While previous teams had landed in box formation following their air shows, the Sky Lancers were the first to take off in box as well. This required some deft handling on the part of slotman Gerry Theriault who would start the takeoff roll with his nose just right of the lead's tail. As soon as safely airbirne and climbing away, he would then slide down and across a few feet into his show position as the formation raised their gear un unison. It was an impressive sight for the spectators, especially if the runway paralleled the showline and it happened right in front of them.
With audiences reaching as high as 300,000 at some of the larger shows, the Sky Lancers soon became famous across Western Europe. They prided themselves in their very tight formation, most evident in their beautifully symmetrical diamond. Herb Graves, who had almost 350 hours on the Sabre when he joined the team would open the display with a sonic boom (weather permitting) just as the diamond formation arrived overhead for their opening pass. He would then reposition and come on stage to do solo loops and rolls, demonstrating the maximum capability of the Sabre 5, as the formation turned around for their next manoeuvre. The show finale was a bomb burst as in previous years, but this time with Herb Graves rocketing up the centre behind the four-ship as fast as he could go, climaxing with vertical rolls until he ran out of airspeed. This was a first for jet demonstration teams.
Reprinted from "A Tradition of Excellence - Canada's Airshow Team Heritage" courtesy Dan Dempsey. - Web Site -
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Updated: April 20, 2003