Broken Wing

Video of the aftermath of the T-33 crash at CFB Trenton

The pilot is fine, the jet is not…

T-33 crash at Trenton

A flight safety investigation is pending after a privately-owned former military jet appeared to abort takeoff before crashing through a fence at CFB Trenton on Wednesday 15 July.

Capt. Mark Peebles, the base’s senior public affairs officer, said the T-33 had problems on takeoff at 12:12 p.m.

“It got airborne but then it returned to the surface and sped right off the end of the runway,” Peebles said.

“It went through a fence; it went over Perimeter Road; and it came to rest just inside the outer fence of the airfield by RCAF Road.”

The plane came to rest on its belly, one wingtip almost touching the fence.

Emergency crews arrived within three minutes and helped the pilot — the lone occupant — into a military ambulance, Peebles said.

Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan, who was already in the neighbourhood, said he reached the base about five minutes after the landing.

At that point the pilot, wearing a flight suit, was sitting in a ditch about 500 metres from the plane, he said. By the time Whelan reached the actual landing site, he said, the pilot could be seen talking inside the ambulance.

In an early-evening new release, Peebles said the pilot has been released from Trenton Memorial Hospital. The nature of his injuries was not disclosed.

Military police secured the scene and firefighters sprayed fire-retardant foam as a precautionary measure.

“There is damage to the aircraft, however the extent of the damage and the nature of the damage I don’t know,” said Peebles.

The Canadair T-33 is the result of a 1951 contract to build T-33 Shooting Star Trainers for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The powerplant would be a Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet instead of the Allison J33 used by Lockheed in the production of the original T-33. A project designation of CL-30 was given by Canadair and the name was changed to Silver Star. The appearance of the T-33 is very distinctive due to the large fuel tanks usually carried on each wingtip.

A total of 656 T-33 aircraft were built by Canadair.

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A bit of flight

The Snowbirds

 

Hawk One

Pipes and Drums

The 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Pipes and Drums performing at the rededication ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Memorial Gates.

and a bit of video as well…

The Snowbirds fly low

The relaxation of flight restrictions is one of the advantages of an air show held on an air force base – especially a base as big as CFB Trenton that is bordered by the Bay of Quinte.

Low and fast – that’s the best way to describe this performance.

 

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RCAF Memorial Gates

Scenes from the rededication ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Memorial Gates.

 

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The not an airshow airshow

The CFB Trenton open house was, despite official press release the 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Armed Forces Weekend and Air Display was an airshow – oh was it ever! The weekend was also a tribute to the following major anniversaries:

100th Anniversary of Powered Flight in Canada

85th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force

60th Anniversary of the Memorial Gates

40th Anniversary of 8 Air Communication and Control Squadron (8ACCS)

25th Anniversary of the National Air Force Museum of Canada

Lots of images are here

Hawk One – Centennial Flight

The history of the North American F-86 Sabre (and its variants like the Canadair Sabre models) is closely tied to the beginnings of the Cold War and famously with the Korean War battles with Russian MiGs. The Sabre, a swept wing, single seat air superiority fighter is long recognized as one of the finest fighter aircraft of all time and the Sabre 5 and Sabre 6 models built by Canadair at their Montreal plant are considered the most capable of all Sabres. Of the more than 9,500 Sabres constructed worldwide, more than 1,800 were built in Canada in six different variants.

The Canadair Sabre saw operational service both in Canada and with 12 squadrons at Royal Canadian Air Force stations in Europe as part of a large NATO commitment. The most spectacular paint scheme ever to grace the already graceful lines of the Sabre was the livery of the RCAF’s precision aerobatic team, the Golden Hawks. The Golden Hawks were created in 1959 to honour the 50th anniversary of powered flight in Canada and the Vintage Wings of Canada Sabre wears the same metallic gold paint scheme to  celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in 2009.

Hawk One, a Canadair Sabre 5  takes off

 

The Snowbirds with Hawk One

 

The Centennial Heritage Flight: Hawk One, the demonstration CF-18 and Snow Bird 6

 

 

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Birds over the Bay

I just happened to be merrily sun tanning on the water of the Bay of Quinte as the Snow Birds flew around practicing. Funny how I can do that!

The parade practise

Spot the zoomie at the parade practise!

 

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