OTTAWA — Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds aerial aerobatics team performed their final air show Friday in Moose Jaw, Sask., before their decades-old Tutor jets head into retirement.
The RCAF livestreamed the event online on its Facebook page.
There will still be one more chance to see the CT-114 Tutors in action before they are sent to the airbase in Trenton, Ont., for disposal.
The Snowbirds are scheduled to perform a flyover at the Canadian Football League Grey Cup game in Calgary on Nov. 15.
Capt. Philip Rochon, public affairs officer for the Snowbirds, said it’s a bittersweet time for the pilots who are saying farewell to the planes the team has flown for 55 years.
“It’s like saying goodbye to a good friend,” he said.
Rochon said the Snowbirds received an outpouring of support over the summer from Canadians across the country who shared memories of past shows and their encounters with an iconic “piece of Canadiana.”
“At the same time, we’re looking forward to the future with the new aircraft that was announced,” he said. “That will come online hopefully in the next few years. We’re looking forward to seeing what the next chapter of the Snowbirds will be.”
Defence Minister David McGuinty announced in May that the old Tutors will be replaced eventually by the Swiss-made PC-21 Pilatus aircraft, known as the CT-157 Siskin II.
The RCAF is also acquiring those same aircraft for pilot training.
While the Snowbirds were formed in 1971, the air force obtained the Tutor jets in 1963.
The Snowbirds will go on a multi-year hiatus until the replacement aircraft are delivered and the team can be trained up on the new planes. That could take until the early 2030s but there’s no set timeline.
The decision to ground the team came after planned upgrades to the Tutors’ engines and escape systems meant to keep them in the air until 2030 encountered a range of problems, including parts obsolescence.
RCAF Commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet told reporters at the AERO Gatineau-Ottawa air show last month that it’s been “heartwarming” to see how Canadians have responded over the last season.
“The Snowbirds are so much more than just an air demonstration team, obviously, and it evokes so much emotion and we all have such fond strong memories,” she said.
“I really can’t overstate just how significant they are to Canadians and specifically to the RCAF. The idea that we’d have to take a pause was definitely not an easy one. However, the Tutor aircraft is 63 years old and it is time to move into the future and make sure that we’re doing things for the right reasons.”
She said the demonstration team has been focused solely on finishing the current season. Once that’s done, she said, the RCAF can “build the right kind of plan” to ensure the pilots don’t get rusty in the meantime.
“We’re looking at things like, can we send an exchange into some of our allied teams, or obviously instructing and working with the PC-21 in Moose Jaw as an option,” she said.
Lana Herbert has lived in Moose Jaw for 25 years and said the Snowbirds are a part of life in the city.
“The Snowbirds have always been part of our front window. There is a pride knowing they are from Moose Jaw,” she said.
Maciej Hatta is the team lead of the Snowbirds and said they are aware how meaningful the last flight is but should also acknowledge past teams and the work they did to preserve the aircraft.
“We can’t dwell on just the sadness: we have to appreciate this jet, this design. A Canadian build aircraft has stood the test of time,” Hatta said.
The 2026 season was memorable for the Snowbirds, largely due to the announcement in May the fleet would be taking a multi-year hiatus.
Crowds across North America were out watching the Snowbirds acrobatic performances.
Guillaume Paquet is the commanding officer of the Snowbirds. He said many in attendance at shows were emotional knowing it is the end of an era for the fleet.
“A lot of folks were looking up to the sky and cheering. Others were tearing up realizing it’s their last opportunity to see the Snowbirds,” he said.
