Toronto CF-18 pilot gets to perform solo flight at Canadian International Air Show

Fighter Pilot Captain Daniel Deluce talks about his favourite square formation

The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) will return to the skies over Lake Ontario on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5 from noon to 3 p.m., and Captain Daniel Deluce will have what he calls “15 minutes of fame and glory” as he performs a solo act in his Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18 fighter jet as part of this year’s Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) happening on Labour Day weekend.

Stationed in Cold Lake, Alberta, this is like a homecoming for the Toronto-born pilot.

“Growing up in Toronto I’ve been to the Air Show probably a dozen times and have seen it from every vantage point—condos, boats, along Lakeshore Blvd. from Billy Bishop Airport to the Humber Bay Bridge. It’s a highlight of Labour Day Weekend to see the Snowbirds and the CF-18s.”Captain Daniel Deluce, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

“The Snowbirds are a team of nine who fly in formation, but I fly the CF-18 as a solo act. It’s always something I wanted to do. It’s a big homecoming to fly the jet back home and to perform before my friends and family and the Toronto audience. To perform in my birthplace is exciting. Flying before a crowd is quite motivating. It is thrilling to look down and see the boats and crowds of people.”

The CF-18 Demonstration team highlights the abilities of Canada’s multi-role fighter through an impressive aerobatic routine.

“The jet is clean, loud and fast for maximum performance—I fly just under Mach 1.0 or as close as I can,” states Deluce. “I like to fly inverted which is not something we do on a regular basis. My favourite manoeuvre is the Square Loop. It’s challenging to make it crisp. You fly over the crowd and then fly the jet straight up, turn the jet on its back so you are inverted, then fly straight down and then recover so you are flying in a big square.”

Sounds dangerous—is fear not a word in your vocabulary? I muse.

“Yes, it can be a dangerous job,” he replies. The aircraft is forgiving until it’s not and it can get away from you. You must rely on your training and take care of your mind, body and soul. For me, there’s a lot of mental rehearsal to prepare. Before the flight I spend a half hour to an hour mentally rehearsing the whole act. That’s the most effective preparation. I sit in a chair in the hotel or go on a walk through by the runway. The better you visualize the performance in your head, the better the training becomes. I like to keep pre-flight time sterile, as we call it, to get into the zone. It’s something we are taught in training– the importance of the mental game.”

To stay in tip-top physical shape, Captain Deluce works out, runs, cycles and plays tennis and hockey.

Each year the Canadian International Air Show features aircraft and performers to highlight important milestones or ideas related to the military, aviation or Canada.

“This year’s theme is ‘Strong at Home’ which has a couple of layers,” explains Deluce. “First it is a tribute to every Canadian who has had to make sacrifices during the last year and a half and our resilience to endure. The other side is to acknowledge the RCAF’s operations at home. We conduct and support operations at home and around the world every day.”

Flying is in Deluce’s blood. He comes from a large aviation family. His grandfather flew Hurricane fighter planes in World War II. “My grandparents had seven sons and they all became pilots!” beams Deluce.

How Captain Daniel Deluce became a CF-18 pilot

The young Dan was just 10 years old when he first took the controls of an airplane with his pilot-father at his side, and he earned his private pilot’s license at age 16. The Deluce family has over 50 years experience in the airline business as owners of White River Air Services norOntair, Austin Airways, Air Ontario, Air Manitoba and Air Alliance. In 1988 the Deluce family started Canada 3000 and launched Porter Airlines in 2006.

“I always looked up to my grandpa and my dad and wanted to be like them,” states Deluce. “I was always around airplanes and was fascinated with flying since I was a kid.”

After graduating from Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto, Deluce was eager to fly high-performance aircraft. “I kept going and earned my commercial pilot’s license and flew Air Bravo medevac for a while. I joined the RCAF in 2010 at age 26. It took five years to train up to the point where I was fully trained on a CF-18. Just before I turned 30, I was able to fulfill my dream to become a fighter pilot.”

Captain Deluce is an instructor at 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron, teaching pilots how to fly the CF-18 Hornet. Following the air show season, he will begin instructing the next generation of CF-18 pilots. He has served on NORAD missions across Canada and was deployed to Romania in 2017 as part of Operation REASSURANCE, Canada’s contribution to NATO enhanced air policing.

This Labour Day weekend, Captain Deluce gets to be one of the star attractions in the air show that fascinated him as a kid.

“It’s an intensive 20-minute high, like a thrilling roller coaster ride. Aviation represents an amazing blend of science, technology, nature and our desire to push the limits. I am so proud to have been chosen to lead the CF-18 Demo Team this year. After such a challenging year, I hope our shows help lift some spirits and remind everyone how resilient we can be in the face of adversity. At the same time, I want to share with you what the RCAF is capable of and demonstrate our commitment to serving Canadians no matter the conditions.”

Canadian International Air Show takes place Labour Day Weekend in Toronto’s skies

The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) will return to the skies over Lake Ontario on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5 from noon to 3 p.m., highlighting the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Captain Deluce in the CF-18, United States Air Force F35, a P-51 Mustang and more.

To respect social distancing guidelines, CIAS will not have their ticketed Exclusive Airshow Zone in 2021. Instead, the show will feature a narration, streamed live for free as a thank you to all Canadians for the sacrifices they have made during the past 18 months.

There are 14 kms of public viewing space available between the Humber Bridge and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to accommodate social distancing.

Parking is available at Exhibition Place and Ontario Place.

The CIAS will be providing information on the free online narration, updates on performers and other vital information as it becomes available. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter or visit http://www.cias.org.

by Laurie Wallace-Lynch

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