Canada’s Defence Minister says the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds air demonstration team have a future despite dire warnings to the contrary from a member of parliament. “On May 19, I will be in Moose Jaw [Saskatchewan, the Snowbirds’ home base] to provide updates on the future of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds,” Minister David McGuinty said in a statement released late Thursday. “Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come.” McGuinty, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, did not directly address suggestions by Fraser Tolmie, the Conservative member who represents Moose Jaw, that the famous team will not perform in 2027.
Tolmie told CTV News he has been told that the coming 2026 airshow season may be the last for the nine-ship formation team, which formed in 1971 and has spent the last 55 years mostly on the North American airshow circuit, where it always earns top billing.
AvBrief got wind of the controversy on Wednesday, but requests for comment have not been returned. Tolmie said he had not received a response to his official inquiries into the alleged plan. The Thursday statement was the government’s first acknowledgment of a forthcoming announcement on the future of the team. Tolmie said that at a time when Canadian sovereignty and economic security is being challenged by a changing relationship with the U.S., now is not the time to cancel or suspend the team. “This is like maple syrup,” he said. “This is like ice-cold Canadian beer. This is gravy on our poutine.”
The Snowbirds are currently polishing their routine of intricate formations combined with aerobatics at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island and have confirmed 27 shows in the coming season, including a July 4 display over New York City and shows in Columbus, Ohio; Jones Beech, New York; and Huntington Beach and Sacramento, California. In recent years, the team has headlined EAA AirVenture and other prominent airshows in the U.S. It spends most of the season in Canada, attending the few major shows there but also flying the flag at small towns and cities across the country.
According to AvBrief’s sources, the disruption, which they say will likely be characterized as a “pause” for up to five years rather than a cancellation, is not a financial decision. Like most militaries, Canada is short of pilots and the 20 or so flying members of the demo team and their support personnel represent a significant portion of frontline aircrew in the country’s relatively small air force. The Canadian military is actually on a spending spree with billions in new investments prompted, at least in part, by the suddenly rocky relations with the U.S. In fact, the RCAF just finished a $30 million upgrade of the fleet of the Snowbirds’ CT-114 Tutor aircraft, including new glass panels. It is also replacing almost its entire fleets of fighter, transport, surveillance, and rotary aircraft.
The Tutors are 60 years old and are the only platform ever used by the team. They were retired as training aircraft 20 years ago, but about 100 airframes were put in long-term storage for use by the demo team. Beyond the outdated avionics, there have been some safety issues with the aircraft, which were designed and built by Canadair, which became part of Bombardier. A few were sold abroad but most remained with the RCAF.
Perhaps we could get some newer jets from the British, French, Italian or Chinese airforces as they upgrade to more modern aircraft. How about just using the F18’s we’re supposed to be sidelining for the new Gripen or F35’s? There might also be newer aircraft available in some South American countries who may be looking for cold, hard cash. Shameful you say, well, time will tell…
Perhaps it’s time for a reality check when a demo team is a substantial fraction of one’s “tactical” air force. 9 Tutors vs how many deployable Hornets?
Seeing the Snowbirds demonstration team as consuming pilots ignores the fact that the demonstrations are one of the best ways to advertise a career in the air force. When faced with a shortage of pilots, it seems shortsighted to eliminate one of the strongest tools for recruitment.
Fastest way to shed pilots is to not have up acft to fly or fuel budgeted for flight time.
I think it’s going to be interesting to see Canada and UK scramble to develop the military assets they’ve neglected and abused for the last 40 years while at the same time their economies are failing due to massive immigration and climate change policies which destroy the middle class. As for the airplanes there’s nothing wrong with them for the function they’re being used for as they’re relatively cheap to operate and maintain. It would be a shame to see the Snowbirds go away as they are a pleasure to see perform.
It is strange for me in the last 10 years to see Europe and Canada behave so incoherent incomprehensible. As if when they come to a fork in the road, one road leads them to an economic cliff, they all choose to take the more dangerous road, and to jump off the cliff together. .
As opposed to seeing the environmental cliff ahead and marching on because any measures abating a future crisis would hurt today’s economy? With the current US president this gets topped by winding back measures already underway (like offshore wind parks).
How long can they keep these ancient relics from flying? At least buy some new L39 to replace the fleet.
They have 100 airframes in reserve. They can keep them flying for as long as there’s jet fuel to run them. Oh, I forgot, the goal of the Liberal government in Canada is to eliminate petroleum based fuel, let’s see how that works out.
In my opinion (V8 Engine) any and all military display teams ought to be scrapped. Planet earth is managed by out of their mind lunatics and psychopaths and its time for amazed airshow guests to smell the shit they elected into office.
It would seem to be of more training value to switch the team to whatever is the contemporary trainer used by the RCAF. That stash of Tutors will sure find buyers.