Northern Lights demonstration Team

[pelmet]

Does anyone have any info about this team. What their status is?

[Hedley]

The Northern Lights went from Extras to L-39's
around 8 years ago, then quit flying airshows.

They then did some contract work with a primered
Lear and some Hawker Hunters.

I'm amazed anyone here remembers them.

[cgzro]

The Northern Lights went from Extras to L-39's
around 8 years ago, then quit flying airshows.

They then did some contract work with a primered
Lear and some Hawker Hunters.

I'm amazed anyone here remembers them.

There was a crash of one of their L-39's killing two people and I believe that was when it ended for them.

[Hedley]

I'd forgotten about that, Peter:

10 February 2001: An Aero L-39C Albatros (N901NL) crashed near Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, killing pilot David Jeansonne and his passenger, Jennifer Lynn Girouard. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft performing low-level aerobatics prior to the crash. The aircraft was a spare aircraft for the Northern Lights aerobatic team, and Mr. Jeansonne was a major sponsor of the aircraft, although not a member of the flying team.

[YCL Boy]

I thought they were still operating as Combat Air Support,
use to see them at their based in YQB all the time.
Well if their are really out of business that's unfortunate.
here is their link:
http://www.nlcas.ca/content.cfm?PageID=5
Cheers.

[linecrew]

I thought they were still operating as Combat Air Support,
use to see them at their based in YQB all the time.
Well if their are really out of business that's unfortunate.
here is their link:
http://www.nlcas.ca/content.cfm?PageID=5
Cheers.

Contract changed hands to Top Aces Consulting Inc. in 2005:

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Newsroom/v ... sp?id=1613

http://www.topaces.ca

[fougapilot]

Mario and Andre, the owners of NLAT, decided to quit the airshow business after one year flying the L39. They then moved into the Military contract business with 2 Learjets and up to 9 Hawker Hunter. When the Canadian Combat Air Support contract went to Top Aces back in 2005, the NLAT had to re-organize their work. Currently, they still operate many Hunters, but none in Canada. The lease their airplanes to a US company that has contracts for the US Navy and had at one point Hawkers based in Hawaii, Japan and France. The YQB base in now more a maintenance facility then an operation base. Their contract is for a turn key operation where they supply both the airplanes and maintenance. The US operators supplies his own pilots.

And for the record, the L39 that crashed was no longer associated with the Team. This individual had supplied his L39 to the team to do show for a year, but their association had been terminated months before the accident for reasons which I am not aware of. True, the airplane was bearing NLAT colors when it crashed.

F

[Rowdy]

Interesting!

Who was it that fler Marchetti 260's ?!?! I remember seeing them as a kid at abbotsford.

[sky's the limit]

I met the team on a stopover in Lethbridge in 1997/8?, seemed like a nice bunch of people, sorry to hear they're not performing anymore, always enjoyed watching them.

stl