Aircraft type longest service career?

"Dudley Henriques" wrote:


"Ed Majden" wrote in message
news:TKTxb.517054$pl3.344659@pd7tw3no...

"Gord Beaman"


Ed, I suspect that Ken is referring to the Confederate Air Force
vice Canadian Armed Forces. Yes?

Gord:
I suspect your right, forgot about them. They sometimes come up here
for airshows and are enjoyed very much. Thanks to our big spending
government our CAF still fly OLD crates. Example: The Herc, the Buffalo,
SeaKing etc. All need serious replacement before they drop out of the
skies!
Ed

Ed;

I flew an aerobatic eval flight on the Snowbirds #10 Tutor as the team's
guest at the Reading Air Show in 75. I'm not sure exactly where it is now,
but the last I heard from some of the old Snowbird alumni, it was still in
operation!!
Dudley Henriques

Absolutely amazing!...how did you manage that dud?...they weren't
equipped with the Tutor until 1978.


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?

"Dudley Henriques"
I flew an aerobatic eval flight on the Snowbirds #10 Tutor as the team's
guest at the Reading Air Show in 75. I'm not sure exactly where it is now,
but the last I heard from some of the old Snowbird alumni, it was still in
operation!!

Dudley:
The Snowbird Air Demonstration Team is stationed in Moose Jaw,
Saskatchewan. The Tutors that are still flying are probably all there.
They come out to 19 Wing, formally CFB Comox, each year for training. One
of the Tutors was traded for a Vampire which is now on display in one of the
hangers on the base. They don't keep it outside with the other display
aircraft as much of the Vampire airframe is wood so they want to keep it in
good shape. They are in the process of rebuilding a Spitfire for the air
museum also. The outside display includes a CF-100, CF-101, CF-104, T-33,
Argus, Tracker, Dakota and a Mig 21 which they got from the Czechs. Also
some choppers and others that I can't think of right now. My
brother-in-laws nephew was a pilot with the team for a couple of tours. He
flew CF-104's and finished off on the CF-18 when he got out to fly
commercial. I'm a retired Armament Systems Tech (Radar Systems). My
browser is not working right now but if you do a search for the Snowbird Air
Demonstation Team I'm sure you will come up with something. Also look for
19 Wing Comox or CFB Comox Air Museum.
Ed

"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...
"Dudley Henriques" wrote:


"Ed Majden" wrote in message
news:TKTxb.517054$pl3.344659@pd7tw3no...

"Gord Beaman"


Ed, I suspect that Ken is referring to the Confederate Air Force
vice Canadian Armed Forces. Yes?

Gord:
I suspect your right, forgot about them. They sometimes come up
here
for airshows and are enjoyed very much. Thanks to our big spending
government our CAF still fly OLD crates. Example: The Herc, the
Buffalo,
SeaKing etc. All need serious replacement before they drop out of the
skies!
Ed

Ed;

I flew an aerobatic eval flight on the Snowbirds #10 Tutor as the team's
guest at the Reading Air Show in 75. I'm not sure exactly where it is
now,
but the last I heard from some of the old Snowbird alumni, it was still
in
operation!!
Dudley Henriques

Absolutely amazing!...how did you manage that dud?...they weren't
equipped with the Tutor until 1978.


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?


Sorry Gordo, you're mistaken. I flew #10 Tutor on June 10th 1975 at the
Reading Air Show while a guest of the team for the weekend. Better check
your dates again. I'm not sure when they got the Tutors, but I can tell you
for certain that they had them when I made my flight with the team. They
also were using a T33 for support that weekend if this helps you date the
Tutor a bit closer.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

I wonder about some of the old 75 team once in a while. They were a great
bunch. I remember Col O.B. Phillip and his daughter. Greg Bruneau and I
wrung the hell out of old #10 at Reading one Sunday afternoon between shows.
Moosejaw is a great ride through the plains of Saskatchewan. You can go for
miles out there without seeing a damn thing. Great country Canada, and fine
people.
Dudley
"Ed Majden" wrote in message
news:cEWxb.518193$pl3.31677@pd7tw3no...

"Dudley Henriques"
I flew an aerobatic eval flight on the Snowbirds #10 Tutor as the team's
guest at the Reading Air Show in 75. I'm not sure exactly where it is
now,
but the last I heard from some of the old Snowbird alumni, it was still
in
operation!!

Dudley:
The Snowbird Air Demonstration Team is stationed in Moose Jaw,
Saskatchewan. The Tutors that are still flying are probably all there.
They come out to 19 Wing, formally CFB Comox, each year for training. One
of the Tutors was traded for a Vampire which is now on display in one of
the
hangers on the base. They don't keep it outside with the other display
aircraft as much of the Vampire airframe is wood so they want to keep it
in
good shape. They are in the process of rebuilding a Spitfire for the air
museum also. The outside display includes a CF-100, CF-101, CF-104, T-33,
Argus, Tracker, Dakota and a Mig 21 which they got from the Czechs. Also
some choppers and others that I can't think of right now. My
brother-in-laws nephew was a pilot with the team for a couple of tours.
He
flew CF-104's and finished off on the CF-18 when he got out to fly
commercial. I'm a retired Armament Systems Tech (Radar Systems). My
browser is not working right now but if you do a search for the Snowbird
Air
Demonstation Team I'm sure you will come up with something. Also look for
19 Wing Comox or CFB Comox Air Museum.
Ed

"Dudley Henriques" wrote:

Absolutely amazing!...how did you manage that dud?...they weren't
equipped with the Tutor until 1978.


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?


Sorry Gordo, you're mistaken. I flew #10 Tutor on June 10th 1975 at the
Reading Air Show while a guest of the team for the weekend. Better check
your dates again. I'm not sure when they got the Tutors, but I can tell you
for certain that they had them when I made my flight with the team. They
also were using a T33 for support that weekend if this helps you date the
Tutor a bit closer.
Dudley Henriques

Well, it's certainly possible that my source is
incorrect...here's the URL:
http://www.snowbirds.forces.gc.ca/history_e.asp

And here's an excerpt from that URL:
"431 Fighter Squadron formed at RCAF Station Bagotville on 18
January 1954 in order to display the Sabre to the public at
airshows. They were disbanded on 1 October 1954. They were
re-activated on 1 April 1978 as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron,
more commonly known as the Snowbirds, flying the CT-114 Tutor".

So I don't know more than this...it's odd that their official web
site would have an error, unless the Tutor was flown as part of
the Snowbirds while attached to some other unit back then. I
believe that the T-33 (painted solid red) was part of the Golden
Hawks Team (F-86 Sabres - and possibly the Snowbirds Team as
well) and was known as "the Red Knight"


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?

"Gord Beaman"
Absolutely amazing!...how did you manage that dud?...they weren't
equipped with the Tutor until 1978.

Gord:
The first jet RCAF demonstration team was the Blue Devils flying the
Vampire
(1949-51)
RCAF No. 1 Air Division in Europe were called the Sky Lancers flying
Sabres

Back in Canada the Golden Hawks formed flying the F-86 Sabre 1959. This air
demonstration team disbanded and was resurrected as the Golden Centennaires
for Canada's Centenial Year in 1967 They flew Tutor jet trainers. They
reformed in 1970 at CFB Moose Jaw as the Snow Birds Air Demonstration Team
431 Squadron also flying Tutor jets to this day.
During WWII 431 was a bomber squadron flying Wellingtons, Halifax and
Lancasters 1942 - 1945. 431 Squadron was reformed in January 1954 as an
interim F-86 Squadron awaiting production of the CF-100. It was disbanded
in Oct 1954. Reformed in Moose Jaw in 1970 becoming the Snow Birds Air
Demonstration Team in 1971. Hope I have the dates right!
Ed

Ed, I suspect that Ken is referring to the Confederate Air Force
vice Canadian Armed Forces. Yes?

Gee, I thought he meant the Chinese Air Force!

(The Confederate Air Force is no longer. To be honest, I forget what
the substitute PC name is. Not Coalition Air Force, I don't suppose.)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Ed Majden wrote:

"Ken Duffey"
For example the T-6 is still 'serving' with the CAF - and I think one is
still used (in service) by the RAE at Boscombe Down as a chase plane.

Ken:
I know the motto of the CAF is, "We fly old crates", but I think the T-6
Harvard is long retired unless it has been resurrected as our first line
interceptor. ;-) With budget cut backs, that may be a possibility! The
primary trainer is the CT-156 Harvard II which is definitely not the T-6!
The CL-41 Tutor has been replaced by the CT-155 Hawk jet trainer. The
Snowbird air demonstration team still fly the Tutor but they need
replacement. Basic flying training is now done by a civilian contractor,
Bombardier Ltd out of CFB Moose Jaw, Sask. Another result of trying to cut
costs!
Ed
RCAF/CAF retired.

Ooops!

Sorry - by CAF - I meant the Commemorative (formerly Confederate) Air Force !!!!

I was trying to point out the difficulty of defining the word 'service'.

Best wishes

Ken

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++
Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast
Flankers Website - http://www.flankers.co.uk/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++

In article ,
Ken Duffey wrote:
N329DF wrote:

Beaten easily by the C-47

and a close 2nd, the T-6/SNJ/Harvard 1938-1995

I think we agreed last time that the longest OPERATIONAL jet was the
Lockheed T-33 - which just beat the Canberra by a couple of years.

Canberra's still in service, and not showing any likelyhood of going
away soon, so it is still working its way up the list.
There's also the one Meteor still in use - Martin-Baker's "T8"
hybrid (F8 wings and engines, T7 fuselage IIRC), so you could,
at a pinch, claim that the Gloster Meteor has been in service
since 1943 (and no jet *could* have been operational longer

You have to be very precise with your definition - by 'service career'
do you mean with a military arm ?? or in service with an airline or
serving with some organisation.

For example the T-6 is still 'serving' with the CAF - and I think one is
still used (in service) by the RAE at Boscombe Down as a chase plane.

But would they count as still having a 'service career' ??

If it's "operational, front-line military service" then the Canberra
probably does win out.

--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
"Time has stopped, says the Black Lion clock
and eternity has begun" (Dylan Thomas)

"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...
"Dudley Henriques" wrote:

Absolutely amazing!...how did you manage that dud?...they weren't
equipped with the Tutor until 1978.


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?


Sorry Gordo, you're mistaken. I flew #10 Tutor on June 10th 1975 at the
Reading Air Show while a guest of the team for the weekend. Better check
your dates again. I'm not sure when they got the Tutors, but I can tell
you
for certain that they had them when I made my flight with the team. They
also were using a T33 for support that weekend if this helps you date the
Tutor a bit closer.
Dudley Henriques

Well, it's certainly possible that my source is
incorrect...here's the URL:
http://www.snowbirds.forces.gc.ca/history_e.asp

And here's an excerpt from that URL:
"431 Fighter Squadron formed at RCAF Station Bagotville on 18
January 1954 in order to display the Sabre to the public at
airshows. They were disbanded on 1 October 1954. They were
re-activated on 1 April 1978 as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron,
more commonly known as the Snowbirds, flying the CT-114 Tutor".

So I don't know more than this...it's odd that their official web
site would have an error, unless the Tutor was flown as part of
the Snowbirds while attached to some other unit back then. I
believe that the T-33 (painted solid red) was part of the Golden
Hawks Team (F-86 Sabres - and possibly the Snowbirds Team as
well) and was known as "the Red Knight"


-Gord.

"You are completely focused on RPM as the
single factor producing rotational velocity"
-Guess who?

The team was officially "reformed" on April 1st, 78 as the 431st ADS, but
this had absolutely nothing whatever to do with the Tutor. In fact, it was
the existence of the toot that prompted Col Phillip to form the team several
years earlier . I don't believe the team would ever have been formed had the
toot not been available, as budget restraints have always been a problem.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt