If you have seen at least one Stampede parade you have seen us, more commonly known as ‘those little airplanes’. We are a unit of Al Azhar Shriners of
southern Alberta, we participate in various parades throughout the summer season, usually starting with the Little Britches parade in High River during
the May long weekend, and finishing with the Labour day parade in Cochrane. In between those we can be seen at various other parades, and of course at
the kickoff of the Calgary Stampede. During the winter months we store our planes and do whatever maintenance is required.
Our planes are custom made vehicles that are powered by a 4.5HP Honda engine. They are three-wheeled, the front wheels are driven and move independently
to facilitate turns. The rear wheel is connected to a joystick in the cockpit which enables the plane to spin around, which is our main crowd pleaser. The wings
are bolted on to resemble a biplane, the side wings are attached to the body and the top wing on a strut, and yes, even held on with a wing nut.
For transportation we take off the wings and store the planes in trailers, which we pull to each parade. The trailers travel not only in Alberta but also to other Shrine functions, recently as far as Seattle. The planes are maintained by Shriner volunteers, and all the costs are paid by funds raised by Shriners, there is not outside sponsorship.
We meet once a month at the Al Azhar Shrine center, on the second Wednesday of the month, starting at 7:00pm in the boardroom. Membership is open to any member of Al Azhar in good standing, regardless of whether they belong to another unit. We are always looking for new members, come out and enjoy the fun of being the centre of attention in a parade!