CF-18 fly over and tribute to 425 squadron
Every year, a CF-18 fighter jet does a flyover at Percival Molson Stadium before an Alouettes game. Describing the roar that the aircraft produces is almost impossible, but Als fans who have experienced that special moment know what a special moment that is and how it makes them feel. When you’re standing in the stadium during a flyover, it feels like your heart is shaking in your chest (in a good way). But why is it such a meaningful moment for this football team?
Before we get into that, it’s important to note that if you haven’t lived the Alouettes/fighter jet experience, you’ll be able to do so at this Saturday’s Videotron home opener. The CF-18s will be flying over the stadium at the conclusion of the Canadian national anthem and a second time right before kickoff.
So, why is the CF-18 flyover so important to the organization and its fans? It’s significant because of the team’s history and how they got their name in the 1940s.
In 1946, the Als were founded by Lew Hayman and Leo Dandurand. These two men decided to name their football team “the Alouettes” to honour the 425th squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force, who were founded in 1942 during the second World War. They became country’s first French Canadian squadron.
“425 Squadron formed up on 25 June 1942 in Yorkshire, England. Its designation as the “First French-Canadian Squadron” and its lark emblem, “Les Alouettes”, made it a special squadron and it accordingly adopted the motto “Je te plumerai” (“I shall pluck you”). 425 Squadron, flying Wellingtons, Halifaxes and Lancasters, carried out over 287 bombing raids and earned more than 190 decorations during World War Two.”
The squadron’s badge has a lark in it in honour of its nickname, and it’s “shown in a hovering position indicative of a bomber over a target, about to strike the enemy.”
That’s why the pre-game flyover is more than just a cool tradition at our games. It’s also a salute to the brave people who made up and continue to make up the 425th squadron.
