Major John (Rain) Waters won’t be breaking the sound barrier over the London International Airport in his F-16 Fighting Falcon, but he plans to get as close to it as possible.
Also dubbed “The Viper,” the aircraft is a hybrid of cutting-edge technology from its predecessors. Waters is a pilot with the F-16 Viper Demo Team, which brought three F-16 Vipers to the air show.
Technical Sgt. Luis Lopez, the team’s Crew Chief, said it’ll fly up to 1200 kilometers per hour this weekend, showing off high G turns, and high speed passes.
In addition to the F-16 Viper, the air show will bring Red Bull pilot Pete McLeod back to town. McLeod graduated from Western University with a host of flying accolades already under his belt before going on to become the youngest World Championship series’ pilot in history.
Jim Graham is the president of Airshow London and he’s excited for the show’s third year.
“We are going to have over 300 crew that we’re hosting in London this weekend. We’re going to have the F-35 jet and the F-22 which is a fifth generation fighter of North American descent, these guys are flying planes that are basically like Star Wars,” he said.
“I’m nerding out about just about everything that’s here. The one cool thing is, we are the nexus for fighter jets in North America this weekend. We’ve got more types of aircraft, and more aircraft on the ground, than just about any air force base in North America.”
If some of the most powerful jets on the planet weren’t a big enough draw already, the show also features the Canadian Armed Forces parachute team, The Skyhawks, and dozens of other aircraft.
The first show is on Friday at 5 p.m. while subsequent shows will run on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Parking with shuttle service is available at 3M Canada at 1840 Oxford St. as well as at Fanshawe College in lots 8-11. VIP parking is available on site at the airport for $10. Entry to the airshow is $35 for adults with discounted rates for veterans, seniors, and students.
Children under the age of 12 are free.
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