The Air Show of Warsaw this weekend will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and planes that were used to train pilots during the war will be a featured act. The Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team will perform at about 8:40 p.m. Friday and around 3 p.m. Saturday. The aerobatic team flies in the Harvard, referred to in the United States as the T-6 or AT-6 Texan. “The one challenge with the planes built in 1941 is they were built to be very durable. Pilots were given 60 hours to learn to fly and then shipped off to Europe, so they had a very steep learning curve, so the planes were designed to take a beating. They’re very heavy planes,” said David Hewitt, CHAT team coordinator and Harvard #2 pilot, in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The Air Show is 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets online or day of show are $10 Friday, $15 Saturday and $5 Sunday or $25 for the full weekend. Discounted tickets are on sale at Martin’s Super Market for $10 for Saturday or $20 for the full weekend. Hewitt said CHAT debuted in 2000, which is when he joined the team. The team stemmed out of the father-son team of Norm and Kent Beckham in the 1970s. When Norm got too old, Hewitt said he began practicing with Kent. CHAT grew to three members in 2000, and started playing with a fourth member in 2012. The four-member team officially debuted in 2014. “Four is a sweet spot,” Hewitt said. “I think we’ll stop growing from there, but never say never.” What CHAT does in its air shows is kind of unique, but also not that different, Hewitt said. It flies the 1941 Harvard, so it gets to “preserve history and at the same time entertain. It was used as an Advance Trainer in war time. It was nicknamed ‘Pilot Trainer’ because during the war it was excellent in making you a good pilot.” They get to entertain by flying aerobatic formations, he said. The planes are big and loud and generate a lot of smoke for the show. During their routine, Hewitt said the highest they fly is 1,800 feet above ground and the lowest is 150 feet. “When you look at formation teams, most people are familiar with the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. What’s different about us is our top speed is 220 mph compared to the jet teams flying at 400 mph. The difference is we’re flying in front of the crowd for the full 10 minutes,” Hewitt said. On average, going back and forth during a show, the planes fly about 160 to 170 mph for 10 minutes “solid,” he said. The team performs 15 different maneuvers. “We try to do a new routine for every season,” he said. They practice new routines in March, April and May but don’t change the show in-season because of the required amount of training for a show. The routines that are technically easy for the pilots usually get the biggest crowd reaction, while fewer people notice how difficult the more challenging routines are, he said. Asked which part of the show was his favorite, Hewitt said, “All of us would give you the same answer. The personal aspect is very challenging. We’re entertaining the crowd and we’re enjoying it. We’re also preserving the history of these planes that helped preserve our freedom that we have today.” He said all the pilots on the team grew up with the Harvards. “Our fathers all were instrumental in helping preserve the Harvards after the government began selling them off,” he said. Though the planes are 74 years old, Hewitt said they fly probably better than the day they were built. They are maintained impeccably. “I wouldn’t say they were restored. We take pride in what we’re doing because we are preserving history,” he said. The four pilots – Pete Spence, Hewitt, Kent Beckham and Marco Rusconi – along with announcer Eugene Loz are looking forward to entertaining the Warsaw crowds this weekend, Hewitt said. He noted the twilight show Friday will have a cool atmosphere with all the lights, and then the public can catch them again in full daylight Saturday. “We’re the guys in the black and blue jumpsuits with the yellow airplanes,” he said. More information on the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team can be found online at http://www.canadianharvards.com/index.html, and information on the Air Show of Warsaw at http://www.airshowofwarsaw.com/
