ARCHIVED - CF-18 Canadian Demonstration Team wins Pinnacle Award
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News Article / December 31, 2014
By Captain Susan Magill
The CF-18 Canadian Demonstration Team received the 2014 Platinum Pinnacle Award for excellence in the air show business in the military performer’s category. The award was presented to the team during the 2014 International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December.
The Pinnacle Awards recognize the ideas and professional execution that are the lifeblood of continuous improvement and long-term sustainability in the air show business. The Pinnacle Awards fall into seven categories and acknowledge creative thinking, professional execution, and demonstrable results.
“It was an honour to be acknowledged by ICAS,” said 2014 CF-18 Demo Team Pilot Captain Adam ‘Manik’ Runge. “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make each show and concept a success, and our entire team worked tirelessly throughout the year to make this happen.”
The promotional goal of the 2014 CF-18 Demo Team was twofold: to connect with Canadians during the air show season, and to connect with aviation enthusiasts electronically via the team’s Facebook page.
Riding on the popularity of the #Selfie song, the CF-18 Demo Team introduced a social media concept at the beginning of the air show season, to reach out to a tech-savvy audience. Air show spectators were encouraged to take a “selfie” (cell phone self-portrait) with the CF-18 Demo Jet flying in the background, and then upload their “selfie” to the CF-18 Demo Team’s Facebook fan page.
With the #Selfie song in the musical lineup for the performance and with additional prompting by the narrator during the jet’s “selfie pass”, hundreds of selfie photos were posted to the team’s Facebook page. Fans of all ages—kids, adults and families—captured selfies, and the team fan base grew with each air show.
“It’s a real team effort and a challenge to showcase the Royal Canadian Air Force for thousands of people across North America,” Captain Runge said. “And the team proved they were up for the task.”
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