RCAF set to soar in centennial celebration

Winnipeg

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This article was published 27/03/2024 (576 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Several Royal Canadian Air Force search-and-rescue techs will “drop in” by parachute to Assiniboine Park on the morning of Tuesday, April 2 to celebrate 100 years of the air force.

April 1, 2024, is the official 100th birthday of the Royal Canadian Air Force as a distinct military service, and CFB Winnipeg, home to 17 Wing Winnipeg, is planning a ceremonial flyover and search-and-rescue parachute jump to commemorate the centennial.

Lt.-Col Kevin Rubner is chair of the RCAF Centennial celebration committee at CFB Winnipeg, and he said that local activities will take place on April 2, owing to the fact April 1 is Easter Monday.

“We’re doing something to highlight what 17 Wing does in Winnipeg,” said Rubner, commanding officer of 17 Wing OSS (operations support squadron).

“There will be three components to this. The first will be flyovers of a CC-130 Hercules aircraft that transports our search-and-rescue (SAR) teams and a CT142-Dash 8 training aircraft, which is nicknamed the ‘Gonzo’.

“At approximately (11 a.m.), SAR techs will drop from the CC-130H into Assiniboine Park,” Rubner said.

The planned landing zone for the SAR techs is just north of the Lyric Theatre in the park, in the open expanse of grass just southeast of the walking bridge over the Assiniboine River, where members of the public are invited to assemble to watch the drop and landing. Rubner said members of 17 Wing will be on hand to support the jumpers, to provide information and answer questions. Other 17 Wing members will be at various locations around the city on April 2, engaging the public and making people aware of the centennial.

Rubner said that CFB Winnipeg is the base for “over 2,000 members of the defence team.” In addition to 17 Wing OSS, it is home to 17 Wing MSS (mission support squadron); 402 Squadron, an aircrew training facility; and the Royal Canadian Air Force Band.

The RCAF was granted sanction to use the royal title by King George V in 1924, succeeding the Canadian Air Force, which was formally established in 1920 (although a small, two-squadron Canadian Air Force did operate during the First World War in Europe). The original CAF was primarily involved in training pilots and was also responsible for civil aviation in Canada. Its role became more military in the late 1920s and the 1930s. RCAF pilots flew missions throughout the Second World War and the air force was heavily involved in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The RCAF has since served in Korea, the Persian Gulf War, as well as part of several United Nations peacekeeping missions and NATO operations.

The CC-130 Hercules typically carries a crew of five, and Rubner said the SAR techs who parachute into Assiniboine Park on April 2 will likely be the two-person crew of the day but may be complemented by others who sign up. The RCAF has approximately 140 SAR techs stationed throughout the country. They are land and sea survival experts who specialize in rescue techniques and are trained to primary-care paramedic standards. RCAF wings across Canada respond to approximately 1,000 “taskings” annually.

As always, the April 2 flyovers and parachute drops may be postponed or cancelled owing to weather conditions.