Golden Centennaires

The Golden Centennaires were a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aerobatic flying team that performed in 1967, the Canadian Centennial year. The team was created to celebrate the Canadian Centennial.

Golden Centennaires Tutor on display at Southport Aerospace, Manitoba

Golden Centennaires
Golden Centennaires performing at the Kingston, Ontario airshow, May 1967.
Active	1967
Country	Canada
Branch	Royal Canadian Air Force
Role	Aerobatic flight demonstration team
Size	Eight aircraft
Garrison/HQ	CFB Portage la Prairie
Colors	Gold, Dark blue, Red trim
Commanders
Notable commanders	Wing Commander O. B. Philp
Aircraft flown
Trainer	CT-114 Tutor

The eight-plane formation team, commanded by Wing Commander O. B. Philp C.M., DFC, CD, featured six-plane formations alternating with two solo aircraft. The aircraft used was the CT-114 Tutor, which sported a blue and gold paint scheme.

The Golden Centennaires performed 103 shows in Canada, including the opening and closing ceremonies of Expo 67 in Montreal, seven shows in the United States, and two shows in the Bahamas.[1][2] The team was disbanded after the last show of the season, but the aircraft were used a few years later to form the Snowbirds, Canada's current national team.

Accompanying the Golden Centennaires were an Avro 504, a CF-104 Starfighter and a CF-101 Voodoo. All of these aircraft performed at the Centennial airshows.

References

1. Dempsey 2002, p. 254.
2. Dempsey 2002, p. 296.

• Dempsey, Daniel V. A Tradition of Excellence: Canada's Airshow Team Heritage. Victoria, BC: High Flight Enterprises, 2002. ISBN 0-9687817-0-5.
• Milberry, Larry, ed. Sixty Years: The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924–1984. Toronto: Canav Books, 1984. ISBN 0-9690703-4-9.