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CANADIAN ARCTIC AVIATION TOUR SET TO TAKE TO THE SKIES THIS SUMMER
11 weeks. 97 air shows. 31,000 kilometres across Canada’s Arctic!
$25 buys a kilometre in donor’s name
Rocky Mountain House, AB – May 2, 2017 – The Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour, one of the most ambitious Canada 150 projects, will take off – literally – June 2, 2017, performing 97 air shows over 11 weeks travelling 31,000 kilometres across Canada’s Arctic.
#ArcticTour150 was founded on a desire to extend Canada 150 celebrations North of 60, giving every Canadian the opportunity to participate from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
“Each one of us who created this project carries a love for aviation,” says Executive Director Nancy McClure from her home in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. “As the railway opened the country from east to west, aviation opened the north. So what better way to celebrate Canada’s milestone year up north, than with aviation?”
Ken Fowler, a veteran air show pilot, and Tour co-founder, will lead the group of 15 core performers throughout the tour. Not every show will be the same, ranging from flybys to major shows, with varying number of performers in each location.
While attempting to set the world record for the longest series of air shows North of 60, these performers will have to brave a list of challenges, including unpredictable weather, unforgiving terrain, gravel air strips, and limited access to fuel, smoke oil and spare parts, to name a few.
“Flying up north requires particular pilot skills as we’ll be flying in some of the most remote regions of the world,” adds Fowler when discussing the challenges. “On the bright side, there’s 24-hour daylight.”
In addition to the air show Tour, there is a very large educational component that will reach students, both teaching them about aviation and inspiring them to reach for their goals. Partnerships have been formed with social activism organization WE, the air show industry’s Ryan Poe Foundation, the Literacy Legacy Project, and renowned Métis speaker, author and educator David Bouchard.
“To bring this tour to the North and not take advantage the opportunity it provides to educate and inspire would be a loss,” McClure adds with passion. “This project speaks to everything that should be important to all of us: culture, education, social justice, heritage and national pride.”
Quick facts:
• The Tour is Carbonzero Certified. (for more info, visit www.carbonzero.ca)
• The Tour will perform in Alert, Nunavut, the world’s most northern permanently inhabited point.
• On July 1, the Tour will perform in Baker Lake, the geographic centre of Canada.
• A landmark television documentary “Arctic Aviators” is being created by Great Pacific Television.
For those who wish to support the Canadian Arctic Aviation tour, a fundraising page has been set up whereby a $25 donation buys a kilometre in their name.
Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information, contact:
Diana Spremo
Media Relations Manager
Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour
Email: diana@caat2017.com
Personal cell: 905-484-9543
Nancy McClure
Executive Director
Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour
Email: nancy@caat2017.comCell: 780-514-4431
