Chilliwack – MAY 11 UPDATE – The Chilliwack Flight Fest Society have nailed down the date for the 2018 Flight Fest at the Chilliwack Airport.
With the absence of a show in 2017 the committee is working hard towards a great fun filled one day event on August 25, 2018.
This event will be smaller in stature as it will encompass only one day with the air show flying in the evening followed by a hangar dance.
As in the past once again it will provide free entry to the community.
There is a great need for both sponsors and volunteers as this is a re-building year. The next meeting is Monday, May 14th at 7pm at the Chilliwack Flying Club.
Organizers need your help to make this year’s airshow the best it can be. If you have a passion for aviation, events, etc, they want your opinions and help.
FEBRUARY 16 UPDATE – It’s back in the skies for now.
The Chilliwack Flight Fest will take off, but it needs a ton of community support.
During Thursday night’s AGM, the Flight Fest board approved a budget for an event this summer.
Now comes the hard work. If you or someone you know would like to help this FREE community event get back on it’s feet in the way of sponsorship, they want to hear from you!!
Organizers are admitting the event is never guaranteed, but promise they are going to do all they can to put on some sort of event for Chilliwack this summer.
More details are to be released in the days and weeks to come.
The Airshow provided FVN with a media release:
The event won’t be the same as in past years, this year will most likely be more scaled back and use as a fundraiser/stepping stone for next year’s event. It will probably be a single day event and the number of airplanes in the sky depends on how much money we can raise. This year will be all about providing a free event for kids, families, and the community while helping us get back to where we would like to be at. But we need help from the community and that will be our next step. We believe that this community wants to see this free event continue and are planning this year’s event, the scale just depends on how much support we receive. We are very optimistic that the community will be able to help us get there.
FEBRUARY 10 UPDATE – The fate of the 2018 Chilliwack Airshow-Flight Fest will come up Thursday February 15.
The Flight Fest has been struggling with getting sponsors, volunteers and the sufficient funds to operate.
The January 27 Facebook posting read:
We had a fantastic meeting on Wednesday evening and wanted to let everyone know about our Special General Meeting (SGM) occurring on Thursday, February 15th at 7pm at the Chilliwack Flying Club.
We will be formally deciding on the 2018 event and passing a 2018 budget. We encourage everyone to attend!
JANUARY 15, 2018 UPDATE – Ray Firkus with the Chilliwack Flight Fest told FVN that the next meeting of the Flight Fest committee is January 24th, 2018. It’s hoped at that meeting that any financial improvement or at lease a light at the end of the tunnel will be forthcoming. The board is continuing their efforts to re-start Flight Fest for 2018.
Organizers continue to search for financial sponsors.
DECEMBER 1, 2017 UPDATE – Ray Firkus with the Chilliwack Flight Fest told FVN that their recent AGM produced plenty of enthusiasm to re-start the Flight Fest/Air Show for 2018. The challenge is sponsorship and in vestment dollars. A healthy budget of $70,000 would ensure that the free airshow would lift off. Now comes the challenge to find those sponsors. The City of Chilliwack in the past has been very kind to help out with other in kind sponsorship’s through Emergency services, traffic control, policing and little things like porta-potties.
The Flight Fest Board have another two meetings planned for January 2018, and from there, they will evaluate where they stand and if the show will fly.
Anyone with a financial interest can contact Ray or Donna through the Flight Fest website or:
Phone: 604-795-5833
Fax: 604-795-5768
Email: FirkusAircraft@telus.net
ORIGINAL STORY – NOVEMBER 23 – After the grounding of the 2017 Chilliwack Air Show-Flight Fest, there were concerns that it may never reach the skies ever again.
The air show is one of the last free shows in the world, let along North America.
A small number of volunteers and a shrinking base of advertisers and financial supporters have put the show in jeopardy.
The July 2017 FVN story is here.
The Flight Fest will try again starting with their upcoming AGM – Wednesday, November 29th at the Chilliwack Flying Club at 7PM.
The meeting is at the Chilliwack Flying Club, located right beside the green and white hangar just West of the main terminal.
The mailbox address is 46200 Airport Road.
If the parking lot becomes full, parking is available at the main terminal or at the School District building across the street.
From there, organizers will see if there is enough interest and funds to get the show into the skies for 2018.
