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Niagara Falls, OntarioCanadair CT-114 Tutor
The Canadair CT-114 Tutor (company model CL-41) was the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and later Canadian Forces, standard jet trainer between the early 1960s and 2000. It was designed and produced by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Canadair.
Development commenced as a private venture by the company. On 13 January 1960, the prototype performed its maiden flight; a year and a half later, the Canadian Government placed a major order for the type. The RCAF would be the dominant user of the type, but a limited number were exported as well. Specifically, the CL-41G model, which was supplied to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), served as a ground-attack aircraft up until its withdrawal.
The Tutor served as the Canadian Forces primary jet trainer from the 1960s up until 2000, at which point it was finally retired from this role, having been replaced by a combination of the newer British-built CT-155 Hawk and American-built CT-156 Harvard II. While the majority of Tutors have been retired, a small handful of aircraft are currently still being used by the RCAF's Snowbirds aerobatics team.
The beginnings of the CL-41 Tutor can be found in a decision by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Canadair to develop its own indigenous trainer aircraft as a private venture. The design itself was the product of the company's in-house Preliminary Design department. By August 1957, the basic configuration of the design had been completed, which was of a turbojet-powered, low-wing aircraft, complete with a tricycle undercarriage and a side-by-side cockpit arrangement. From the onset of development, the aircraft was intended to be a purpose-built trainer for providing elementary jet flight training, as well as additional training up to an advanced level.
The CT-114 Tutor is a single-engine turbojet-powered trainer aircraft. It was purpose-designed for the training role, and possesses numerous favourable qualities, including a high level of reliability and favourable operating economics. It is capable of a wide performance range, possessing a top speed at altitude of 795 kmh (429 kt) and a diving speed of 885 kmh (478 kt) against a relatively low stalling speed of 71kt. The Tutor is furnished with manual flight controls, which incorporate spring tabs. It is intentionally aerodynamically stable in flight, a factor which traditionally has aided in the training of fresh pilots unfamiliar with the demands of flight.
The Tutor features a side-by-side cockpit. During standard operations, the observing instructor was seated on the right-hand side and the flying student pilot on the left; normally, only the left-hand side normally featured full flight controls. However, following experiences with the Snowbirds display team, a number of aircraft were reconfigured with extra controls so that they would be flyable from either position. The cabin, which is fitted with a rear-hinged canopy over both crew members, can be pressurized to a differential of 3 psi (20 kPa), the equivalent to an altitude of about 2,000 m, for pilot comfort.
For aerial display purposes, the Tutor was readily capable of being fitted with a smoke generator, including a pair of under-fuselage pods to house the pressurized diesel fuel used; the use of red dye in the smoke was discontinued fairly quickly as it was found to be highly corrosive. Various other modifications would also be made to display aircraft; these could be routinely installed and uninstalled as airframes would regularly be exchanged between display and training flights.
Aerobatics: During 1967, a batch of ten Tutors were modified for use as a formation aerobatic aircraft by the RCAF (and later the unified Canadian Forces) display team, the Golden Centennaires to celebrate Canada's centennial year. At the end of the 1967 season, the display team was disbanded, thus its aircraft returned to routine training duties. In 1971, a new formation team was formed at 2CFFTS (Two Canadian Forces Flying Training School) at CFB Moose Jaw, once again adopted the type. The following year, the name "Snowbirds" was chosen for the team; during 1978, the team received squadron status as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.
Since its formation, the Snowbirds display team has regularly performed at air shows and special events, including the annual flypast on Canada Day over the capital city, Ottawa. According to journalist Guy Norris, a defining trait of their aerobatics is the physically-demanding formation flights performed, as well locally-developed manoeuvres such as the "Big Goose'. Unlike most display teams, the Snowbirds do not have a support aircraft; all spares and useful material could be carried by the aircraft themselves in storage areas located in the nose or the wing root.
Those Tutors used by the Snowbirds feature several modifications distinguishing them from standard examples; these include a smoke generating system, an highly-recognisable paint scheme unique to the display team, and a highly-tuned engine for greater responsiveness during low-level flying. Reportedly, display pilots would deliberately fly their aircraft using an above-average level of nose-down trim so that pushing the stick down would become unnecessary. The Snowbirds' aircraft would regularly be cycled with standard training aircraft, allowing the team to operate airframes with comparatively low accumulated flight hours. Wikipedia
Wikipedia Canadair CT-114 Tutor
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
YouTube More than just the iconic Snowbirds demonstrator aircraft: the story of the Canadair CT-114 Tutor
CT-114 Tutor Kestrel Publications
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF On Strength (191), Canadian Aircraft Losses (19)Tutor 26136
Initially delivered to CFS in Winnipeg, MB. Transferred to 1 FTS in Gimli as of 3 February 1966. Sent to 6 RD Det in Mountain View, ON as of 28 March 1966. Operated by 2 CFFTS, CFB Moose Jaw, SK as of 5 April 1968. On 22 August 1973, 2 pilots took off from CFB Moose Jaw in # 114136 on an authorized mutual staff proficiency clearhood and instrument mission. The first pilot was initially at the controls and performed an aerobatic sequence before handing over control to the a/c captain. The captain then performed an aerobatic sequence, at the completion of which he attempted a stall turn. It was during the stall turn that a/c control was lost and the a/c entered an unrecognizable flight condition. During this period, the captain attempted to bring the a/c under control by moving the flight controls, but with no apparent effect. Upon being advised by the first pilot that the altimeter was 6,000 ft MSL, the captain said, "Okay, let's go". The first pilot then initiated his escape procedure. The first pilot ejected and landed safely with minor injuries. The a/c crashed with the captain still in the cockpit. The altitude at which the unauthorized stall turn was attempted was in the region of 11,000 ft MSL. The first pilot believes the airspeed was around 100 kts when the stall turn was attempted, but when it was obvious to him that the manoeuvre wasn't working he did notice the air speed at 40 kts. He
observed the a/c nose forward about 10 or 20 degrees and hang there momentarily, then in his words, "All hell broke looseâ€. The first pilot was unable to recognize the flight path of the a/c during the initial few seconds after control was lost, however he felt it progressed into an inverted spinning type condition. During the descent, he observed the turn needle deflected to the right and at one time, checked to see if the captain did, in fact, have full left rudder applied, which he had. He did not recall which way the ground was rotating nor did he recall what the air speed was. He did mention to the captain that, "If we are in an inverted spin, I think the stick should be back". The captain did comply briefly, but by this time it appeared to the first pilot that the captain was trying various procedures with the control column and rudder in an attempt to recover. The first pilot then saw the altimeter at 6,200 ft MSL and said, "There's six thousand" and the captain replied, "Okay, let's go". The first pilot immediately ejected. The captain did not eject and subsequently sustained fatal injuries. The investigation determined that while attempting to carry out an unauthorized stall turn, the a/c departed controlled flight. Being unrecognizable to some extent, there was doubt as to the correct recovery procedure to apply.Kestrel Publications
1965-10-22 Taken on Strength 2021-12-27
1971-01-08 Serial Change Became CAF 114136 2019-08-20
1974-01-28 Struck off Strength Cat "A" write-off 2021-12-27
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