VIDEO: Snowbirds fly over Brampton as RAF Red Arrows prep in Mississauga for CNE air show

It will be a British invasion of a different sort when the U.K.’s Royal Air Force Red Arrows take to the skies over Mississauga and Toronto this Labour Day long weekend for the 75th annual Canadian International Air Show.

Billed as the longest-running airshow in North America, pilots of both civilian and military aircraft will show off some high-flying manoeuvres at the diamond anniversary show this weekend above the CNE in Toronto.

Some of this year’s highlight performances include the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic display team, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, and the United States Air Force F-22 Raptor demonstration team.

The show doesn’t start until Saturday but Mississauga and Brampton residents may be able to catch some preview performances on Friday when pilots practice their routines from 12 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

The Red Arrows were already spotted at Pearson Airport in Mississauga on Wednesday prepping for the weekend while the Snowbirds were spotted flying in formation over the Brampton Flying Club.

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“Representing the speed, agility and precision of the Royal Air Force, the team is the public face of the service,” reads the Red Arrows biography.

The team dates back to 1965 and flies Hawk fast-jets, often in their “trademark Diamond Nine shape,” and is made up of pilots, engineers and essential support staff with frontline operational experience.

The CF Snowbirds, also known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, are made up of members from all three Army, Navy and Air Force branches of the Canadian Armed Forces.

There will also be displays by the CF-18 demonstration team, with demo pilot Capt. Caleb “Tango” Robert showing off the iconic twin engine McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet first acquired as Canada’s new fighter aircraft in 1982, and appearances by aircraft like the P-51 Mustang, the RCAF Chinook helicopter, and a CL-415 water bomber from the Ministry of Natural Resources, among many others.

This year’s show will run from Saturday through Labour Day Monday from 12 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. daily, and will also be broadcast online with viewers able to select a narration-only stream or a live video stream.

For more information or to buy tickets visit www.cias.org.