Aviation enthusiasts could soon have a local event to look forward to, as 4 Wing Cold Lake hopes to partner with the City on a revamped biennial air show.
On Sept. 8, officials from 4 Wing were at City Council to present their proposal for the Cold Lake Air Show. While there have been air shows in the past, such as the one in the summer of 2014, the Cold Lake Air Show would be an extended version of what has been previously seen.
The two-day air show, which is slated for 2016, would feature a wide range of top-notch performers as well as events throughout the City in the evening.
“I'm looking for a way to showcase what we do on a daily basis and I'm looking to give back to the local community. I've taken the model from what other bases have done and from what I've seen they have been very successful in achieving that,” explained Wing Commander Col. Eric Kenny.
The goal is that the Cold Lake Air Show would become an event that takes place at the base every two years.
“If people know it happens every two years, then they plan to attend from a spectator and a performer perspective,” said Kenny. “From a planning perspective, it does take at least a year to plan an air show and two years is optimal. Then from a budgeting perspective, knowing it's happening every two years makes it easy to budget.”
Not only would the air show highlight operations and benefit 4 Wing, Kenny told council that there would be a positive impact on the City. According to statistics from the International Council of Air Shows, 14,000 visitors generated a direct economic impact of approximately $574,000 during the 2014 air show through businesses such as restaurants, hotels and gas stations.
“The direct economic impact is about $41 for each spectator that attends and about $140 that comes indirectly into the air show or the community. It would be an economic impact of just under $600,000 for a one-day air show, and what we're looking at is a two-day air show,” said Kenny.
Mayor Craig Copeland expressed that with the current economic situation, an event like the air show would be great for local businesses.
“For tourism it's such a draw. It's a huge asset to Canada, but to showcase what the pilots can do and bringing in the acts, it would be great for the local community.”
Copeland added, “I like the format of it being a (biennial) event in Cold Lake. Our hotels and our food industry, we need this for our economy right now so this is great for our area.”
The tentative plan for the 2016 Cold Lake Air Show would see it run from July 16 to 17. There is a long list of potential performers who have expressed interest in attending should the event go forward, including the SkyHawks, Chris Hadfield, Red Bull, the Snowbirds and the CF-18 Demo Team. Kenny also proposed having additional community events such as a meet and greet with performers, a movie night at the beach and a street part on Main Street. New for the 2016 show, there would be a VIP area and a beer garden.
After having some issues arise during the 2014 air show, Kenny said they know what to focus on for future events.
“For all of those that attended the air show, they loved the actual air show itself, but the traffic and lack of parking and concessions and porta-potties (were the main problems). That's definitely what we're going to fix, so that's why if we do it every two years we can learn from the issues and they won't happen again,” said Kenny.
He added that they're hoping to partner with the City in order to have RCMP officers controlling traffic up to the gates of the base, as well as have buses making trips from designated parking areas around the City to the base specifically for the air show.
Expenses for the Cold Lake Air Show are expected to come in at just over $218,000 and the budgeted revenue sits around $320,800. Tickets would range from $10 to $20, with 12 and under being free. Kenny said all of the revenue would go into the CFB fund to help Canadian Forces families.
In order to help fund the air show, 4 Wing is requesting the City of Cold Lake become the main performer sponsor for $75,000, provide free bus transportation from designated points in the City and provide traffic control support through the local RCMP.
“From a business standpoint, I fully understand the request because in order to get the acts they need to cash for the pilots to sign up their planes,” said Copeland.
The proposal from 4 Wing for the Cold Lake Air Show will be back in front of City Council during their next meeting on Sept. 22.
