The first of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) newest training aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin II, have arrived in Saskatchewan. Four of the new trainers landed at 15 Wing Moose Jaw on Monday. The high-performance turboprops are built by Pilatus in Switzerland. The Swiss Air Force has been using the same plane to train their pilots for almost 20 years. The plane is designed to do aerobatics, and to prepare student pilots for more advanced aircraft such as fighter jets. The fleet of Siskin II’s will eventually number 19 total aircraft. “Having new aircraft reinvigorates our training streams, but more importantly it provides our young students and young aviators the opportunity to learn new technologies, and to train on them, that gives them the stepping stones to future technologies,” Lt. Col. Craig Cloete, the commanding officer of 2 Canadian Forces Flying School, told CTV News. The Government of Canada has promised the Siskin aircraft will be provided to the Snowbirds Air Demonstration team several years down the road. The Snowbirds team will go on a years-long hiatus starting this fall as their current CT-114 Tutor jets are retired.
