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The Snowbirds are getting ready to say farewell to the fleet of Tutor jets before their final flyover.
However, the commanding officer of the Snowbirds said some of the jets will live in museums and on pedestals after their retirement.
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The Snowbirds will take a five-year hiatus from performances for the new CT-157 Siskin II aircraft to be built, that will replace the aging fleet of CT-114 Tutor jets.
Snowbirds Tutor jets sit in the hangar at Wing 15 in Moose Jaw. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
The Snowbirds will perform their high formation season closer show for the final time with the Tutor aircraft in Moose Jaw on Friday.
The performance will not be open to the public, but a livestream will be available to view the show.
Lieutenant Colonel Guillaume Paquet, the Commanding Officer of the Snowbirds, said the fleet of jets will be flown to Ontario after the final flyover during the Grey Cup in Calgary.
Paquet said IMP Aerospace & Defence, based in Trenton, is the company responsible for decommissioning the jets.
The Tutor jets have flown with the Snowbirds for 55 years. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
He said the company will “rack and stack” requests from anyone who may want the Canadian planes.
Paquet said the planes will no longer be flyable, but some may be used for maintenance training.
“This is a 63-year-old airplane,” he said. “It has earned its rest, and most of the people are looking forward to the new airplane and seeing what we’re going to do with the new show.”
Paquet said 50 more flybys were booked this season, after the federal government announced the Snowbirds air show would be grounded for years.
The Snowbirds’ final flight will be over the Grey Cup in Calgary in November. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
“Our focus is very much on finishing off safely and in good spirit,” he said. “Then after the season, once we’re all done, then we’re going to shift gear, and we’re going to start planning.”
Major Maciej Hatta, the Snowbirds Team Lead, said the Tutor jets are a piece of Canadian history.
Major Maciej Hatta stands in front of his jet he leads the Snowbirds in. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
“It’s definitely sad, especially as we come towards the tail end of things this summer,” he said. “It’s not lost on us the legacy of these airplanes flying, these jets flying for 55 seasons with the Snowbirds.”
Hatta has flown more than 30 airplanes as a test pilot, but said the Tutor jets remain his favourite.
“We have to appreciate that this jet, this design,” he said. “Like I said, Canadian-built aircraft in Cartierville, Quebec, has withstood the test of time.”
