Canada’s aerobatic team starts the party The silhouette against the sun looks like a single airplane outlined in lights. On command, they peel away into nine tiny aircraft trailing smoke, like so many cinders from a Fourth of July rocket. In formation, the Snowbirds’ nine Canadair CT-114 Tutor airplanes, also used for basic pilot training, occupy less airspace than a Boeing 747. In formation, however, the Snowbirds’ wings overlap two feet, with as little as 3.5 feet vertical separation.