The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are retiring Canadair CT-114 Tutor Jets and how i feel about it

Video from the channel Cool Videos From A Cool Guy about Canadair CT-114 Tutor, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 27:13. Language: English. Video type: News.

An American enthusiast discusses in an opinion video the retirement of the Canadair CT-114 Tutor, the jet that has flown the Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team for decades. He explains that the aircraft have grown old and that the team will move to a turboprop, the CT-157 Siskin, which he identifies with the Pilatus PC-21. According to him, the team will keep existing and will perform again in the United States around 2030, after a period of adapting to the new aircraft.

The author recalls the Snowbirds' performances at northeastern US air shows, such as those at Jones Beach, Bethpage and the Great New England Air Show, and notes that the team is based in Moose Jaw. He goes through the formation's composition with photographs: nine aircraft in the air and one reserve. He mentions a final performance in which the Snowbirds flew in a joint formation with the British Red Arrows, whose aircraft are also close to retirement, and in which a Tutor suffered a bird strike, forcing the display to be interrupted until the aircraft landed. He compares the change to that of the Blue Angels, who moved from the F/A-18 Hornet to the Super Hornet after having previously flown the A-4 Skyhawk and the Phantom.

For the author, replacing the jet with a turboprop will allow for more acrobatic displays and a more efficient aircraft, but it means losing the Tutor's characteristic sound and speed and the public's historical bond with the team. He is concerned that the several-year gap without performances in the United States will mean new generations won't know the Snowbirds with their classic aircraft, and that the team will need time to master the manoeuvres with the new aircraft.