Pilots gearing up to take flight over Barrie waterfront at annual airshow

Pilots are putting the finishing touches on their aircrafts as they get set for the 2025 Barrie Airshow. The planes started arriving earlier in the week and have been stationed at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport.

Wing Walker Sam Tryggvason and her husband are participating in the airshow for the first time. The couple from California says they are excited to see the crowds along the Barrie shoreline.

“It is the ultimate trust walk, we are thrilled to be here in Barrie with this great community,” said Tryggvason.

While her husband drives the plane with speeds close to 240 kilometers-per-hour, Sam lifts herself out of the seat and onto the roof of the aircraft.

Her favourite maneuver? The hammerhead.

The hammerhead is a maneuver where he goes up into a climb and then he’ll stall at the top and it’s so quiet and it’ll turn, kick the tail over and dive towards the ground,” said Tryggvason. “Seeing the earth below the beautiful Barrie skyline, the bay, and everybody below is just phenomenal.”

Other pilots like Shawn Klish are excited to show off historic planes.

“There’s an absolute thrill, to fly something that’s so historical, that’s got such wonderful connections,” said Klish. “It’s just really stable, comfortable and fairly straightforward to fly.”

Klish will fly the PT 26 Cornell, an aircraft used during the Second World War.

“It’s the first experience that a pilot training would have had starting with this one.” Said Klish. “That’s in 1942, 1943. So mid war, to prove themselves capable for being moved on to a more advanced aircraft instead of being a gunner.”

Klish added the historic planes are an important component of the Barrie Airshow and they help us remember the past and sacrifices made during the Second World War.

“It’s only been 80 years, which seems like a lot, but also isn’t a lot,” said Klish. “It is important to keep that Canadian history alive and once things are gone, they are gone forever.”

Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall expects the downtown area to benefit from the influx of people spectating the airshow

“It does create that atmosphere, that buzz, that energy for downtown Barrie and, we couldn’t ask for more,” said Nuttall “We’ve got a city center that we’re focusing on, ensuring it’s good for tourism, it’s good for Barrie residents to hang out and enjoy.”

Air show officials say they are keeping an eye on the air over the weekend but do not anticipate the smokey conditions to influence the airshow.

The Barrie Airshow begins Friday with a special drone show starting at 9:45 p.m.

People can expect to see planes over the sky at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.