It has been a few days since the Quinte International Air Show and members of Canadian Forces Base Trenton have had an opportunity to debrief.
Quinte News had a chance to speak with Commander of 8 Wing, Colonel Leighton James, about his perspective on the 2024 Quinte Air Show.
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The Quinte International Air Show took place at 8 Wing Trenton in Trenton Ontario on June 29-30, 2024. (Photo: Corporal Luke Barrie, 8 Wing Imaging)
He says they could not predict the rainy weather on Saturday, however, they were able to pivot.
“Usually when you see these things 14 days ahead of time, you think it’s going to change. We kept seeing the same forecast every update.”
More than an inch of rain fell on Saturday, June 29, a new record (as measured at CFB Trenton).
James added that it was not just about the exhibits, it was about the time together.
He says the feedback was very positive.
“We had to make sure that people had the mobility devices they needed. Some shelter, so we moved some things into Hangar 7 and into Hangar 10, to give people a better experience. We went with the guiding principal of give the best experience possible.”
There were still many thousands who braved the wind and rain Saturday.
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Quinte International Air Show on 29 June 2024 in Trenton. (Photo: sailor First Class Erin Roberts 8 Wing Imaging)
James says after the team had a chance to reflect on the experience and talk to the attendees, they all came to the same positive conclusion.
“It has been incredible. With the public supporting us in Quinte as they do, I knew that we had great support, but wow! I was blown away by the support on both days. People were still buying tickets while the rain was coming down, in order to get there on Saturday.”
He says on Sunday they were overwhelmed with kindness and support. The comments online through social media were equally generous to the staff of the base, the vendors, and the volunteers.
“The feedback has been incredible. We are tracking about 50,000 who attended the air show over the weekend. Everyone has just said the 8 Wing team has gone above and beyond.”
We finished our chat with the Colonel asking him how often he envisions air shows in Quinte West in the future.
“Think this is something that’d going to be discussed. I was talking to some of my bosses and this is something that is on their minds. I can’t tell you exactly how it’s going to flesh out, but I know that the response has been huge. I think in the future we’re really going to look at seeing if we can make this a repeatable occurrence. There’s a couple of things that go with that. We move around a lot so we want to make sure we retain the experience in order to put on a great show every time. And then there’s the resource aspect that you talked about. Do we have enough resources? What’s the periodicity that we can do air shows in, to make sure we can welcome other generations of more people into our home?”
The Frecce Tricolori amaze the tens of thousands at 8 Wing Trenton Sunday June 30, 2024. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
