This topic has been moved to The Grave of the Unknown Soldier.

https://Army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=131792.0

PM's CF-150 Polaris Airbus out of operation until August
Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Dec 02, 2019 3:45 PM ET

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be hitching rides on a variety of air force planes for the foreseeable future.

The CF-150 Polaris Airbus that usually shuttles the prime minister to world events is out of commission following a hangar accident last month.

The nearly 30-year-old passenger aircraft, which is specially outfitted with a private cabin, was being towed "by contracted maintenance personnel" at the military's largest airbase in Trenton, Ont., when it "suffered significant structural damage to the nose and right engine cowling," said air force spokesman Lt.-Col Steve Neta.

The aircraft rolled into the back wall of a hangar.

"The incident remains under investigation to determine causes and identify preventive measures," Neta added.

Engineering teams from Airbus, the aircraft's original maker, conducted an assessment and concluded the aircraft will not return to service until August of next year.

Neta said an air safety investigation is underway.

"We do not have sufficient detail about potential costs, or the attribution of those costs, to provide any detail at this time," he said.

Trudeau is attending the NATO summit in London this week; he flew to the U.K. on one of the air force's other C-150s. Neta said the military is confident it can fill the gap in VIP transportation during the interim.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/prime-minister-airbus-grounded-trudeau-1.5381367

The sad story of why we have a CAN FORCE ONE

Use as VIP transport
The decision to outfit one of the five CC-150s as a VIP transport intended for use by the Prime Minister of Canada, made while Brian Mulroney held office, was politically controversial. The $56 million in upgrades were criticized as a needless extravagance during a time of government budgetary challenges by then-Leader of the Opposition Jean Chrétien, who labelled the aircraft a "flying Taj Mahal". Chrétien became Prime Minister soon thereafter and tried and failed to sell the aircraft; he would refuse to make use of the CC-150 during his ensuing 11 years in office. The aircraft was parked at Canadian Forces Base Uplands on standby, two aircraft were used in its place primarily the CC-144 Challenger.[6] and a second CC-150 when a larger aircraft was required.

Subsequent refits to and from use as a troop transport would result in much of the VIP amenities being downgraded. The CC-150 would return to use as official transport for the prime minister under Paul Martin in 2004.[6]


CC-150 Polaris No. 01 in 2014
In 2011 it emerged that since early 2009 the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper had repeatedly requested that the CC-150 configured for VIP use be repainted from the gun-metal military paint scheme it shared with the other CC-150s to a specialized paint scheme. The Department of National Defence, including Minister Peter MacKay, had resisted this request, noting that it was contrary to its multi-role nature and would compromise the aircraft's potential to safely transport personnel into a combat zone. The decision was ultimately made to repaint the craft during its next scheduled heavy maintenance.[7]

In 2013, the VIP-configured CC-150, aircraft #01, was repainted during scheduled heavy maintenance at a cost of $50,000. The new scheme, predominantly white with significant quantities of blue and smaller amounts of red, was criticized heavily by opposition politicians, who alleged the repainting was intended to give prominence to the then-governing Conservative Party of Canada's traditional blue colour although the RCAF Roundel consists of the colours blue, white, and red.[8] Its call sign is known officially as CAN Force One.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_CC-150_Polaris

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/6027962/snowbirds-pilot-atlanta-airshow/


I haven't seen this posted yet, please forgive me if it has been. 

Also, mods, feel feel to merge this into the Snowbirds chat - I just don't know how.

What are the women like around CFB Winnipeg?

Cool video taken at Leeds in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_prZhCiOc

Article Link

418 Squadron flies again

News Article / July 11, 2019

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s 418 Squadron has been reformed as a search and rescue operational training unit.

And now 418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron has a commanding officer—Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Jeffers.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan signed the Ministerial Organization Order authorizing the re-establishment of 418 Squadron on March 13, 2019. Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, commander of the RCAF, and Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffers co-signed the documents appointing Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffers as commanding officer during a brief ceremony at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia—418 Squadron’s new home—on July 11, 2019.

418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron will fill an essential role for the aircrew and maintainers of the CC-295, the RCAF’s newest fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft. The squadron’s exceptional training methods and new simulators will improve search and rescue skills and harness the capabilities of the CC-295 aircraft, while forming the heart of the Search and Rescue Centre of Excellence at 19 Wing. The CC-295 aircraft has not yet received its official “popular” name, which will be announced in the coming months.

“I am very excited to play a part in bringing the CC-295 to Canada,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffers. “We have a very talented, hard-working team who are ensuring that this extremely capable aircraft will be utilized most effectively.

“The Buffalo and Hercules have done an incredible job providing Canada with search and Rescue coverage over the years. The CC-295 is equipped with cutting edge technologies that will enable us to provide an even higher level of search and rescue capability for the citizens of Canada.”

The squadron was originally formed as 418 (Intruder) Squadron on November 15, 1941, under the Royal Air Force’s Fighter Command and 2nd Tactical Air Force. The squadron flew on night fighter and intruder operations in Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands throughout the Second World War. For its actions during the war it was awarded several Battle Honours: DEFENCE OF BRITAIN, 1944; FORTRESS EUROPE, 1942-1944; Dieppe; FRANCE AND GERMANY, 1944-1945; Normandy, 1944; Rhine.

The squadron remained in Germany after the war with British Air Forces of Occupation (Germany) until it was disbanded on September 7, 1945. The squadron was subsequently reformed in Canada as 418 Fighter Bomber Squadron on April 15, 1946. The following decades saw several changes in its role, and it was ultimately re-designated as 418 Transport and Rescue Squadron on April 1, 1993. The squadron was again disbanded on June 22, 1994.

418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron will begin operations in 2020. The CC-295 aircraft will be based in Comox; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Trenton, Ontario; and Greenwood, Nova Scotia.

“19 Wing will become the training SAR Centre of Excellence with the centralization of all Search and Rescue training programs,” noted Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffers.