Snowbirds and Hawk 1 Grounded
Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:10 pm
Also mentions the NRC's CT-133.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le1181627/
Snowbirds grounded for ‘operational pause'
Problems with the jet's ejection seat system of the Canadian military aerobatic team's aging CT-114 Tutors prompted further investigation
KATHERINE O'NEILL
Globe and Mail Update, Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009 07:16PM EDT
The Snowbirds, Canada's iconic military aerobatic team, have had their wings temporarily clipped while investigators probe a technical problem with their aging fleet of 20 CT-114 Tutors.
The order, which the air force has called an “operational pause,” was made over the weekend, when a routine pre-flight inspection before a practice flight at an air show in Bagotville, Que., turned up problems with the jet's ejection seat system.
Sub-Lieutenant David Lavallee, an air force spokesman, said the military doesn't know how long the investigation will take or whether the Snowbirds will have to cancel any upcoming appearances, including their popular Canada Day fly past Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1.
“It's a wait-and-see until investigators can figure out what happened and what went wrong,” he said Sunday. “It's unfortunate that things like these happen during the air show season but the top priority is always the safety of our people.”
The military's “operational pause” also affects five more of the air force's CT-114 Tutors, as well as the Hawk One F-86 Sabre and a CT-133 flown by the National Research Council.
A Department of National Defence news release said the current technical glitch is connected to a piece of equipment designed to come apart automatically during an ejection and is not related to problems previously experienced with the Tutor's lap belt.
In May 2007, Capt. Shawn McCaughey died after his seatbelt unbuckled when he was flying upside down during a rehearsal at an air show in Montana. He fell out of the seat, lost control of the plane and it crashed.
A new pilot-restraint system, already under development since the problem was first identified in 2002, was installed and the planes returned to the skies a month later.
The Snowbirds demonstration squadron, which was formed in 1971, has had seven fatal crashes, most of them in the past two decades. The most recent crash occurred in October during a routine operation near 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Sask., where the Snowbirds are based. Capt. Bryan Mitchell and Sgt. Charles Senecal, a military photographer, died after their jet crashed into a field.
The mounting deaths and concerns over the team's aging fleet – their aircrafts are more than 40 years old – have sparked a public debate about the future of the famed Snowbirds.
The Canadian military spends about $10-million a year staging dozens of the team's performances at air shows and events across the continent.
Question
Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:39 am
So does that mean that all civilian aircraft with those seats are grounded?
Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:03 pm
The Canadian National Research Council's Canadair T-33 C-FSKH is also grounded although it hasn't flown since sometime last year.
Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:12 pm
I'm hoping this is quickly resolved. What a blow to their centennial celebrations. Seeing Hawk One and the Snowbirds is #1 on my list of things i'm most excited about this year. I've got 'til August so I hope they get their safety issues cleared up and can continue on.
Also, you gotta love the supportive comments
Also, you gotta love the supportive comments
Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:12 pm
According to the St. Thomas Wings & Wheels website, the Snowbirds (and presumably Hawk One) are back in action! 
Click
Click
Nothing
Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:04 am
Nothing on DND site
Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:59 am
Latest info has it that Hawk One should be back in the air today.
Jim
Jim
Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:00 am
I saw the Snowbirds last year at the MacDill Air Force base airshow and enjoyed it. Hopefully this will be resolved soon and they will be back in the air thrilling kids of all ages again soon.
Beautiful paint scheme on that CT-133 they have there, be nice to see it fly as well.
Tim
Beautiful paint scheme on that CT-133 they have there, be nice to see it fly as well.
Tim
info
Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:31 am
A member of the Snowbirds precision flying team is confident a local air show will go ahead as planned, despite the team being grounded over an equipment concern.
“The Orillia show is still a go,” Capt. Mark LaVerdiere said in a phone interview from Quebec on Tuesday. “We are very optimistic we will be up and running very shortly.”
The team’s famed Tutor jets were placed on an “operational pause” following the discovery of a technical problem with the ejection seat system prior to a flight on Friday.
LaVerdiere, a native of the Sunshine City, said technical experts are examining the equipment in question.
He noted that the problem was discovered in a pre-flight test – testament, he says, to the rigorous standards of Canada’s military and its commitment to ensuring the safety of both the pilots and their audiences.
“They are doing their due diligence to figure out what happened and why it happened,” he added.
A June 24 air show planned for Orillia’s waterfront remains on the team’s agenda, said LaVerdiere, who looks forward to performing for his hometown.
“Obviously, for me it is going to be a huge thing,” he said. “I have lots of family and friends in Orillia and they are keen to get me home.”
The upcoming event, which features a ticketed reception the night before the air show, is a fundraiser supporting the Community Foundation of Orillia and Area.
LaVerdiere applauded the committee whose volunteer members took on the substantial task of organizing the event.
“They have really gone above and beyond, and that is another reason we want to get to Orillia,” he added. “They put their heart and soul into it.”
Organizers say other planned events and activities would be held at Couchiching Beach Park, should the team be forced to cancel its appearance.
“The Orillia show is still a go,” Capt. Mark LaVerdiere said in a phone interview from Quebec on Tuesday. “We are very optimistic we will be up and running very shortly.”
The team’s famed Tutor jets were placed on an “operational pause” following the discovery of a technical problem with the ejection seat system prior to a flight on Friday.
LaVerdiere, a native of the Sunshine City, said technical experts are examining the equipment in question.
He noted that the problem was discovered in a pre-flight test – testament, he says, to the rigorous standards of Canada’s military and its commitment to ensuring the safety of both the pilots and their audiences.
“They are doing their due diligence to figure out what happened and why it happened,” he added.
A June 24 air show planned for Orillia’s waterfront remains on the team’s agenda, said LaVerdiere, who looks forward to performing for his hometown.
“Obviously, for me it is going to be a huge thing,” he said. “I have lots of family and friends in Orillia and they are keen to get me home.”
The upcoming event, which features a ticketed reception the night before the air show, is a fundraiser supporting the Community Foundation of Orillia and Area.
LaVerdiere applauded the committee whose volunteer members took on the substantial task of organizing the event.
“They have really gone above and beyond, and that is another reason we want to get to Orillia,” he added. “They put their heart and soul into it.”
Organizers say other planned events and activities would be held at Couchiching Beach Park, should the team be forced to cancel its appearance.
Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:19 pm
rcaf_100 wrote:According to the St. Thomas Wings & Wheels website, the Snowbirds (and presumably Hawk One) are back in action!
As of the afternoon of the 17th, the Snowbirds and Hawk One are in doubt for the Wings and Wheels show according to the website. I hope it is resolved and glad I hadn't made plans to be up there.
I would like to see Hawk One in the air this year if possible, and if this issue is resolved, I may try to make the Windsor Show at the end of August.
Re: Question
Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:48 pm
Vulture wrote:So does that mean that all civilian aircraft with those seats are grounded?
I was wondered the same thing. What about Bill Lamberton's CT-114 or the few Tebuans out there, and does this affect the other Canadair CT-133's flying in the US or Canada or is the seat problem unique to the NRC CT-133? Are any other civilian jet warbirds grounded because of the seat problem?
Brian.
Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:57 pm
jwc50 wrote:rcaf_100 wrote:According to the St. Thomas Wings & Wheels website, the Snowbirds (and presumably Hawk One) are back in action!
As of the afternoon of the 17th, the Snowbirds and Hawk One are in doubt for the Wings and Wheels show according to the website. I hope it is resolved and glad I hadn't made plans to be up there.
I would like to see Hawk One in the air this year if possible, and if this issue is resolved, I may try to make the Windsor Show at the end of August.
Well, it said they would be there when I originally posted it.
It was nice of them to get everyone's hopes up! 