24 août 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Maintenance on the Canadian military aircraft used by the Snowbirds will be increased and flying operations involving those planes will be restricted, the Canadian Forces announced Monday.
Brig.-Gen. Denis O'Reilly, commander of 2 Canadian Air Division, said that the operational pause on the CT-114 Tutor fleet had been lifted but that new measures were being implemented in the wake of two crashes of Snowbirds aircraft in the last year.
The operational pause was brought in following a Snowbirds CT-114 Tutor accidentin Kamloops, B.C. on May 17, which resulted in the death of Capt. Jennifer Casey, the Snowbirds public affairs officer. Casey was a passenger in the aircraft. The pilot, Capt. Richard MacDougall, survived with serious injuries.
Last year the aerobatic team was temporarily grounded by the Royal Canadian Air Force after a crash of one of its aircraft near Atlanta, Georgia. The crash happened on Oct. 13. Snowbird pilot Capt. Kevin Domon-Grenier was forced to eject from his Tutor aircraft shortly before the team's performance in Atlanta, the team stated at the time. Domon-Grenier suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution following the ejection. The Tutor jet crashed into a farmer's field and there were no injuries on the ground.
The return to flying operations follows a technical and operational risk analysis that has outlined a series of risk mitigation measures, according to the Canadian Forces. Due to the fact that there were two CT-114 Tutor accidents within eight months, the scope of the analysis was designed to be deliberate, detailed and broad to enhance the general safety of the CT-114 Tutor operations, it added. The measures being implemented place some restrictions on flying operations and focus on increased maintenance requirements.
A Directorate of Flight Safety investigation into the accident that killed Casey continues. Once that investigation is complete, the Royal Canadian Air Force will determine if further mitigation measures are required, according to the Canadian Forces.
The investigation into the Kamloops accident is focusing on a bird strike as well as the performance of the aircraft's escape system. The investigation into the Georgia crash determined that the most probable cause of the accident was a fuel delivery system failure within the engine.
The remainder of the Snowbirds 2020 air demonstration season has been cancelled, and the team will now focus on gradually returning to flying operations, according to the Canadian Forces.
The RCAF has a total of 23 CT-114 Tutor aircraft, including 18 at 431 Squadron. There are also five at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., which are on the verge of retirement and storage.
25 août 2022 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
NATO’s secretary general is getting an up-close look at Canada’s northern defences Thursday as he visits the Arctic, a region of escalating geopolitical competition.
3 octobre 2022 | Local, Terrestre
Le 3 octobre 2022 – Ottawa – Défense nationale / Forces armées canadiennes À l'issue d'un processus concurrentiel, équitable, ouvert et transparent, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada a attribué, au nom de la Défense nationale, un contrat de 122 millions de dollars (taxes inclues) à la société Nasittuq Corporation d'Ottawa, en Ontario, en vue de fournir des services de soutien à la SFC Alert au Nunavut pour une période initiale de huit ans et demi. La SFC Alert est une station militaire située au Nunavut, à l'extrémité nord-est de l'île d'Ellesmere, la plus septentrionale des îles de l'archipel Arctique canadien. Environnement et Changement climatique Canada y opère une station météorologique, laquelle est une installation militaire qui n'est toutefois pas ouverte au public. Le contrat avec la société Nasittuq Corporation couvre tous les services de soutien du site de la SFC Alert, y compris les logements, les services d'alimentation, l'entretien et l'utilisation des terrains et des routes (y compris la piste d'aérodrome), les centrales électriques, les b'timents, les génératrices, les réseaux d'approvisionnement en eau et de traitement des eaux usées, les systèmes d'alarme incendie, les réservoirs de stockage des carburants ainsi que l'exploitation d'une carrière. Nasittuq Corporation s'occupera également de l'entretien et des travaux majeurs de réfection de quelque 90 b'timents de la station – dont 19 grandes structures. Les services offerts dans le cadre du contrat aideront à fournir au personnel des milieux de travail bien entretenus qui appuient l'efficacité des opérations de base, ainsi que le nécessaire pour vivre et travailler dans l'environnement arctique. La Politique sur le contenu canadien ainsi que les obligations du Canada en vertu des Ententes sur les revendications territoriales globales, notamment la récente Directive sur les marchés de l'État dans la région du Nunavut du Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor, s'appliquent à ce contrat. https://www.canada.ca/fr/ministere-defense-nationale/nouvelles/2022/10/le-gouvernement-du-canada-attribue-un-contrat-de-services-de-soutien-pour-la-station-des-forces-canadiennes-sfc-alert-au-nunavut.html
9 janvier 2020 | Local, Sécurité
Each year the International Walt Darran Aerial Firefighting Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and innovations within the industry. The deadline for 2020 awards is only one week away. The awards committee invites global aviation community to nominate individuals or companies before Jan. 17, 2020 to celebrate their achievements in aerial firefighting. Aiming to recognize a significant contribution by an individual or organization to aerial firefighting, the awards were inaugurated in honour of the late Walt Darran, who was a pioneer and advocate for safety and advances in aerial firefighting. These sought-after awards are a peer honour, with aerial firefighters from all around the globe honouring fellow colleagues. The nominations and resultant winners are administered by the International Awards Committee — an independent international consortium from the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG) and Associated Aerial Firefighters. Any person or organization that has made a significant contribution to furthering the safety and/or efficiency of aerial firefighting could be nominated. Once again, nominations are being accepted in two categories: Contribution to Aerial Firefighting Safety and Industry Innovation & Advancement. To nominate your candidates, please complete the awards nomination forms and return them to Kate Niven from Tangent link at kniven@tangentlink.com before Jan. 17, 2020. The awards committee will convene after this date to review written submissions and select the winners. The awards ceremony to announce winners will take place during the Aerial Firefighting North America Conference Dinner on March 4, 2020 in Sacramento, Calif., as a part of Aerial Firefighting North America 2020. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/call-for-nominations-for-the-international-walt-darran-aerial-firefighting-awards-2020