Quinte International Air Show, 25 June 2016

MoMI is pleased to present below photographs and video clips from a recent outing to the Quinte International Air Show on 25 June 2016. The theme of the event was the Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), which trained over 131,000 Canadian, British, Australian, and New Zealand aircrew at 230 locations across Canada, including the largest base here in Trenton, Ontario on the Bay of Quinte. Indeed so significant was the BCATP's contribution to Allied victory in the air that American president Franklin D. Roosevelt called Canada 'the Aerodrome of Democracy'.

The headquarters building for 8 Wing, the Royal Canadian Air Force formation based in Trenton. 8 Wing specialises in air mobility, with subordinate squadrons operating CC130H and CC130J Hercules tactical airlifters, CC150 Polaris transport and aerial refuelling aircraft, and CC177 Globemaster III strategic airlifters. A search and rescue squadron also operates CH146 Griffon helicopters and CC130E Hercules aircraft from Trenton, and another squadron operates CC144 Challenger VIP transports.

The 8 Wing Pipes and Drums marches onto the tarmac.

A Royal Canadian Air Force CC130J Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft on static display. The RCAF operates 17 of this latest model of the venerable Hercules transport.

CC130J tail number 130609 was delivered to the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2011 and operates with 436 Transport Squadron.

The four-engined CC130J has can carry a payload of 44,000 lbs, including 128 passengers or 92 airborne troops or eight cargo pallets or 97 stretchers and two medical attendants over a range of 1,800 nautical miles (2,071 miles; 3,334 kilometres).

A CC150T Polaris multirole tanker/transport aircraft, based on the Airbus A310-300 airframe.  Introduced into service in 1992, the five CC150 Polaris aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force's 437 Transport Squadron comprise one VIP transport, two strategic airlifters, and two multirole aerial tankers/strategic airlifters (the 'T' designation).  

Looking out over part of the static display area from the top of the CC150T Polaris.  In the centre is a CF188 Hornet fighter, with a United States Air Force KC-10 aerial tanker in the background.

A United States Air Force B-52H bomber of the 69th Bomb Squadron, part of the USAF's Global Strike Command and 5th Bomber Wing, based at Minot Air Force Base, Minot, North Dakota.  The B-52H variant first flew on 10 July 1960 and entered USAF service 9 May 1961.  The 'H' model is the only B-52 variant remaining in service with the USAF, with 102 B-52Hs built, the last delivered to the USAF on 26 October 1962.  With recent upgrades, the remaining B-52Hs are expected to serve into the 2040s.  With a crew of five, the B-52H can carry 70,000 lbs of ordnance, including missiles, bombs, and mines over a combat radius of 4,480 miles (7,210 km) and at a cruising speed of 525 mph (844 km/h).      

One of the Royal Canadian Air Force's four CT142 air navigation training aircraft from 17 Wing in Winnipeg, home of the Canadian Forces Air Navigation School (CFANS).  The four CT142 aircraft were acquired in 1987 and 1989-1990, and are used to train Canadian and foreign air force students aerial navigation and tactics, as well as the use of global position systems and inertial navigation systems.

A United States Air Force KC-10 Extender aerial tanker from Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California.  This aircraft belongs to the 60th Air Mobility Wing, the largest air mobility organisation in the USAF, as well as the 349th Air Mobility Wing, a USAF Reserve formation.

The KC-10 is the military tanker version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 commercial airliner, being introduced into USAF service in March 1981.  Carrying 356,000 lbs of fuel, the KC-10 is equipped with both a refuelling boom and a drogue-and-hose system, allowing it to refuel USAF, US Marine Corps, and US Navy aircraft with different fueling connections.  In addition to the 20 KC-10s operated by the USAF, the Royal Netherlands Air Force operates two similar KDC-10 aircraft.

A closeup view of the left main undercarriage and #1 engine of the KC-10, under which many air show visitors took shelter from the blazing sun.

A Royal Air Force Sentry AEW1 airborne and early warning aircraft, also known as the E-3 Sentry in US service. This aircraft, from No. 54 (Reserve) Squadron, is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The AEW1/E-3 Sentry is based on Boeing's 707-320B commercial airliner, and a total of 68 aircraft were produced by Boeing between 1977 and 1992.  In addition to the US and UK, the AEW1/E-3 Sentry serves with the air forces of France and Saudi Arabia, as well as with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).

A closer look at the 30-foot diameter radar dish mounted atop the fuselage of the AEW1 Sentry. The dish rotates at six revolutions per minute providing all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications for battlespace management.  The dome houses the Westinghouse AN/APY-1 and AN/APY-2 passive electronically scanned array radar system, which produces a surveillance picture from the Earth's surface to the stratosphere, over land or water.    

A C-295 twin-turboprop transport aircraft of the Mexican Air Force, built by Airbus Defence and Space in Spain.  The C-295 is one of the contenders to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's ageing fleet of DeHavilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo aircraft as part of the Fixed Wing Search and Rescue project.  The C-295 is in service with 15 countries, with 136 aircraft having been delivered as of August 2015.    

A Royal Canadian Air Force CH124 Sea King maritime helicopter from 443 Squadron, part of 12 Wing Shearwater in British Columbia.  This aircraft was manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft in 1965 and originally delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy before maritime helicopter operations were transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force.  The twin-engined CH124 has been in Canadian service since 1963 and the 27 remaining CH124s (out of an original purchase of 41) will be replaced by 28 new Sikorsky CH148 Cyclone maritime helicopters in the coming years.

One of four CC144 Challenger transport aircraft in the Royal Canadian Air Force inventory, flown by 412 Transport Squadron based in Ottawa.  Three of the aircraft can also be configured in a medical evacuation role.  The CC144 has a maximum range of 5,930 kilometres, can fly at speeds up to Mach 0.83, and can carry nine passengers or three stretchers.

Spectators enjoy the fine flying weather whilst seated along the taxiways and grass beside the main runway at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, 25 June 2016.

Three historic Second World War aircraft perform a flyover: on the left, an Avro Lancaster Mk X bomber, built by Victory Aircraft, Malton, Ontario in 1945; in the centre, a North American B-25J Mitchell bomber, built in Kansas City in 1945; and on the right, a North American P-51D Mustang fighter.

The P-51 Mustang, B-25J Mitchell, and Lancaster Mk X bank to the left over the airfield.

The Avro Lancaster Mk X flies low over the assembled crowd at CFB Trenton.

A North American Aviation Harvard Mk IV flown by Rick Volker.  This aircraft was manufactured in 1952, part of an order of 270 produced for the Royal Canadian Air Force by Canadian Car & Foundry in Thunder Bay to fill an urgent Cold War requirement for trainer aircraft.  The Harvard Mk IV served in the RCAF until 1966.   

A formation of four Harvard trainers from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association. Seen here are: C-FRWN (fuselage number 54), a Harvard Mk II, which entered service on 10 May 1941; C-UFZ, a Harvard Mk IV which entered service on 10 June 1952; C-FRZW (fuselage number 422), a Harvard Mk IV which entered service on 9 October 1952; and C-FWLH (fuselage number 436), a Harvard Mk IV which entered service on 28 November 1952.  The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association is based at Tillsonburg Regional Airport in southwestern Ontario. 

Aviation enthusiasts watch Rick Volker perform in his Harvard Mk IV over CFB Trenton.

The four-bird formation of Harvard trainers from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association wows the spectators at CFB Trenton.

Visitors are dwarfed by the enormous size of the Royal Canadian Air Force's largest aircraft, the CC177 Globemaster III strategic airlifter.  Five of these huge aircraft were acquired between 2007 and 2015 and serve with the RCAF's 429 Transport Squadron based at 8 Wing Trenton.  The CC177, manufactured by Boeing, can carry a payload of 160,000 lbs over a range of 5,500 nautical miles (6,329 miles; 10,186 kilometres). One CC177 can carry three CH146 Griffon helicopters or one Leopard 2 main battle tank, or 102 paratroopers.  The CC177 can land on unpaved runways as short as 3,500 feet, using reverse thrust created by its four powerful Pratt & Whitney turbofans to bring it to a rapid halt. 

Spectators marvel at the size of the CC177 Globemaster III as it makes a slow pass over the airfield.

Visitors wave at a CH146 Griffon helicopter from 8 Wing's 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron as it flies over the airfield.  424 Squadron is charged with providing search and rescue services for the Trenton Search and Rescue Region, encompassing the area from the Rocky Mountains east to Quebec City and from the Canada-U.S. border to the North Pole.  The squadron uses the CH146 and CC130H Hercules to respond to distress calls. The Royal Canadian Air Force operates 85 CH146 Griffon from 10 air bases and in a variety of missions, including tactical transport, casualty evacuation, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, counter-narcotics patrols, humanitarian relief operations, armed escort, and special forces airborne support. 

A CF188 Hornet fighter, tail number 761, from 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta, adorned with a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) paint scheme.  This aircraft, part of the RCAF's CF-18 Demonstration Team will perform at air shows across North America until mid-October, commemorating the BCATP's contribution to victory in the Second World War.  Each year, the CF-18 Demonstration Team's Hornet is painted in a new theme. 

The CF188 Hornet roars above the crowds, demonstrating its high performance design and capabilities as a multirole fighter capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 1.8 (2,222 km/h; 1,381 mph) over a range of 3,700 kilometres.  The CF188 features an onboard 20mm cannon and can carry AIM 9, AIM 7, and AIM 120 guided air-to-air missiles, as well as various laser- and GPS-guided bombs for air-to-ground attack.  

The Hornet banks over the airfield during its flight routine.  The Royal Canadian Air Force acquired 138 CF188 Hornets between 1982 and 1988, with 77 modernised aircraft remaining in service today.  The CF188, whose lifespan is being extended to 2025, will eventually be replaced by a new fighter as part of the Future Fighter Capability project. Contenders for the CF188 replacement include Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing's F/A-18E Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale, and the Saab Gripen.

An F-22A Raptor stealth fighter from the Air Combat Command Demonstration Team, 1st Fighter Wing, 94th Fighter Squadron, based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The F-22 is a fifth-generation, twin-engined, all-weather stealth fighter. Designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, the F-22 can also perform ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence missions. A total of 187 F-22s were delivered to the United States Air Force between 2005 and 2012, with each aircraft costing US$143 million.

A view of the internal weapons bays aboard the F-22 as it flies over the crowd with the bay doors open.  Carrying air-dropped munitions internally preserves the F-22's low-visibility radar signature, improving survivability and mission success rates.  The F-22 can carry six AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) in its main weapons bay, plus one shorter-range AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile in each of its two side weapons bays.  For air-to-ground missions, the main weapons bay can be reconfigured to carry two 1,000 lb GBU-32 Joint Directed Air Munition (JDAM) bombs or eight 250 lb GBU-39 small diameter bombs.  Additionally, four underwing hardpoints allow the Raptor to carry external munitions or 600-gallon fuel drop tanks with degraded stealth capability.  The F-22 also carries a 20mm M61A2 six-barrelled cannon with 480 rounds in the right starboard wing root.  

The F-22 Raptor flies alongside a Second World War-vintage North American Aviation-built P-51 Mustang fighter operated by the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation.  While the maximum speed of the P-51 Mustang is 437 mph (Mach 0.35), the F-22 Raptor can attain speeds of 1,500 mph (Mach 2.25). 

These heritage flights honour the men and women of the USAF and demonstrate the tremendous technological advancement made by the USAF since the Second World War.

A North American Aviation T-28B Trojan, built in 1955.  T-28 Trojans were provided to the Laotian government beginning in 1963 and used to attack illegal North Vietnamese supply lines running through Laos during the Vietnam War.  A covert program to train pilots was run by the CIA in Thailand and, eventually, 200 T-28 Trojans were deployed to interdict North Vietnamese aggression.  The Trojans were later shifted to the Forward Air Controller role, guiding United States Air Force strikes against North Vietnamese positions; 70 T-28s were lost during these operations.  This aircraft was purchased as surplus in the Philippines in 1987, shipped to Canada, and fully restored.  

A Royal Canadian Air Force CT155 Hawk jet trainer, one of 16 such aircraft leased in 2000 and in service with 15 Wing in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and 4 Wing in Cold Lake, Alberta.  The CT155 Hawk is used for the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program, and as the fighter lead-in trainer for Canadian student pilots destined to fly the CF188 Hornet fighter.  The two-seat CT155 Hawk can reach a speed of Mach 1.82 and has a range of 2,622 kilometres.   

A North American Aviation Harvard Mk IV, built by Canadian Car & Foundry in Thunder Bay in late 1951.  It flew from four RCAF flying training schools until sold to a private collector in 1965.  This aircraft is now part of the collection at the the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.  

A lineup of vintage trainer aircraft: on the far left, a de Havilland DH.82C Tiger Moth built at Downsview, Ontario in 1941 and now part of the Canadian Warplace Heritgage Museum collection; in the middle, a 1941-built DH.82C Tiger Moth of the Tiger Boys Aeroplane Works & Flying Museum in Guelph, Ontario; and on the right, a Fleet Model 16B Finch, built in 1940, from the Tiger Boys Aeroplane Works & Flying Museum.  

A Westland Lysander IIIA, dedicated to Sergeant Clifford Stewart and owned by Gatineau, Quebec-based Vintage Wings Canada.  Designed in 1936, the Lysander was intended as an army cooperation aircraft, being used for artillery spotting, reconnaissance, and communications tasks early in the Second World War.  Later, the versatile Lysander would be used as a target tug for anti-aircraft gunnery training, as a sea/air rescue aircraft for downed pilots, and as a rugged short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft for deploying and recovering secret agents inserted into occupied Europe on clandestine missions.  This aircraft was manufactured in 1942 by the National Steel Car Corporation in Malton, Ontario, one of 225 Lysanders built by the company for service with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. 

A Canadair CT133 Silver Star Mk III, owned by the Waterloo Warbirds in Breslau, Ontario. Based on the Lockheed T-33, itself a derivative of the company's P-80C Shooting Star jet fighter, the CT133 was built by Montreal-based Canadair under license from Lockheed. A total of 656 CT133 Silver Star Mk III aircraft were delivered to the RCAF between 1952 and 1959, featuring the uprated Rolls Royce Nene 10 turbojet engine supplied by Orenda Engines Ltd.  The last CT133 in Canadian Armed Forces service was retired from the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at CFB Cold Lake in 2005, where it had been used as an ejection seat tesbed; the aircraft had logged 11,394.6 flight hours over its 46 year life. 

A de Havilland DH-115 Vampire, owned by the Waterloo Warbirds.  This is a DH-115 Mk 55 two-seat trainer variant, used to train pilots on the single-seat Vampire fighter.  The Vampire was Canada's first jet fighter, with 86 single-seat variants delivered to the RCAF in 1946 and served until 1958.  This recently-restored Vampire was manufactured in 1958 for export to the Swiss Air Force and is the only Vampire flying in Canada today. 

A Goodyear FG-1D Corsair fighter-bomber, considered to be the best carrier-based aircraft of the Second World War.  The Corsair was the first U.S. aircraft to exceed 400 miles per hour, and it saw extensive use by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines in the Second World War and the Korean War.  This aircraft was built under license by the Goodyear Corporation in 1945 and is dedicated to Lieutenant Robert Hampton Grey, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, a member of 1841 Squadron Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, aboard HMS Formidable.  The 27-year old Lt. Grey won a posthumous Victoria Cross when he led an attack on several Japanese naval vessels in Onagawa Bay, Japan on 9 August 1945, sinking the destroyer Amakusa before crashing into the bay.  Grey was the last Canadian to win a Victoria Cross.  Although this Corsair is still painted in U.S. Navy 'shipyard blue', Vintage Wings Canada intends to repaint it in accurate Fleet Air Arm colours, appropriate for the plane as it appeared when Lt. Grey won his VC.  

The Avro Lancaster Mk X bomber from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.  This aircraft, built by Victory Aircraft of Malton, Ontario in July 1945, never saw service in the Second World War but was converted into a maritime patrol aircraft and flew with No. 405 Squadron (Greenwood, Nova Scotia) and No. 107 Rescue Unit (Torbay, Newfoundland) until being withdrawn from service in late 1963. After many years as an outdoor static display in Goderich, Ontario, the aircraft was acquired by the museum in 1977, fully restored over the succeeding eleven years, and flew again on 24 September 1988.  It is dedicated to Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski of No. 419 Squadron RCAF, who was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his efforts to free a trapped tail gunner in his aircraft while it plummeted to earth in flames after being attacked by a German fighter on the night of 13 June 1944; the gunner survived but Mynarski succumbed to his severe burns. 

Closeup of the nose art adorning the port side of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Lancaster bomber.  During the Second World War, 7,377 Lancaster bombers were manufactured, including 430 Mk X Lancasters built by Victory Aircraft in Malton, Ontario between 1943 and 1945.  In the post-war period, 230 Lancasters served in the RCAF in the Arctic reconnaissance, maritime patrol, and bomber roles until being retired from service in April 1964.   Today, only two Lancaster bombers remain in flying condition, this one in Canada and one other based in the United Kingdom.

A port side rear view of the Lancaster Mk X on static display following its earlier flying routine at the Quinte International Air Show.  The prototype Lancaster first flew in January 1941 and, due to urgent operational requirements, the first production aircraft made its maiden flight in October of that year.  The Lancaster was the only Royal Air Force bomber capable of carrying the 10,000 lb Tall Boy and 22,000 lb Grand Slam bombs, and the Lancaster distinguished itself during 'Dambuster' raids on German dams along the Ruhr River in May 1943 and in the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in November 1944.  While thousands of Canadian airmen served in Lancasters of the Royal Air Force, by late 1944 the Royal Canadian Air Force's No. 6 Group in RAF Bomber Command was operating 13 squadrons of Lancaster bombers in missions over Germany. 

A Douglas DC-3 Dakota, built in June 1939 for Eastern Airlines, transferred to North Central Airlines in 1952, and subsequently acquired by a private collector in 1981 and donated to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.  It is one of the highest-mileage Dakotas still flying, having accumulated 82,000 flying hours, equivalent to 12 million miles or 492 circumnavigations of the globe.  This aircraft is painted in the markings of No. 435 and No. 436 Squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which flew in Burma in 1944-1945.  The RCAF acquired its first Dakota in March 1943 and eventually operated up to 169 of the type, operating in Europe and South East Asia.  The RCAF continued to operate Dakotas after the Second World War, with the last Dakota being retired from 402 Squadron in Winnipeg in 1989.  

The Snowbirds of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron perform the closing routine at the Quinte International Air Show 2016. This iconic aerobatics team of the Canadian Armed Forces flies the CT114 Tutor, a twin-seat jet trainer built by Canadair.  Used for fighter pilot lead-in training until replaced by the CT155 Hawk and CT156 Harvard II in 2000, the Snowbirds are now the only users of the CT114.  Canadair manufactured 212 Tutors between 1963 and 1966, of which 190 were ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force and 20 by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (plus two prototypes).  Today, 22 CT114 Tutors fly with the Snowbirds and the Aeronautical Engineering Test Establishment at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta.   

Three CT114 Tutor aircraft of the Snowbirds streak across the sky above the DC-3 Dakota on static display at CFB Trenton.

The Snowbirds close the day's flying program at the Quinte International Air Show, 25 June 2016.