The 2018 Airshow London took place on September 7-9 at the London International Airport.
This year’s show was memorable for the number of aircraft participating as well as the weather. As you will see below, the various types of aircraft present were impressive. The total amount of aircraft were around 70, and the show was promoted as the largest display of military aircraft in Canada for 2018. The static display area was well done with aircraft all over the airport, with many of the larger aircraft open for tours and pilots near the fighter aircraft. What made this show impressive was the amount of aircraft participating via fly-bys, both from the RCAF and USAF. These fly-bys made seeing the impressive F-22, A-10 and F/A-18E Super Hornet possible.
The oddity of the weekend was the weather. Friday was beautiful, but clouds began to roll in later in the afternoon. It became cloudy for the Friday evening “Hour of Power” event, which was meant to showcase the arrivals of some of the jet aircraft. Saturday’s weather was partly sunny, with the temperatures dropping off significantly. Sunday’s weather was downright terrible, with no sunshine whatsoever and the temperatures were in high 40s and piercing winds. Certainly not the normal weather cycle for that time of year.
Arrivals and Friday Night’s “Hour of Power”
107th Fighter Squadron “Red Devils”
Several A-10 Warthogs from the 107th Fighter Squadron participated in all three days of the event. The jets are based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in nearby Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Although the aircraft design is 50 years old, the A-10 remains the premier air-to-ground weapon system in the world.
RCAF CC-130 Hercules SAR Demo
A CC-130 Hercules from the 424 Tiger Squadron performed a search and rescue (SAR) demonstration. The SAR mission is extremely important given the vast open space of Canada. The 424 Squadron is based out of CFB Trenton and are the primary search and rescue squadron for the central and eastern coast of Canada. Their coverage ranges from the Canada/USA border all the way to the North Pole, and goes from Quebec City to the Rocky Mountains – an area that covers over 10 million square kilometers! A SAR team can deploy with 30-minutes notice during the week and up to two hours if an incident occurs during the weekend.
USAF F-22 Raptor
Two F-22 Raptors from the 325th Fighter Wing based at Tyndall AFB came to London to participate in the fly-by portion of the show. Since this was not an official demonstration of the jet, we were treated to some afterburner passes and some tight vertical pulls, which produced some nice vapor.
RCAF CF-118 Hornets
Two different CF-18s participated in the show making several fly-by passes with nice vapor and burners.
These jets were from 425 Tac (F) Sqn 3 Wing based at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta.
Paul Keppler’s F-86 Sabre
The F-86 Sabre is painted to represent Capt. James Jabbara, the USAF’s first ace. By the end of the Korean War, Jabbara had downed 15 MiGs, making him a triple ace.
Jet Aircraft Museum’s T-133 Shooting Star “Red Knight”
The Jet Aircraft Museum is based at the London International Airport and their mission is to preserve and display aircraft and other artifacts representing the RCAF from the early years of the jet age RCAF.
The beautifully restored “Red Knight” made its first public appearance at the 2018 show. Just days earlier, it made its first post-restoration flight on August 26th. The jet had spent several years in a full restoration with the generous help of numerous private and corporate donations along with approximately 1200 hours of volunteer labor to put the jet back into pristine condition.
The Red Knight started as an RCAF Training Command solo display of the CT-133 back in early 1958. Later that year, the formal Red Knight made its debut at the 1958 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The jet was refinished into the overall red scheme by the Trenton air maintainers. The Red Knight performed annually through 1969, and 17 different pilots.
The only difference to the original paint scheme is the Maple Leaf logo on the underside. This was added in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and inspired by the 2017 CF-118 Hornet Demonstration Team.
Canadian Forces Skyhawks Parachute Demonstration Team
The Skyhawks are Canada’s official parachute demonstration team. With the low ceilings, the team did not get to participate with full demonstrations. However, the team did fly in the respective flags of Canada and the United States.
USAF F-16 Viper Demonstration Team
The USAF brought the F-16 demonstration team to showcase the multi-role lightweight fighter. Although the Viper has been in service for a number of years, it is still one of the most versatile production aircraft the world.
F-16 Viper demo pilot Maj. John “Rain” Waters walks to the crowd after his performance. 
RCAF 431 Demonstration Squadron – The Snowbirds
The Snowbirds are the Canadian Forces jet team, performing in the CT-114 Tutor.
Civilian Performers
The civilian performers were represented by Pete McLeod and Mike Tryggvason. Pete McLeod is from the London, Ontario area is is currently a participant in the Red Bull Air Races. Pete flies an Extra 300. Mike flies a Giles 202 is a relative new comer onto the airshow circuit.
Pete McLeod signs autographs after his performance. 
Mike Tryggvason in the Giles 202
RCAF CF-118 Hornet Demonstration Team and Heritage Flight
The theme to the 2018 Demonstration Team is a tribute to commemorating the 60th anniversary of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
The Hornet demo team joined up with the JAM Museum’s CT-133 Shooting Star and performed an all jet Heritage Flight. Two stunning paint schemes in the sky at the same time!
Around the field
YOST PHOTOGRAPHY - THE AIRSHOW GUY 