The Royal Canadian Air Force welcomed on Thursday the first two of its new trainer aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin II — the same planes that will replace the old Tutor jets flown by the Snowbirds aerial demonstration team.
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that → welcome → team
The turboprop planes will soon be headed to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, where the air force eventually will station 19 of them to serve as its main training fleet.
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force → head → fleet
Acquiring the Siskin II, also known as the Pilatus PC-21, is part of the RCAF’s plan to modernize its fleets and overhaul its training.
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Acquiring → acquire → training
RCAF Commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said the modern aircraft are well suited both to aerial acrobatics and to preparing pilots for the more advanced aircraft the air force is bringing online.
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force → say → aircraft
“It has an advanced cockpit and capabilities and the design is just a very contemporary one that is used by other allies as well.
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that → have → allies
We’re very excited that we’re able to bring this on board,” she said.
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she → ’re → board
The commander made the comments just after one of the new planes buzzed overhead in a ceremonial first flypast at the airport in Gatineau, Que.
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one → make → Gatineau
The current Snowbirds will hold their last show in the National Capital Region in Gatineau, Que., this weekend.
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Snowbirds → hold → Gatineau
After their final flight at the Grey Cup in Calgary in November, the Snowbird team will start a hiatus that could last until 2030.
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that → start → 2030
As the RCAF brings in the new planes for pilot training, the federal government is still working on procuring extra Siskins for the Snowbirds team.
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government → bring → team
Speiser-Blanchet said these are “excellent” stunt planes that shouldn’t be underestimated — even though some have questioned whether a propeller aircraft is a suitable replacement for jets.
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aircraft → say → jets
More so than perhaps people’s understanding of other propeller aircraft from the past,” she said.
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she → say → past
While the Siskin II has a slower top speed than the CT-114 Tutor and is not as loud as a jet, Speiser-Blanchet said “it’s not a quiet aircraft” and it will “really wow Canadians” once the shows are up and running.
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shows → have → Canadians
The federal government announced this spring it would replace the roughly 60-year-old Tutor jets, which have encountered various problems with upgrades meant to extend their lifespans out to 2030.
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which → announce → 2030
Costs, timelines and the growing scarcity of replacement parts threw a wrench into plans to keep them in the air longer.
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Costs → grow → air
The Swiss Air Force has been training its pilots on the Pilatus aircraft since about 2008, and Australia’s Roulettes aerial demonstration team also flies the same planes.
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team → train → planes
Speiser-Blanchet said that because so many Canadian pilots will be training on this aircraft, the air force will have a much larger pool of potential candidates for the Snowbirds.
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force → say → Snowbirds
Having the multi-purpose aircraft based out of Moose Jaw will also make servicing and support easier to manage, she said.
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she → have → Jaw
The RCAF has never before used a Pilatus aircraft.
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RCAF → use → aircraft
The new planes will replace the air force’s CT-156 Harvard II trainers, also known as the T-6 Beechcraft.
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planes → replace → Beechcraft
Ioannis Papachristofilou, deputy CEO of Pilatus in Switzerland, said the aircraft are advanced, high-performance machines that use Pratt and Whitney’s powerful PT6A-68B turboprop engine, which is made in Canada.
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which → say → Canada
“This aircraft has an embedded mission-simulation suite, which allows you to simulate, for example, sensors like radar,” he said, adding the technology allows pilots to train faster on fighter jets in later phases of training.
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pilots → have → training
The fleet of Siskins will work alongside other types of trainers under the new Future Aircrew Training program, which covers 71 training aircraft split up across five fleets.
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which → work → fleets
SkyAlyne, a partnership between CAE and KF Aerospace, won a contract in 2024 for the 25-year, $11-billion training program, referred to within the air force as FAcT.
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SkyAlyne → win → FAcT.
It will replace the commercial pilot training aspects of the RCAF program.
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It → replace → program
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