Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team To Perform At Rome's Wings Over North Georgia Air Show

Online, September 11, 2013 (Newswire.com) - JLC AirShow Management today announced that the Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team has been approved and will be streaking through the beautiful Northwest Georgia skies in full afterburner during the 2013 Wings Over North Georgia air show being held in Rome, Georgia. Along with the CF-18 Hornet, the fall air show will feature the Black Diamond Jet Team, GEICO Skytypers and Aerostars formation teams including numerous other aerobatic & ground show teams performing at Richard B. Russell (Tower Field) Regional Airport on October 12-13. In addition to the air show activities, the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) sanctioned Smoke-n-Thunder Barbeque Classic and General Aviation Fly-In attractions will also be taking place.

"The CF-18 Hornet Demo Team completes the unquestionable best air show performer line-up assembled this year on the East Coast. After hosting the Canadian Forces Snowbirds at our inaugural show last year, we are honored to have CF-18 Hornet demonstration pilot Capt. Patrick "Flocho" Pollen along with his entire demonstration team come perform at our 2013 air show in Rome," said John Cowman, President/JLC AirShow Management. The CF-18 Hornet is a multipurpose, high-performance twin-engine jet fighter that can travel at twice the speed of sound while handling both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat options. Its on-board computer systems can quickly be re-programmed to the mission at hand.

Prior to training as the demo pilot, Capt Pollen was selected for fighter pilot training in 2006 at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta where he underwent fighter lead-in training on the CT-155 Hawk at 419 Squadron. He graduated 419 Squadron as the Top Overall Pilot in both Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground tactics before moving onto CF-18 Hornet training. After successfully completing the demanding Fighter Pilot course at 410 Squadron, Capt Pollen was assigned to 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec where he would fly operationally with 425 Squadron as an "Alouette."

Capt Pollen has deployed overseas twice. His first deployment was to Afghanistan in support of Operation ATHENA, Canada's contribution of peace-support and combat forces to the International Security Assistance Force. He served as a Flight Commander with Task Force Erebus, which provided invaluable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to Canada's combat role in the fight against terrorism. Capt Pollen returned home for less than two months before deploying to Trapani, Italy in support of Operation MOBILE, the Canadian Forces' participation in Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR (OUP), the NATO-led effort to protect the citizens of Libya. As part of Task Force Libeccio, he flew several combat missions including the final Canadian sortie of OUP.

Earlier this year during the Abbotsford International Air Show, Pollen noted that the CF-18 Demo Team's theme is titled "The Common Thread". As such the Hornet is decorated with Canadian images such as Terry Fox, the national flag and other popular national symbols. "No two citizens will necessarily think of the same thing when thinking about what symbolizes their country", said Pollen. "But at the same time, it's important to take time to pause and think what it means to be Canadian for all of us," he said.

Advance tickets for the air show and additional air show information is available at the official air show website www.WingsOverNorthGeorgia.com. Guests can register at the web site to receive updates about the outstanding performer line-up, BBQ classic, general aviation fly-in and other air show attractions information. Wings Over North Georgia can also be found on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Smoke-n-Thunder Barbeque Classic in a trademark of JLC AirShow.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
● Royal Canadian Air Force: http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/

● Canadian Forces CF-18 Demo Team: http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/cf-18-demo-team/index.page?

● Wings Over North Georgia Tickets: http://wingsovernorthgeorgia.com/guest-information/tickets/