Okay ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to lie to you; five minutes ago I stood out in my back yard on the verge of tears.
I live in east Edmonton, near the Capilano area. I'm out fixing my fence (long past due) and I hear a jet engine coming from the direction of the Muni. I can never resist the sound of an airplane so I stop what I'm doing long enough to glance up and see what it is. What I'm expecting is one of the Cessna Citations that frequents the airport.
What I get is--well what I get is a Canadair Sabre at an altitude of about 500ft., dressed in the colours of the Golden Hawks. I'm going to believe it was provenance that made the pilot do a right bank and circle my neighbourhood, not once, but twice. My neighours have never been to sure of me anyway, and they must really be wondering now. I ran back and forth between my back and front yards, at times standing still with both hands over my mouth, just gaping at this beautiful Sabre. The best I could manage was an "Oh my gawd".
I'm 53 yrs old. Back when I was a wee tad, my dad worked on the RCAF Sabres and was part of Leapfrog II. I still remember us going out to the station at Sea Island (Richmond BC) in the late fifties to see the Golden Hawks perform. Of all the things I believe I will never see again in my life, this has to top the list. And yet I saw it not fifteen minutes ago.
I have to assume this is Hawk One, because I remember months ago reading on this thread they were planning on repainting it in the livery of the Golden Hawks, but I haven't kept updated on its tour schedule. I'm now going to check the paper and bike down to the Muni to see if I can see her close up. But, to the people that made this happen--from the bottom of my heart--thanks. What a moment.