Royal Canadian Air Force Capt. Marc-André Plante has taken his CT-114 jet through more than 50 practice runs of the demanding mirror pass maneuver.

On Friday, he and eight fellow Snowbirds pilots were scheduled to complete another dry run of that pattern and other elements of the aerobatic demonstration they’ll perform for air show spectators Saturday and Sunday above the unfamiliar landscape surrounding Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.

“Rolling terrain is definitely a challenge for us,” Plante said during a Friday afternoon conversation with local media, a day before the debut of the Shop’n Save Westmoreland International Airshow. “And the airfield has a slope to it. So, it’s going to be a challenge flying upside-down and trying to maintain 300 feet (altitude) visually.

”The whole point of the practice today is to recognize what are some of the areas that we should be concerned about and that we have to be extra vigilant about.”

During the mirror pass, Plante said, he’ll be flying his airplane just 12 feet away from a team member’s jet that will be upside-down.

“There’s no room for error in that maneuver,” he said, explaining he and his teammate will mirror each other’s flight path through a 30-degree banked turn and then a sharp ascent.

“At that point I can see just his (plane’s) nose and maybe a little bit of his canopy,” Plante said. “I’m holding that for about 69 seconds.”

Though the Snowbirds have appeared in previous editions of the Westmoreland air show, most recently in 2019, this weekend will mark Plante’s first visit to the area.

A native of Saguenay, in the Canadian province of Quebec, the 32-year-old joined the Canadian air force in 2011 and began performing with the Snowbirds in 2022.

In addition to the Westmoreland airport, the Snowbirds are slated to perform at four other U.S. venues this season.

Plante noted that’s in line with the collaborative efforts of the U.S. and Canadian military forces, particularly when it comes to NORAD aerospace defense operations.

Maj. Taylor Hiester, 31, who grew up in Reading, Pa., is one of the U.S. Air Force representatives who will take part in this year’s show at the Palmer Airport. He’ll be piloting one of two F-16 Viper demonstration fighter jets — a version of an aircraft model that has continued to serve military needs for half a century.

“It’s the perfect fighter jet in my eyes,” Hiester said. “It’s small and it’s nimble and, with the canopy, there’s no restriction between where you are, what you’re looking at and where you’re going.

“This airplane is the way that we merge man with machine.”

During the demonstration of formation flying, Hiester said, he’ll push the F-16 jet toward its maximum limits: experiencing upward of 4 G’s of gravitational force and reaching speeds of up to 950 feet per second — approaching the speed of sound.

“The F-16 has an actual maximum speed of Mach 2 plus (more than 2,250 feet per second),” Hiester said. “But we would be breaking all the windows out here.”

Hiester said a dedication pass is the emotional high point for him of the F-16 program, and he’s hoping it will have a similar effect on airshow spectators.

“After I do the maximum climb to 15,000 feet while rolling vertically, I descend into the dedication pass,” he said.

The spectators will hear narration over the public address system as the jet swoops overhead, as close as 200 feet above them.

“It’s as close as we can safely get to the crowd,” Hiester said. “It will be the most in-your-face portion of the demonstration.

“We dedicate that pass to all of the men and women who have given their lives in the defense of the United States.”

Flying in shows like the Westmoreland event has brought Hiester full circle.

“I grew up going to airshows and dreaming of becoming an American fighter pilot,” he said.

Gates open at 9 a.m. each day of the airshow. Visit westmorelandcountyairshow.com/#home for show details including the lineup of acts and admission tickets.

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