News from City News 1130 – link to story
BY LISA STEACY AND TARNJIT PARMAR | Posted May 18, 2020
(Courtesy Twitter/SandeepJhutty)
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Eyes were on the sky Monday as Lower Mainlanders watched close to two dozen planes fly over the region to pay tribute to Capt. Jennifer Casey who was killed in a plane crash on Sunday.
In the wake of the fatal crash, which happened during a flyover scheduled as part of Operation Inspiration, local pilots decided to pick up where the Snowbirds left off.
“As aviators, we’re all together and when one of our friends, or one of our colleagues falls, it’s up to the rest of the team to pick up the pieces. That’s what that was today was us picking up what the Snowbirds had to leave off yesterday,” Ryan Van Haren, president of the BC General Aviation Association, told NEWS 1130 right after the end of the one hour flight.
“There isn’t too much time for emotion when you’re flying the airplane, our priority was to aviate. We’re on the ground now and kind of soaking in what a special thing it was to be able to recognize the team, and recognize Capt. Casey in this way.”
He said the pilots of small planes don’t usually fly in groups. The flight was carefully planned, and all the pilots received a thorough briefing from air traffic control.
“Everyone flew safely and everyone respected the rules, and we have been getting messages from all over the Lower Mainland,” Van Haren said.
He notes a friend of his, a former Snowbird, was sharing a live stream of the flyover with the Snowbirds squadron that is grounded in Kamloops.
“We did our part to make sure that Vancouver was included in Operation Inspiration, and hopefully to raise some of the spirits of Canadians,” Van Haren said.
“This isn’t about us. At no point was this about us. This is about recognizing the team and what they started.”
People across the region shared images and videos of the flyover with NEWS 1130.