Posted on 12/10/2004 9:41:49 AM PST by NorthOf45
2 Snowbirds crash in Saskatchewan
December 10, 2004
MOSSBANK, SASK. - Two Canadian Forces Snowbirds crashed Friday morning while the jets were on a practice flight near Mossbank, Sask.
Air force officials say the jets collided in mid-air during one of their daily training missions.
Early reports say the pilots were able to eject, but there's no word on their condition. Captain Jay Walker of 15 Wing said there was one pilot in each aircraft.
Lt. Andrea Collins said a ground search and rescue team is at the site, located near the town of Ardill.
The Canadian Forces is scheduled to hold a news conference at CFB Moose Jaw later Friday.
All flying training missions at the base have been suspended during the investigation into the crash.
The Snowbirds fly 11 Canadair Tutor aircraft: nine perform as a team in air shows and two other spare jets fill in when the others are down for maintenance or repairs.
The planes were used as training aircraft by the air force until 2000.
Mossbank, about 65 kilometres southwest of Moose Jaw, is home base to the aerobatic team.
Agreed...very modern looking.
In May, two pilots from 15 Wing escaped from a Hawk training jet before it crashed into a field northwest of the base. Other than that, the last Snowbird incident I believe was in 1998.
Always crashing? When was the last time one crashed?
LOL!!
LOL!!
From the Snowbirds' website, www.rcaf.com/snowbirds/aircraft.htm comes a list of differences between the Snowbird aircraft and the standard Tutor: "transistorized rather than tube radio to enable communication between planes before engine start"
I've always enjoyed watching the Snowbirds. Hopefully these pilots are OK.
The neat thing about the Snowbirds, is that they can put on a very different sort of show because of the nimble little plane and the mere fact that they do nine-plane formations and maneuvers. Gives them some different sorts of options from the four and five plane formations that the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds do.
Always a good show.
The F-86 Sabre Jet is still one of the most beautiful planes ever.
Sigh. :-(
Glad they appear to be okay (hopefully they are). You have to love a base named "Moose Jaw".
"The F-86 Sabre Jet is still one of the most beautiful planes ever."
Absolutely!
At one time, the RCAF had over 1,100 in service!
Some RCAF Sabre images:
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/equip/historical/sabrelst_e.asp
Yes! I once met a fellow who flew them in Korea and who owned one in 1990. He told me they are great flyers too.
Prayers going out for the pilots having ejected safely!
Some really neat Tutor images:
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/equip/ct-114/tutor1_e.asp
Dang - I hope they're okay.
Saw the 'birds when I was a kid. They were pretty cool.
I really hope our friends up North get a clue before their entire military sinks/crashes/whatever. It's pretty sad.
I thought this thread was going to be about old people headed to Florida:') Prayers for the pilots.
Come to think of it, I think they were flying T-33's. I think that the Phantoms may have been from the US Airforce Thunderbirds. I don't recall the deep blue paint job of the Blue Angels -- process of elimination.
Snowbird pilot dies in Saskatchewan crash
Two Canadian Forces Snowbirds crashed in mid-air Friday morning while on a routine practice flight over southern Saskatchewan, killing one pilot and injuring a second
Prayers to the family. My heart sinks with this news.
Right along with the F100.
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