Lt. Col. Denis Bandet was officially named the newest officer in charge of the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron during a private change of command ceremony held at 15 Wing on June 3.
Bandet takes over from Lt. Col. Michael French, who had served as commanding officer of the team since 2017, with the ceremony overseen by 15 Wing commander Col. Ron Walker.
The event – traditionally held with all the pomp and circumstance of a military parade – was held behind closed doors due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The change of command was also a long-planned event unrelated to the recent tragedy that claimed the life of public affairs officer Capt. Jenn Casey and hospitalized pilot Capt. Richard MacDougall.
Lt. Col. Bandet hails from Regina and first joined the Snowbirds in 2010, when he was selected as Snowbird 6, and performed three full seasons from 2011 to 2013.
From 2013 until 2017, Bandet was posted to 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 4 Wing Cold Lake, eventually becoming the base’s Deputy Commanding Officer. He also served overseas during Operation Impact in support of the Middle East Stabilization Force.
That all led to Bandet’s return to 15 Wing and the Snowbirds in July 2017, where he took over as Snowbird 1 and Team Lead, also serving as the squadron’s deputy commanding officer. Flying under the callsign ‘Yuri’, Bandet has over 4,000 hours flying high-performance aircraft.
There is no timeline in place for the team to return to the air, pending a full investigation into the crash.
