Article by: Capt Jacques D. Pecora, Requirements Officer, RPOU(W) Det Cold Lake
The Cold Lake Air Show is the largest public engagement event by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in western Canada, welcoming nearly 40,000 attendees from 18-19 July 2026. The strategic objectives of the bi-annual event include recruitment, public relations, international cooperation, and demonstrates the capabilities of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). None of the strategic objectives, nor the general enjoyment of its attendees, would have been possible had Real Property Operations Detachment (RPOD) Cold Lake not delivered the necessary infrastructure and contracting support.
Canadian Forces base (CFB) Cold Lake, like many other bases across Canada, is undergoing an immense infrastructure upgrade program. To fulfill the vast security and infrastructure requirements to receive the CF-35 Lightning fighter jet within three years, virtually the entire base has become a construction zone. New high voltage power lines crawl across the base; contractor office trailers pop up; eight-decade old hangars are laid to rest; and cranes raise equipment to construct their replacements. These, among other activities, are all fighting for space, time, and resources at CFB Cold Lake. Not including major capital projects, RPOD Cold Lake is planning for over $500 million of infrastructure investment during the next five years. Critically, this ambitious transformation cannot slowdown 4 Wing’s training and operations. Unlike most bases across Canada, CFB Cold Lake directly supports frontline fighter operations whereby CF-18 Hornets interdict unauthorized aircraft entering North American airspace. Through the maintenance and delivery of highly specialized critical infrastructure RPOD Cold Lake enables uninterrupted air defence operations while preparing for the future of air warfare.
Despite CFB Cold Lake’s infrastructure complexities, the RPOD Cold Lake team provided exceptional support to the Cold Lake Air Show. The ways in which RPOD Cold Lake lived up to their motto of Operandi Successum Agens (Enabling Operational Success) are plentiful. Support began with the planning phase starting nine months ahead of the air show. The tempo of support ramped up as RPOD Cold Lake conducted line locates to ensure the safety of the setup teams and approved the corresponding dig permits. Substantial contributions included the often-underappreciated contracting of bathroom facilities and waste removal. Technical contributions included the construction of the all-important air boss tower and consulting on the load bearing capacity of the airfield under the prolonged static load of a C-5 Galaxy and a B-52 Stratofortress. Moreover, RPOD Cold Lake and the 4 Wing Construction Engineer Flight cooperated to respond after a Saturday night storm cut power to the base, caused flooding in an area, and overturned air tents across the airfield. This was the second Cold Lake Air Show in a row that experienced an electrical power outage. Thanks to good planning that referenced lessons learned, however, the power outage did not significantly affect the air show because critical power requirements were provided by mobile generators. Evidently, it can be said that RPOD Cold lake also lives up to the 4 Wing motto of Auf Wacht (On Watch) because the detachment is ready to respond to a multitude of requirements from 4 Wing.
Overall, the success of the 2026 Cold Lake Air Show is the latest example of how RPOD Cold Lake is enabling not only critical operations for 4 Wing, but also the inspiration of the next generation of RCAF aviators. Amid ongoing challenges of maintaining and modernizing infrastructure original to the 1950 version of CFB Cold Lake, RPOD Cold Lake and 4 Wing successes are a direct consequence of their strong collaboration and the dedication of their military and civilian staff. All contributors are proud to have enabled the opportunity for thousands of aviation enthusiasts to appreciate the power of CF-18 Hornets, the agility of acrobatic aircraft, the history of legacy military airplanes, the sophistication of the F-22 Raptor, the precision of Canada’s Snowbirds, and much more.