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On October 10, 2013, the NATO Flying Training in Canada program celebrated 200,000 flying hours on the CT-156 Harvard II aircraft at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.
Hundreds of people including Bombardier personnel, industry partners and military members, gathered at 15 Wing headquarters to mark the milestone. 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School Pilot Captain Charles Barker and student Second Lieutenant Joel Anderson were officially recognized as the pilots that clocked the 200,000th flying hour on the Harvard aircraft.
Colonel Paul Goddard, 15 Wing Commander said, “To reach this 200,000 hour milestone in 13 years with 24 aircraft is simply incredible. We don’t stop for much around here because our focus is to create the foundation air power for the Air Force.”
Located at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School trains over 150 pilots every year through the NATO Flying Training in Canada program. Launched in 2000, the program is designed and operated in a military-industry partnership with Bombardier. In partnership with the Canadian government, Bombardier Military Aviation Training integrates military pilot training with industry support.
“It takes a group of dedicated workers to achieve a milestone of this magnitude,” said Michel Bourgeois, president of Bombardier’s Military Aviation Training Program. “To accomplish this on the Harvard alone requires 85 sorties every day, so it’s a busy aircraft, and Bombardier is proud to be part of this program.”
Built by Beechcraft, the T-6A Harvard aircraft is used by the program to train military pilots with predictable long-term costs and high quality standards. The Harvard is ideally suited to help new pilots move seamlessly from basic flight training to high-performance jet training, making it the ideal stepping stone for the more advanced flight training phases.
“Harvard is, and now has, a reputation for being a workhorse for the Air Force. It’s a spectacular aircraft for us,” said Colonel Goddard. “This milestone is an important achievement for us because all pilots learn the basic skills here and this is where we learn to support the future of the Air Force.”
The NATO Flying Training in Canada program is widely recognized as the world’s benchmark pilot training system. Participating countries include Canada, Denmark, the U.K., Singapore, Italy, Hungary, Austria and the United Arab Emirates. The program combines basic, advanced and fighter lead-in training. The program is offered in Moose Jaw and Cold Lake, Alberta and covers a training air space of over 700,000 kilometres.
