The morning after the 2016 Abbotsford Airshow wrapped up, its media director was declaring it a great success and praising the people who made it happen.
Jadene Mah said the airfield was still full of planes preparing for departure and volunteers cleaning up on Monday morning.
She called the 600 air show volunteers, many of whom work year-round, the “unsung heroes” of the event.
“It was a thrilling weekend here and we’re so excited for how everything turned out,” she said.
While official attendance numbers have not been counted, Mah said organizers were “thrilled with the attendance numbers, just by what we could see out on the airfield and in our parking lots.”
She said there was some difficulty as attendees left Abbotsford yesterday, due to a crash on Highway 1 that backed-up traffic but the air show team was able to communicate alternate routes to drivers.
“Our parking lots still cleared in a normal amount of time [and] there were no major bottlenecks,” said Mah. “We have an amazing traffic team.”
Having two modern fighter jets – the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II – on site, a Canadian first, was a major highlight of the weekend, according to Mah.
“We’re always happy to be the leading edge and the first place where key moments in aviation happen,” she said.
Mah also said the Twilight Show on Friday, in its third year, was a big highlight.
“It’s not every day that you get to see airplanes fly through the sky with pyrotechnics strapped to their wings,” she said.
Other highlights included the Jack Link’s Screamin’ Sasquatch Jet Waco, a demonstration flight of Super Hornets and family friendly activities on the ground, according to Mah.
