Golden Centennaires
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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 centre 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.
The Golden Centennaires team also included an Avro 504, a CF-104 Starfighter and a CF-101 Voodoo. All of these aircraft performed at the Centennial airshows.
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