New air force commander says he’s confident in the airworthiness of the Snowbirds

Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny, the brand new commander of the Royal Canadian Air Power, sees a brilliant future forward for the Snowbirds regardless of the planes having been grounded after a aircraft crashed following a tough touchdown in Fort Saint John, B.C. earlier this month.

Chatting with the CBC after his instalment ceremony on the Nationwide Air and Area Museum in Ottawa, Kenny mentioned he is optimistic about the way forward for the Snowbirds and is “trying ahead to having them showcased within the 2024 a centesimal anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Power.”

The crew flies in CT-114 Tutor plane manufactured greater than 50 years in the past however the planes are frequently inspected and maintained by army crews.

In June, a problem with the deployment of a parachute system in the course of the ejection sequence precipitated the cancellation of a number of airshow appearances for the crew.

A chicken strike incident in Might 2020 claimed the lifetime of Capt. Jenn Casey, a public affairs officer with the aerobatics crew after her parachute didn’t open. The pilot within the crash suffered severe accidents.

Regardless of a latest sequence of incidents and a tragedy involving the planes, Kenny mentioned there isn’t any speak of changing the fleet. 

“Now we have a very rigorous airworthiness program that components all of the issues that you’d wish to have a look at,” Kenny mentioned. “Every a type of incidents which have occurred has undergone a rigorous course of to incorporate speaking to the aircrew and the bottom crew to make it possible for they’re assured in flying that plane.”

Former Snowbirds commanding officer Lt.-Col. Robert “Scratch” Mitchell shares Kenny’s confidence within the Tutors. He instructed CBC that airplane upkeep is “measured extra by way of the flying hours on the airplane than they’re within the yr of their age.”

Mitchell mentioned at common intervals, the planes are “primarily ripped aside and rebuilt and made anew” on prime of that, all army plane undergo common inspections and annual upkeep.

There is no such thing as a clear timeline for when the Snowbirds could return to flying.