Why the Snowbirds' Last Toronto Show Grounds the Fleet Until the 2030s
For more than six decades, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds have been the country's public face of military aviation, and the CT-114 Tutor jets they fly have been doing the work since the beginning. This year's Canadian International Air Show at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto was the last time the public saw that combination there. In practical terms, it was also the start of a long pause.
The Tutor is a Canadian original. Built to a Canadair design in Montreal's Cartierville district, the jets in Snowbirds service came off the production line between 1963 and 1965. That puts the oldest airframes past sixty years old. Major Maciej Hatta, the Snowbirds' team lead, told CityNews Toronto that the fleet is still maintained to robust airworthiness standards, but he acknowledged the jets are showing their age.
That age is why the squadron is being grounded. Once the current season ends, the Tutors stop flying and the Snowbirds, based in Moose Jaw, wait for a new aircraft. The federal government has picked the CT-157 Siskin II as the replacement, but there is no current timeline for delivery. That leaves a gap that is expected to run until at least the early 2030s.
The Toronto show carried particular weight. It was the Snowbirds' 55th appearance at the CNE, and their last there for the foreseeable future. Since 1971, the squadron has performed roughly 2,700 times in the Tutors, making them a regular feature of national celebrations, air shows, and big sporting events. The final performance in the original jets is scheduled for the Grey Cup in Calgary later this year.
What comes next is less nostalgic and more practical. The Siskin II is expected to be a modern aircraft that can take over the aerobatic role, but until it arrives, a squadron that has been a constant presence at Canadian public events for half a century will not be seen in the sky. Hatta said the plan is to return with a different aircraft as soon as possible and be back in full force in the near future.
For now, the Toronto farewell was the clearest sign yet that the era of the Tutor is over. The jets were designed, engineered, and built in Canada, and they remained in use longer than almost anyone expected. The next version of the Snowbirds will fly again, but the original planes are done.