The distinctive roar of its turbojet engine announces that the celebrated CT-114 Tutor is passing overhead. As the aircraft flown by the Snowbirds—Canada’s famed Air Demonstration team—the nimble Tutor is a Canadian Air Force icon.
The Tutor was originally procured in the mid-1960s to train student pilots. It was replaced in 2000 by the CT-156 Harvard II and CT-155 Hawk. Today, the Tutor is flown primarily by 431 Squadron’s Snowbirds. However, it is also used in aircraft testing at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) in Cold Lake, Alberta.
The Tutors flown by the Snowbirds are slightly modified from the training version. In addition to show features, the modified version has a more highly-tuned engine to enhance performance during low-level aerobatic flying.
The Snowbirds continue to thrill North American audiences with their close-formation flying and daring performances. True Canadian ambassadors, the Snowbirds share the high level of excellence, teamwork and dedication demonstrated by the women and men of the Canadian Forces.
