive aircraft, powered by a 2,245 hp Rolls-Royce Griffon, back in action again.
Skyfest50 attendees watch the CWHM B-25 Mitchell firing up
The CWHM B-25 Mitchell and other CWHM vintage aircraft were also crowd-pleasers, as the museum’s Lancaster was on static display pending the replacement of its No. 1 engine.

The RCAF CF-18 Demo Hornet at Skyfest 50 in a scheme combining operational grey with a geometric pattern on the wings and tail fins.

The RCAF CF-18 Hornet Demo, in its two-tone grey colour scheme for 2022, took centre stage. The RCAF also contributed a CT-156 Harvard II. Hannu Halminen flew his striking P-51D Mustang in the colours of No. 424 (Auxiliary) Squadron as flown at Mount Hope in the 1950s.
Attractive tricycle gear Volpar Beech Super 18 C-GKAX  at CWHM June 25 2022.

The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, sent a variety of warbirds including a Spitfire Mk.IX, a P-40 Warhawk, a P-39 Airacobra and a full-scale replica Focke-Wulf Fw 190. 

For more coverage, check out extensive images by Gus and Clara Corujo at Gusair.com (the Aviation Events 2022 link) and a 20-minute YouTube video by Ernest Gutschik showing arrivals to the fly-in, complete with sound.
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