Sault man lands fighter jet at Sault airport, public can check it out Saturday (5 photos)

A Royal Canadian Air Force F-18 Hornet fighter jet, piloted by Captain Tyler Park, roared over the city and made an impressive landing at the Sault Ste. Marie Airport Friday night.

It was quite a homecoming for Park, a Sault native greeted by his parents and grandmother at the airport.

Park will be on hand to show off the F-18 on the ground and take questions from the public as Algoma Aviation Week continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sault Ste. Marie Airport.

Park told SooToday his love for flight began when he was in his early teens, and that flying a fighter jet is truly a dream come true.

"I really wanted to fly a fighter aircraft like this, I like the maneuverability, the aerobatics, the speed, the freedom and the challenge."

"I think it probably stemmed from downhill skiing as a kid, that freedom of going down the mountain, pointing the skis where you want, going fast, that freedom, all of that translated into flight."   

Park visited a Canadian Forces recruiting office when he was 14 to find out the necessary steps involved in becoming a fighter pilot.

He joined the Forces in 2001 after graduating from high school, completing his postsecondary education and training on smaller aircraft before becoming an F-18 fighter pilot in 2008.

Park is with the RCAF's 4 Wing, stationed at CFB Cold Lake in Alberta.

Park took off from Cold Lake Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) and stopped over at Winnipeg to refuel before continuing his journey to the Sault. 

"I think the biggest thing about flying a plane like the F-18 is how small it makes the world seem…growing up in this area as a kid, the lake, the islands, the bays, the rivers, the roads, I know them all like the back of my hand, but to see how all of that is encompassed in just one pattern around the airport, going really fast at 10 miles a minute, it's mind boggling," Park said.

"There's also going supersonic, breaking the sound barrier…or if you bring it down low, flying a thousand feet above the ground, the trees are just a blur, everything happens so quickly, speed changes scale and it gives you a different perspective."

Local pilots who are members of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Sault Ste. Marie Flight 66 (the Sault COPA chapter), will be on hand at the airport Saturday to offer free flights to 200 pre-registered children and youth aged eight to 17 (rain date is Sunday August 14).

Several planes, including the F-18, and two vintage Second World War U.S. Air Force bombers, will be on display.

Park's father Kim is a pilot and one of the organizers behind Algoma Aviation Week and Saturday's COPA for Kids event. 

Captain Park said he is looking forward to meeting the public and answering questions Saturday, especially for children and youth.

The officer said he will be happy to encourage young people to consider careers in aviation.

"There are more people flying than there were 10 years ago, more aircraft purchases being made by small and large companies, there is very positive growth in the aviation industry," Park said.

"That means a lot of direct and indirect careers, we don't just jump into the cockpit, there is a veritable army of technicians that keep planes very well serviced and ready to fly and they do a fantastic job, there are the air traffic controllers, it's a very broad range of diverse job opportunities in aviation."

Park is one of three Sault natives currently flying F-18s, along with Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph 'Scotty' Mullins at CFB Cold Lake and Captain Dion Marson, stationed at CFB Bagotville in Quebec.