By Skies Magazine | December 27, 2022 Estimated reading time 14 minutes, 51 seconds.
What an exciting year it has been for aviation — from post-pandemic recovery, to new acquisitions, to the electrification of aircraft! As 2022 comes to a close, we’ve rounded up the 10 most popular articles on skiesmag.com this year. Here’s a brief recap of each story, with links to the original articles (click on the titles). In the meantime, the Skies team would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very Happy New Year and blue skies for 2023!
10. De Havilland launches DHC-515 Firefighter program
On March 31, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited announced that it officially launched the DHC-515 Firefighter program. Formerly known as the CL-515 program, the DHC-515 is to build on the capabilities of the iconic Canadair CL-215 and CL-415 aircraft.
De Havilland integrated several upgrades into the firefighting aircraft to “increase [its] functionality and effectiveness,” including new navigational instruments.
9. Meet Tim Morgan: Founder of Lynx Air and co-founder of WestJet
In the aviation industry, Tim Morgan’s name is synonymous with “pioneer.” He is known as a founder of WestJet, Enerjet (now Lynx Air), Morgan Air (Air Partners), and Unity Aviation, and played a significant role in laying the foundation for the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) market in Canada.
While he was involved with Enerjet’s transition to Canada’s newest ULCC, Lynx Air — serving as the airline’s COO — Morgan opted to take a step back from the carrier prior to its re-launch, and will serve as an advisor for the foreseeable future.
8. Where Airbus’s A220 stands in terms of orders and performance
Amidst the chaos of the pandemic that struck the globe in 2020, Airbus’s A220 airliner stood out as the right aircraft for the times — with an appropriate seat capacity (100-150 seats, depending on the model and cabin configuration), a 3,400-nautical-mile range, and impressive fuel efficiency (25 percent less than previous generation aircraft).
Two years on, as traffic levels began to rebound, the A220 family continued to meet its operators’ expectations and interest in the program continued to grow.
On Sept. 15, Air Canada announced an agreement to purchase 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft, currently being developed by Swedish manufacturer Heart Aerospace. The agreement also includes a US$5 million equity investment by Air Canada in Heart Aerospace.
Air Canada believes acquiring the regional electric aircraft — which is expected to enter service in 2028 — will bring the airline closer to the industry-wide goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
6. Initial operational capability of Canada’s CC-295 FWSAR aircraft delayed to 2025-26
In May, the Department of National Defence (DND) confirmed that the initial operational capability of the CC-295 Kingfisher — Canada’s new fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft — has been delayed from the summer of 2022 to the 2025-2026 timeframe. As a result, the aircraft’s full operational capability has also shifted from summer 2024 to fiscal year 2029-30.
The DND cited a number of factors that have contributed to the delay, including “unforeseen technical issues, the impacts of Covid-19,” and “extended timelines associated with the design and development of the capability.”
5. Buffalo Airways buys 737 to meet next-day freight demand
In April, Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways announced that it purchased its first jet aircraft, a 737-300SF, to meet increased customer demand for next-day freight delivery. The airline — which operates a fleet of Second World War-era aircraft for passenger, combi, and freight charters — will be able to triple its nightly YEG-YZF-YEG payloads with the 737.
The 1986-built 737 received new engines and landing gear in the U.K., and Buffalo plans to add ADS-B and a new satellite tracker and comms system to the aircraft. While the hope was for the aircraft to be delivered to Buffalo in the summer, the airline is still waiting to receive it.
4. Failure to communicate: Did Lockheed miss the mark when pitching the F-35 to Canada?
For most of the past decade, Billie Flynn served as the senior test pilot for the F-35 program, and was the face and voice of F-35 international sales. In early 2022 — before Canada officially selected the F-35A Lightning II as the top-ranked bidder in the Future Fighter Capability Project — Flynn admitted that the F-35 sales pitch had not resonated in Canada.
“I spent a decade talking about capability instead of talking about jobs and the economy. And when we talked about capability, we failed to talk about why it could be important to Canadians,” said Flynn.
3. Inside the real TOPGUN fighter school
Following the release of the blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick, Skies shared a glimpse inside the world-famous U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as TOPGUN.
Located in a quiet corner of northern Nevada, at Naval Air Station Fallon, TOPGUN trains the best fleet aviators to the highest level of air-to-air combat — teaching them how to employ a modern strike fighter in the best possible way against the most proficient enemies in the air. The real TOPGUN fighter school played a critical role in the making of the new movie, starring Tom Cruise.
2. RCAF to look at ‘revolutionary’ vertical lift options to replace CH-146 Griffon
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is preparing to lay out its request for information from industry as part of the “next Tactical Aviation Capability Set” project — designed to provide a replacement for the RCAF’s fleet of CH-146 Griffon helicopters.
The RCAF is envisioning a “revolutionary,” next-generation vertical lift platform that is able to perform on a variety of missions. Closely following what allies are doing, the RCAF could be interested in a solution like the Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant X, or Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor — which was recently selected by the U.S. Army as the winner of its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft contract to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
1. Canada moves forward with acquisition of first 2 Airbus A330-200s for RCAF future tanker
After Canada issued an invitation to qualify for its Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) project to replace its fleet of CC-150 Polaris aircraft, Airbus Defence and Space was the only bidder to qualify for the project in April 2021, offering its A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft.
In July, Canada unexpectedly finalized a contract to acquire the first two Airbus A330-200s that will serve as multirole aircraft within Canada’s STTC fleet. The aircraft were manufactured in 2015 and previously leased and operated by Kuwait Airways. While they are currently in commercial configuration, they will eventually be modified by Airbus into the MRTT configuration; in the meantime, the aircraft may be placed into early service in passenger/cargo roles.
