RCAF unveils the 2016 CF-18 Demonstration Hornet

RCAF Press Release

Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force recently unveiled the CF-18 Demonstration Jet for its 2016 season.

The CF-18 Demonstration jet takes to the sky during its first day of flying! PHOTO: © Mike Reyno

The unveiling ceremony took place on April 5, 2016, at 4 Wing Cold, Alberta, where the jet was painted over the past few weeks. The wing commander, officials from the City of Cold Lake and the Town of Bonnyville, and Captain Ryan Kean, who will fly the jet, attended.

It gave everyone in attendance a chance to see, for the first time, the CF-18 Hornet design, which commemorates this year’s theme: the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).

"It is always a privilege for 4 Wing to be entrusted with the responsibility of designing and preparing the demonstration CF-18, which allows the Royal Canadian Air Force to connect with thousands of Canadians and present them with proud moments of our heritage,” said Colonel Eric Kenny, the commander of 4 Wing. “This year again, Mr. Jim Belliveau has demonstrated incredible talent in capturing an idea as complex as the British Commonwealth Air Training Program. Mr Belliveau and our technicians outdid themselves bringing to life Jim’s idea. This jet will be for all to enjoy because of the hard work and commitment of our 4 Wing members."

In 2016, the Royal Canadian Air Force is commemorating one of the world’s greatest air training programs, the BCATP, which ran from 1939 to 1945, and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of RCAF’s 400-series squadrons that make up the fabric of the modern RCAF.

These squadrons, which continue to serve Canada and Canadians to this day, came into being as a result of Article XV of the BCATP agreement.

By the end of the Second World War, the BCATP had produced 131,553 aircrew, including pilots, wireless operators, air gunners, and navigators for the air forces of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The plan also trained citizens of other nations – including Poland, the United States, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and France – who were critical to the war effort. Further, tens-of-thousands of maintainers and support staff were recruited and trained by the RCAF to support the effort; without the contribution of these civilian men and women, the plan would have failed.

The CF-18 Demonstration jet takes to the sky during its first day of flying! PHOTO: © Mike Reyno

A native of London, Ontario, Captain Ryan Kean joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2003 under the Regular Officer Training Plan. In July 2013, he was posted to his current unit, 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) “Cougar” Squadron, as an instructor pilot on the Hornet and is currently the squadron’s deputy operations officer. During his time at 4 Wing, Captain Kean has participated in multiple training missions and exercises all over Canada and the United States. He has also conducted operational missions both at home and overseas in support of NORAD and NATO missions. He has more than1,600 flying hours on military aircraft, including 1,300 hours on the Hornet.

“I am honored to be representing the Royal Canadian Air Force during this year’s airshow season,” said Captain Kean. “I hope to be a source of inspiration to our young Canadians the same way I was inspired myself as a young child. I am looking forward to sharing with them my passion for aviation, hoping to motivate them to reach for their dreams as I did when I decided to become a fighter pilot.

"This year’s theme also fits well with the Demonstration team outreach mission as it ties together a pivotal moment in our Air Force’s history and its long standing relationship with our communities across Canada.”

The specially painted Hornet features a unique commemorative paint job designed by veteran design director, Jim Belliveau, at 4 Wing.

(From left to right) Chief Warrant Officer Alain Roy, 4 Wing Cold Lake’s chief warrant officer, Colonel Eric Kenny, commander of 4 Wing; Mr. Jim Belliveau, design and paint crew lead; and Captain Ryan Kean, the CF-18 Demonstration Hornet pilot, during the Hornet’s unveiling ceremony held at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, on April 5, 2016. PHOTO: Corporal Bryan Carter, CK04-2016-0278-004

RCAF Announces CF-18 Demo Team Pilot and Theme

Canadian Armed Forces Press Release:

WINNIPEG — The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Captain Ryan Kean as the pilot for the 2016 CF-18 Demonstration Team.

Captain Kean will wow audiences around North America during the 2016 air show season, flying his specially painted CF-18 Hornet commemorating the 75th anniversary of the start of the pan-Canadian effort to train aircrew for the Second World , including pilots, wireless operators, air gunners, and navigators through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

2016 Season Theme - Training for Victory

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) and its contribution to the Second World War air effort and the Allied victory was an important chapter in Canada's history, leaving a legacy in our communities for generations to come.

Training for victory

The agreement for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was signed in late 1939 and the program ran from 1940-45. Prime Minister Mackenzie King thought it would be one of Canada’s most significant contributions to the Allied effort during the Second World War, a contribution that would leverage "the power of the airplane in determining ultimate victory".
The exhaustive curriculum and intensive schedule of classroom and flight training in Canada turned out air crew members at a dizzying pace, ready to serve overseas. 

 
By the end of the Second World War, the training plan had produced 131,553 aircrew, including pilots, wireless operators, air gunners, and navigators for the Air Forces of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The plan also trained citizens of other nations – including Poland, the United States, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and France – who joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Tens of thousands more maintainers and support staff were recruited and trained by the RCAF to support the effort; without the contribution of these men and women, the plan would have failed.
Communities giving us wings

Approximately 150 Canadian communities can trace connections to the BCATP.
Besides finding employment at training aerodromes, citizens of host communities also contributed to the training plan by instructing at and operating schools. Twenty-eight of the 30 Elementary Flying Training Schools and all 10 Air Observer Schools were run by community flying clubs, local companies or airlines.

The tremendous support of local agencies allowed the training plan to get off the ground quickly. Incorporating civilians into the basic stages of aircrew training allowed the RCAF to take advantage of already-qualified civilian instructors and existing aerodromes as early as the spring of 1940.
Canadians took great pride in making the trainees feel a part of their communities, and community events did wonders to lift the spirits of Commonwealth air force personnel.
The lasting legacy

Article XV of the BCATP agreement indicated that Australian, Canadian and New Zealand air force personnel would be identified with their respective countries, either by organizing their own national units or formations or by other methods. This eventually led to the creation of specifically Australian, Canadian and New Zealand squadrons, rather than having all air personnel of those nations serve in Royal Air Force units (although many Canadians also served in RAF squadrons). The Canadian squadrons that grew out of this article of the agreement – the so-called 400 series of squadrons – continue to form the fabric of the Royal Canadian Air Force to this day.

The first of these squadrons came into existence in 1941, which is why Canada is celebrating the BCATP’s 75th anniversary in 2016.

Many reminders of this community effort can be seen across Canada today. The airports of many cities and towns were once part of the plan’s aerodrome infrastructure. Many military bases in use today were once flight training schools, and even Canada's participation in NATO air training stems from this legacy.

Many Canadian communities were also left with other somber reminders of the training plan’s history. Commonwealth recruits who died during training were buried in cemeteries of nearby communities, along with airmen from other nations undergoing training, most of them under the auspices of the Royal Air Force. . Of the 856 participants who died during training in Canada were:
469 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force
291 members of the Royal Air Force
65 members of the Royal Australian Air Force
31 members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force