SkyHawks' History

In June of 1969 an unofficial team comprised of sport parachute qualified members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment was formed under the authority of the Commanding Officer. The Team performed its first show on the June 14, 1969, at the Mobile Force Fire Power Demonstration at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ontario. At that time the team was known as the Canadian Airborne Regiment Parachute Team.

By October of 1970 the team was referred to as the Canadian Forces Parachute Team. Under this new title, the team attended the World Parachuting Championships in Fontainebleau, France, where they brought home the silver medal in the Team Accuracy event.

In 1971, the team came under command of the Canadian Airborne Centre (CABC) and was officially formed by National Defence Headquarters in August of that same year. The following month saw the title "SkyHawks" bestowed upon the team by the Commanding Officer of CABC. The team changed its name to the Canadian Army Parachute Team in 2013.

Between the inception of the name "SkyHawks" and the team’s 40th anniversary season in 2011, many changes have taken place. The most notable change took place in 1977 when the team traded the Para-Commander round parachute for the more maneuverable Ram-Air square parachute. This advance in team equipment allowed for more dynamic and crowd-pleasing performances. One part of the team, which has not changed, is the Signature of the SkyHawks: the Canadian Flag parachute.

On the September 19, 1982, the SkyHawks performed the world's most northerly demonstration jump at Canadian Forces Station Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island.

In August of 1996 the CABC moved along with the SkyHawks from Edmonton to their new home base in Trenton, Ontario. At this time the Canadian Airborne Centre underwent restructuring and was renamed the Canadian Parachute Centre.

Ten years later the Canadian Parachute Centre was renamed The Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre (CAAWC) which began the transformation into a Centre of Excellence for Army Advanced Warfare while remaining home unit to the SkyHawks. It is now known as the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre, and continues to be the home unit of the SkyHawks.

Each year they perform events across North America and around the world thrilling audiences with their aerobatic parachute formations in the sky. Having performed to over 75 million spectators worldwide the team is proud to once again fly their signature Canadian flag parachutes this season.

Canadian Forces Parachute Team, the SkyHawks
Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre
PO BOX 1000, Station Forces
Astra, Ontario, Canada
K0K 3W0

skyhawks@forces.gc.ca

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