The Defence Department is on the hunt to find parts for the military’s aging Snowbirds acrobatic aircraft as it tries to keep the fleet operating until 2020.
The planes have been in the Canadian Forces inventory since 1963 and have been used by the Snowbirds team since 1970. But a number of systems on the aircraft are obsolete and will have to be fixed in the next few years, according to the department. In addition, Public Works recently issued a request for a number of parts, with responses expected back by Tuesday.
The aircraft, known as CT114 Tutors, were to have reached the end of their estimated life expectancy last year but that was extended by the Defence Department to 2020. Defence Department spokeswoman Natalie Cruickshank noted in an email that the Snowbird fleet remains airworthy and sustainable. “Overall, DND is effectively managing the aircraft, its operation and ensuring a strong support network is in place for a healthy fleet until it is retired from service,” she added. She noted that a recent study identified two systems as requiring updates in the future.
The two systems are the operational loads monitoring system, which collects data to ensure the continuous air worthiness of the plane and the fire warning and overheat detection system which provides immediate visible warning of fire or overheating in the engine compartment.
The procurement of the parts for these two systems has not yet been started. “At no time will the airworthiness or safety of the aircraft be at risk as sufficient spare parts will be available,” according to Cruickshank.
The parts currently sought by Public Works are for different portions of the aircraft.
Military documents produced in 2006 and obtained by the Ottawa Citizen list 13 systems on board the Snowbirds aircraft that the air force considered “unsupportable” starting in 2010 and 2011. Unsupportable means that the Defence Department does not have the ability to repair and overhaul such systems. They range from the aircraft intercom to the system that warns the pilot about low fuel levels.
In 2008, the Canadian Forces examined options for replacing the Tutors in either 2015 or 2020.
But officials decided on the 2020 date because of concerns about the cost of purchasing new planes.
“Although extending to the CT114 to 2020 will be technically challenging, overall it can be achieved with minimal risk and at significantly lower cost when compared against a new aircraft acquisition,” a briefing note for Defence Minister Peter MacKay pointed out in November 2008. The documents were obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through the access to information law.
That conclusion in the 2008 briefing note, however, is in contrast to an earlier examination of the Snowbirds aircraft. “Due to obsolescence issues, in the 2010 time frame, the Tutor will no longer be a viable aircraft for the Snowbirds,” an April 2006 briefing note for then-air force commander Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas pointed out.
Cruickshank stated that the aircraft and its engines are monitored for structural and operational health, and its avionics are also being upgraded with a global positioning capability to allow for modern-day navigation.
Some parts on the planes can be repaired by firms while other companies can manufacture new parts, she added.
The aerobatic team is seen as a key public relations and recruiting tool for the military. It is considered one of the most publicly visible elements of the Canadian Forces in Canada and in the U.S.
“The Snowbirds also contribute more than any other Canadian performer to the success and viability of the billion-dollar air-show industry in Canada and North America,” according to Defence Department documents.
Thousands of Canadians every year watch the team perform, and the Snowbirds are a fixture at Canada Day celebrations and air shows across the country.
The Tutors are considered an ideal aircraft for the Snowbirds because they are jets but are capable of flying at slow speeds so they can be in front of the air-show crowd at all times, military officers say.
The Canadian Forces wants to co-ordinate the purchase of replacement aircraft for the Snowbirds with a future project to acquire training planes for air force pilots.
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