One last Canadian show for iconic Snowbird jets — in the same province they were made in

Throughout the 2026 season, flying from coast to coast to coast, Rochon and the team have seen Canadians in tears.

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Among nine of the Snowbirds’ current model that flew Sunday was one bright yellow and blue plane. The CT-157 Siskin II will replace the Tutors.

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“Every show that we do is important,” Rochon said Sunday morning, but the pilots, technicians and announcers are all on “game mode”.

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“We’re mission-focused today,” he said. “We’re going to pull off the best show that we can today.”

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Last show ‘bittersweet’ for Snowbird pilots

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The Tutor aircraft were designed, built and engineered “right down the road” in Cartierville, Que. The last show could be seen as a homecoming.

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In an interview Sunday, Snowbird 1 pilot Maciej Hatta says the show being in Gatineau is a testament to Canadian pride.

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“It’s bittersweet for us,” Hatta said. This is Hatta’s first year as Snowbird 1 (the boss), but he completed four years as Snowbird 6, 3 and 7 between 2014 and 2017.

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“We’re trying to share this honour with as many Canadians as we can before we take a bit of a pause to then switch over to the new aircraft,” he says.

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For Hatta, the Snowbirds are a bit of a Canadiana.

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“As an immigrant kid who came to Canada when I was two-and-a-half with big, bushy Polish hair and went through my own citizenship ceremony, (the Tutor) is really an icon and ambassador of Canada.

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“To me, it’s touching when I see us landing in Ottawa for example, the other day, and I see somebody waving a Canadian flag out by the perimeter road, watching us land.”

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“It’s really touching and heartfelt to see the Canadian pride that we bring out in other people, and just hoping to inspire that pride in most people.”

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Snowbirds may appear at Calgary Grey Cup in November

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The Sunday show is expected to be the last public performance Canadians will see in the province and maybe in the country. Rochon says the Snowbirds may make an appearance in Calgary mid- November this year during the 113th Grey Cup.

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“You never know what the weather’s going to be like (in November in Calgary), but we’re hoping that it’s going to be a beautiful sky so we can get up for one last show for Canadians,” Rochon said.

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It’ll be at the end of the 2026 season, when the Snowbirds officially stand down, that Rochon says they will start reflecting on the retirement of their jets.

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“Its going to be tough for many members,” he says.

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Next iteration of Snowbirds?

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Some of the Snowbirds pilots may be part of the next iteration of the team in the early 2030s when the new CT-157 Siskin II planes are to arrive.

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Hatta says he won’t be part of the team, and will likely retire or switch to reserves and help with the transition instead. “I think I’m better positioned to help that way,” he says.

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Rochon says growing up in Ottawa and seeing the Snowbirds fly over Parliament Hill on Canada Day every year motivated him to join air cadets before joining the Canadian forces afterward.

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“We know the importance of it,” he said.

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Over at the barricades, McCue and Newman were calculating when the next generation of planes will be in the skies.

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“When Paeyge would be able to drive her own car, maybe Canadians will have the next generation of planes — and the next generation of pilots will come up, too,” McCue said.

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