Saskatchewan Aviation Council

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🇨🇦✈️ END OF AN ERA: SNOWBIRDS’ LEGENDARY CT-114 TUTORS TAKE THEIR FINAL BOW

After 55 incredible years, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds are preparing to say goodbye to their legendary CT-114 Tutor jets at the end of the 2026 season.

The Snowbirds have flown the iconic red-and-white Tutors since 1971, becoming one of the most recognizable symbols of Canadian aviation and inspiring generations of Canadians with their breathtaking nine-aircraft formations. 🇨🇦

This weekend’s 2026 Abbotsford International Airshow marks the final Abbotsford appearance of the Snowbirds flying the CT-114 Tutors — making this year’s show a particularly historic one for aviation fans in British Columbia.

The Snowbirds themselves are NOT retiring. After the Tutors are retired, the team is expected to temporarily pause flying demonstrations while Canada transitions to a new aircraft for the Snowbirds.

For more than half a century, the roar of the Tutors and those famous red-and-white formations have been part of Canadian skies.

One final season.
One legendary aircraft.
55 years of history. 🇨🇦❤️✈️

Thank you, CT-114 Tutor.

Team Update

You may have noticed that over the past few weeks we have been flying with eight aircraft instead of our usual nine. We wanted to provide an update on this change.

One of our pilots has recently stepped away from the team for personal reasons, and will not fly for the remainder of the season. He remains a valued member of the Snowbirds and will continue to contribute to 431 Squadron’s mission. We thank him for his dedication to the team and fully support him in this next chapter.

We are pleased to announce that Major Steven Sparks has rejoined the team as Snowbird 6, a position he previously held. Over the past several weeks, Major Sparks and the rest of the team have been working hard to regain nine-aircraft formation proficiency and complete the required training and evaluation process.

With that training now complete, the team will return to full nine-aircraft demonstrations and we are excited to perform our complete nine plane display once again for our fans.

Thank you for your understanding, and for your continued support of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming show.

The Last Shift... Or the Last Generation?

In 1997, the hangar was full.
There were experienced hands, curious apprentices, and a new generation eager to learn.

By 2005, the numbers had already started to shrink.

By 2015, the silence became noticeable.

And by 2026...
One engineer remains, watching another aircraft depart, carrying decades of knowledge that may retire with him.

Behind every safe takeoff and every successful landing, there is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer whose name passengers will never know. While pilots are often celebrated, AMEs work quietly through the night, in the heat, the cold, and under relentless pressure to ensure every aircraft is safe to fly.

But today, our industry faces a growing challenge.

Thousands of licensed engineers are reaching retirement, while too few young professionals are entering the field. Years of experience cannot be replaced overnight, and knowledge passed from mentor to apprentice is disappearing faster than we realize.

General Aviation—and aviation as a whole—depends on the next generation choosing this profession.

If we fail to inspire, train, and support future Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, we risk losing more than skilled technicians.
We risk losing the people who keep aviation safe.

To every experienced engineer:
Thank you for the knowledge you've shared and the countless flights you've made possible.

To every student and apprentice:
The future of aviation is waiting for you. Learn, ask questions, and carry the torch forward.

Because aircraft don't maintain themselves.
And the future won't build itself.

✈️ Respect the engineers.
🔧 Inspire the next generation.
❤️ Keep aviation alive.