MOOSE JAW — SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership, which is overseeing the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program, has received new planes for a fleet that will be based in Moose Jaw.
SkyAlyne, a joint venture between CAE and KF Aerospace, announced on Aug. 29 that it had successfully acquired from the factory two Grob G 120TP aircraft, which will be designated the CT-102B Astra II in Canada.
The partnership plans to acquire 23 new Grob G 120TP aircraft for the RCAF and the FAcT program. The joint venture says it will use the planes to support the continued development of the program’s capabilities, including ongoing courseware development, instructor training, initial training program field trials and other test and evaluation activities.
Grob Aircraft in Tussenhausen-Mattsies in Germany manufactures the planes.
The first two planes are expected to arrive in mid-September, following a trans-Atlantic ferry flight, SkyAlyne said. The aircraft will then transit to 15 Wing Airbase to complete the delivery to the RCAF. The planes will then be housed at that military venue.
“The completion of manufacturing and acceptance of the first two aircraft, which SkyAlyne will provide to the RCAF for the FAcT program, is a major milestone for the program,” said Kevin Lemke, SkyAlyne’s general manager.
“This is a supremely capable aircraft, far exceeding the capabilities of the aircraft it is replacing,” he continued. “It will become a key contributor to the FAcT program and the RCAF’s renewed aircrew training capability.”
Once in service with the RCAF, the CT-120B Astra II will serve as the basic flying training aircraft, which means all pilot trainees of the FAcT program will begin their flying careers on this platform, SkyAlyne said.
A Rolls-Royce M250-B17F turbine engine powers the two-seater airplane and produces up to 456 shaft horsepower and, paired with a typical operating weight of 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds), results in a “highly capable and responsive aerobatic aircraft,” the partnership continued.
The Department of Defence will register the CT-102Bs and loan the machines to SkyAlyne to manage as the operator.
The FAcT program is in a multi-year transition period to become the sole “ab initio” — or, from the beginning — pilot and aircrew training program for the RCAF, as the air force’s three separate training programs conclude and their responsibilities combine into FAcT, SkyAlyne said.
A joint management office at SkyAlyne’s Ottawa headquarters is overseeing the program, while Moose Jaw, Southport, Man., and Winnipeg, Man., are acting as operational bases, the joint venture noted.
“I extend my thanks to the team at Grob Aircraft for their ongoing hard work and craftsmanship in producing this exceptional aircraft,” added Lemke. “We can’t wait to see them flying in Canada.”
Besides the Grob G 120TP airplane, SkyAlyne is also planning to acquire 19 H135 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, which will be assembled at a plant in Fort Erie, Ont., and delivered to Southport, and 19 PC-21 training aircraft from Switzerland-based Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Those PC-21s will be based at 15 Wing once the FAcT program is fully operational.
The FAcT program will be for 25 years and is worth $11.2 billion.
