The design for a new memorial in Kamloops, B.C., has been released, nearly four years after a deadly Canadian Forces Snowbird plane crash.
The public art installation will be next to Kamloops Airport at Fulton Field Park, the Interior city announced this week. The sculpture will be the same size as the Royal Canadian Air Force Tutor aircraft that Capt. Jennifer Casey was riding in when it crashed on May 17, 2020.
An investigation into the crash revealed a small bird flew into the engine of the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The pilot gave the order to eject, but the plane was at too low of an altitude for Casey to safely deploy her parachute.
Casey died and the pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, was seriously injured. The pair had been part of a tour called Operation Inspiration, which aimed to raise spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We wanted her memorial to help carry on her encouraging mission,” said local artist and May She Soar monument creator, Sarah Holliday, in a statement.
“The maple leaves are meant to be a mosaic of our collective grief at the loss of Jennifer Casey, while the branches represent Canadians joining together to lift up the memory of a hero.”
Holliday explained the three support pillars of the monument symbolize the communities that rallied together during the tragedy: Kamloops, Casey’s hometown of Halifax and the Canadian Armed Forces.
“The installation features clean-cut lines, angles, and a modern look, making it consistent with the formal lines of the future Fulton Park design,” Holliday said in the statement. “The shape and sideways lean of the plane resemble a Snowbird high in the sky performing aeronautical maneuvers, which is meant to celebrate the relationship and history between the Kamloops Airport and the Royal Canadian Air Force.”
Fulton Park is under construction and is expected to be completed later this year.