Flying home: Local pilot living his dream
Windsor is home base for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds this weekend, and it’s a special landing spot for one of its pilots.
Since a young age, Bassam Mnaymneh has always wanted to be a pilot.
“As a child, going to airshows in Windsor, I’d see Snowbirds and fighter jets and airplanes fly over I always wanted to be a military pilot,” he says.
After graduating from Vincent Massey Secondary, he attended The Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.
“I ended up flying helicopters in Victoria British Columbia and then moved to Moose Jaw,” Mnaymneh says.
The 43-year-old is now a pilot for Snowbird 5, which flies in the back of the formation.
“So I was able to focus my attention on being a military pilot. The snowbirds is the cherry on top,” he says.
The Snowbirds signature nine-jet precision formation will be featured at an air show in Ypsilanti, Michigan this weekend.
They’re using Windsor as a platform for take-off and landing.
“It’s just great to come home and see my family from a distance and just to say hello,” says Mnaymneh.
The show is divided into three parts.
First an opener with nine planes flying in formation together doing loops and roles.
“Then we split and do integrated so it’s a series of passes. We have our solo pilots who do crosses,” Mnaymneh says.
And then a finale.
“Sit in your backyard or front yard have a look up and say hello from there and that would be awesome,” he says.
Mnaymneh says residents will be able to see the Snowbirds in the air around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.