The SkyHawks Canadian Armed Forces parachute team will be dropping into Campbell River on Monday.
Lt Rebecca Garand, the SkyHawks’ public affairs officer, says the visit is to help Operation Pegasus Jump, a special skydiving camp for injured military members and First Responders. While here for the camp they will do a demonstration for everyone to enjoy.
“It’s acrobatic maneuvres in the sky, we call it canopy relative work, it’s a parachute technique that allows our SkyHawks to fly their parachutes into one another in a controlled manner,” she says. “Usually they try and fly flags and use smoke in different formations.”
Operation Pegasus Jump challenges injured vets to let go of their fears through skydiving. It’s run by Campbell River Skydive Centre, the only veteran-owned drop zone in Canada.
The SkyHawks will be recognizable by their signature Canadian flag parachutes and smoke trails. Their chutes will be visible over the SportsPlex in Willow Point, starting at 2:30 pm Monday.
The event is one of only two chances to see the SkyHawks in BC this year. They will be back in August for the Abbotsford International Air Show.
Last year organizers made a documentary about Operation Pegasus Jump, it can be viewed in its entirety here.
