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Is it real or is it photoshop? The original sky was grey and drab...photoshop to the rescue!

CF-18 "Hornet" in colours dedicated to the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada. The CF-18 Hornet demonstration jet is already dazzling audiences with its brand new design which commemorates the Canadian Centennial of Flight.

The paint job took 13 days to complete, thanks to a hearty supply of coffee and donuts, some classic rock music and a hard-working crew known as the "Century Hornet paint team."

"Sometimes we'd get out of the paint booth at 9:30 at night," said 4 Wing Cold Lake graphic designer Jim Belliveau, who designed the paint scheme and worked with a crew to get it sanded and painted.

Mr. Belliveau said that getting the project completed in such a short period of time was the result of a large team of volunteers, primarily consisting of aircraft component and structures (ACS) technicians from 1 Air Maintenance Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta.

"The amount of work involved in this undertaking was enormous," said Cpl Pascal Pidoux, one of the technicians. "It [involved] a graphic design artist coming up with a design, the sanding of the plane, and the masking and painting of the specific design."

"This job was not done by a single person, but by a dedicated crew," he added. "I was happy to be part of that crew. We worked long hours, but seeing the expressions on people's faces at the unveiling of the aircraft was priceless."

"Everyone was 100 per cent focused and committed to this project," said Mr. Belliveau. "I saw people who took a lot of initiative and were often two or three steps ahead of me. They were doing things in about half or a third of a time that I was expecting. They were an absolute joy to work with."

Mr. Belliveau, who has designed 24 paint schemes for demonstration jets since 1983, said that this year's design is his favourite. The Centennial of Flight logo (designed by Dave O'Malley of Ottawa) is on the tail of the aircraft, and the colours and designs were chosen for very specific reasons.

"The gold on the aircraft ties it in with the other Centennial of Flight aircrafts [the Hawk One F-86 Sabre and a Snowbirds CT-114 Tutor], and the dark blue ties it in with the aircraft paint scheme designed in 1967 [Canada's Centennial year]," explained Mr. Belliveau. "The graphics on the wings are meant to symbolise the wings of a bird and the Aurora Borealis. The red and white lightening bolt has been featured on Canadian Forces aircraft since the 1950s, but we've given it a bit of a Hornet flair. We wanted to create a paint scheme that looks like it was designed specifically for the aircraft: forward looking rather than retro."

As an added detail, the names of 100 Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's aviation history are painted on the jet in a pale blue colour.

Chris Hadfield, a former Air Force pilot and now astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, is one of those Canadians. "Canada has been a country explored, connected and enriched by aviation," he said. "The bold, original and persistent men and women of aerospace have lifted our nation in peace and in war, in commercial transportation and in atmospheric research. I was inspired to fly by many of the names on the [aircraft]. To be included in their company is a tremendous honour."

The Canadian public will get a chance to see the demonstration jet design and all its details at different air shows and ceremonies across the country. The job of flying this particular bird belongs to Captain Tim Woods, who said that being part of Canada's celebration of the Centennial of Flight is a tremendous privilege and added, "I find it incredible how far we have come in just 100 years. I can't imagine what will happen in the next 100."

The Army at Fort Polk is flying a new Helicopter over Vernon Parish these days. UH72A Lakota general support/VIP Support/Med-Evac helicopters belonging to “A” Company of the 5th Aviation BN which currently has nine of the choppers at the Ft Polk Airfield.



Named the Lakota, this utility helicopter is named, as are all Army Aviation assets after Indian Tribes. For example, the Chinook CH-47 Helicopter manufactured in 1962.



The three crew, duel engine helicopter can seat 10, fly up to 168 MPH, has a ceiling of 18,000’ and is an unarmed utility asset that can open its rear doors to accept hospital stretchers of wounded. One of the new features of this helicopter came in handy during the two day long hours flight to South Dakota , full Auto-Pilot capability. During a demonstration at 1,000’ the Lakota was flying on a computer entered course when a simple turn of a knob, changed the direction & destination of the helicopter while the pilot & co-pilot were flying ‘hands off.’



Two of the Lakota Helicopters flew to South Dakota recently to participate in the Rosebud Indian Reservation Powwow where the crew participated in the Lakota Sun Dance honoring warriors & elders.



Inside the rear clamshell doors of one of the visiting Lakota Helicopters are signatures of many of the Indian war veterans who turned out at the Powwow to welcome the Ft. Polk crews.



When out in the Vernon Parish you look up & see a new type of green bird flying overhead, it just might be the Army’s UH72A or as they call it the LAKOTA.



Pictured 1: front view of the UH72A Lakota Helicopter; 2: Rear clamshell doors open showing the Lakota Indian War Veteran’s signatures on one of the two visiting helicopters at the South Dakota Powwow; 3: Four of the nine Lakota Helicopters currently at Ft Polk; 4: a new feature “Auto-Pilot’ for Army Helicopters; 5: Lakota Indian War Veterans & Ft Polk Lakota Crew members in South Dakota; 6: a Ft Polk Lakota Helicopter flies by Chief Crazy Horse’s memorial under construction in South Dakota; 7: the Seal of the Lakota’s unit “A” Company 5th Aviation BN, Ft. Polk