Fifty years ago, on July 11, 1971, Canada's newest airshow team took to the air for their first major airshow at CFB Moose Jaw. Following in the footsteps of such eminent predecessors as the RCAF Siskins, RCN Grey Ghosts, RCAF Red Knight, RCAF Golden Hawks and Canadian Armed Forces Golden Centennaires, the newly named "Snowbirds" were destined to become Canadian icons admired by millions of fans across North America. The team adopted its name on June 25, 1971, following a "name the team" competition at the base elementary school. We now know that two young Moose Jaw students submitted the name "Snowbirds" – Douglas Farmer (in collaboration with Terry Berger-North) and Cathy Tiller.

The "Saskatchewan Homecoming Air Show" that day was billed as the largest single day airshow in North America that year - and so it was. A total of 52 Canadian Forces aircraft participated in the show, supported by 65 technicians with another 15 aircraft from the USAF and USN on display. Also performing were some of the top civilian acts in North America who became good friends with the team - Art Scholl, Al Pietsch, Joe Hughes and his wing-walker Johnny Kazian to name a few. A torrential downpour the evening before the show reduced parking spots to the extent that, while 45,000 spectators made it onto the base that day, another estimated 40,000 did not, being stuck in a traffic jam that stretched 16 miles back through Moose Jaw and down the highway towards Regina when the show started at 1:00 PM.

Led by Major Glen Younghusband, the Snowbirds formation demonstration that afternoon was the first major airshow performance of approximately 2,700 official airshows the team has now flown over the last 50 years across North America. Hundreds more flypasts have also been flown, including those flown last year and this year under "Operation Inspiration." And proudly watching from the ground that day was the team's founder, CFB Moose Jaw Base Commander Colonel O.B. Philp, along with the Commander of Training Command, Major-General Bill Carr. Major-General Carr’s opening address was immediately followed by a thunderous flypast of a combined eight-ship of CF-104s and CF-5s from CFB Cold Lake – and the show was on!

So a toast to the vision and perseverance of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame member Colonel O.B. Philp, the 11 volunteer instructors who flew on the Snowbirds that first season, and the group of BAMEO technicians who supported them during their workups in Moose Jaw. They paved the way for the expansion of the team to nine jets in 1972 and the awarding of squadron status as 431 (Air Demonstration) Squadron on April 1, 1978.