Golden Centennaires
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Golden Centennaires were a Canadian military aerobatic flying team that performed in 1967, the Canadian Centennial year. The team was created to celebrate not only Canadian Centennial, but also the 50th anniversary of military aviation in Canada.
The Centennaires, an eight-plane formation team (which also featured six-plane formations alternating with two solo aircraft), used the CT-114 Tutor, a training jet that was smaller and slower than the fighters typically used by military teams in the United States, but similar to those used by European teams. This allowed the formations to be tighter and kept manoeuvers closer to show center for more of the show. The low power of the aircraft, compared to frontline fighters favored by American teams, also meant the show was more difficult. The team was visually spectacular in their distinctive blue and gold paint scheme.
The Centennaires performed for over four million spectators, including the opening and closing ceremonies of Expo 67 in Montreal, and four airshows in the United States. The team was disbanded after the last show of the season, but the planes were used soon thereafter to form the Snowbirds, Canada's current national team.
| Modern Aerobatic Teams |
|---|
| AAC Blue Eagles • CF Snowbirds • FACh Halcones • FAF Patrouille de France • IAF Frecce Tricolori • Breitling jet team • Brazilian Air Force Esquadrilha da Fumaça • IAF Surya Kiran • IAF Sarang • IN Sagar Pawan• JASDF Blue Impulse • PAF Team Iskry • PAF Orlik Aerobatic Team • PLAAF August 1st • RAAF Roulettes • RAF Red Arrows • RJ Royal Jordanian Falcons • RMAF Marche Verte • RN Black Cats • RNZAF Red Checkers • SAAF Silver Falcons • SAF Patrulla Aguila • SAF Team 60 • SAF Patrouille Suisse • TUAF Turkish Stars • UAF Ukrainian Falcons • USAF Thunderbirds • USN Blue Angels • VVS Russian Knights • VVS Strizhi |
| Canadian Aerobatic Teams |
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| Siskins • Blue Devils • Easy Aces • Fireballs • Skylancers • The Red Knight • Golden Hawks • Goldilocks • Golden Centennaires • Warlocks • Deadeye Zips • Snowbirds |
