The 2 Wing team was selected in March 1955 and began practicing in April for what promised to be a very bust airshow season. Led by Acting S/L Tony Hannas of 421 Squadron, the balance of the team was made up of No. 2 - F/O BR Campbell (430 Squadron), No. 3 - F/O Len Eilser (421 Squadron), No. 4 - F/O Gerry Theriault (430 Squadron), and No. 5 - F/O Herb Graves (416 Squadron) who fulfilled the role of solo pilot. Once a team went on the road, a dedicated servicing team of approximately 10 technicians led by Flight Sergeant Art Elliott accompanied them.
Sol aerobatics by Canadian pilots in the Air Division had become very common and, thanks to the likes of Dean Kelly, quite legendary. The addition of a solo pilot to the formation team was a new twist. Even the tightest formation in the world could not remain in front of the crowd at all times, so the addition of an integrated solo into the act guaranteed there was always something going on to hold spectator interest. It was a highly successful development which became standard for aerobatic teams in the future.
During an early team meeting, the pilots decided they wanted a name, finally coming up with "Sky Lancers". A modest addition to the now standard camouflage regalia of Canadian Sabres was also approved by 1 Air Division HQ in Metz. It considted of a black and white "lance" painted on the side of the aircraft, from just forward to just aft of the canopy. Emblazoned above it was Sky Lancers and below No. 1 Air Division RCAF Europe. It was a simple but attractive scheme which served two important purposes. The most obvious was that it gave the team a distinct identity as the Air Division's aerobatic team and a sense of permanency previous Wing teams had longed for. The 2 Wing Sky Lancers were also the first RCAF team to design and wear a distinctive patch on their flying suits.
The second equally importnat factor was that the team was eventually supplied with dedicated aircraft which, aside from maintenance requirements, ensured that once the show season began the pilots could fly the same aircraft all the time. This is an important factor in the realm of previous formation aerobatics. Every aircraft handles slightly differently and individual idosyncrasies soon become apparent with repeated practice of set manoeuvres such as loops and rools. These differences manifest themselves in a number of ways - roll and/or pitvh rate, trim effectiveness and engine acceleration to name a few. With four aircraft flying in extremely close proximity, consitency in performance of both man and machine are vital.
The human factr became all too evident when the team had a mishap during a practice on July 13th, the most servious incident involving an Air Division team to that date. While flying in a tight line-astern formation, a bump caused a chain reaction that resulted in three aircraft damaged as noses came into contact with tails. The only aircraft left unscathed was that of the leader.Reprinted from "A Tradition of Excellence - Canada's Airshow Team Heritage" courtesy Dan Dempsey. - Web Site -
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Updated: April 20, 2003