{"id":23869955,"date":"2026-09-21T14:58:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/ct-157-siskin-ii-rcaf-pilatus-pc-21-snowbirds-tutor-replacement-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T14:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:58:38","slug":"ct-157-siskin-ii-rcaf-pilatus-pc-21-snowbirds-tutor-replacement-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/ct-157-siskin-ii-rcaf-pilatus-pc-21-snowbirds-tutor-replacement-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CT-157 Siskin II: Canada Swaps Snowbird Jets for a Turboprop"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<p>At Gatineau on Thursday morning a single turboprop pulled up over the airport in a ceremonial flypast, and a sixty-year era began its long goodbye. The aircraft was a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/pc-21\/\">Pilatus PC-21<\/a>, built at Stans in central Switzerland. In Canadian service it is the CT-157 Siskin II.<\/p>\r\n<p>Two of them are now in the country. Seventeen more will follow, all of them bound for 15 Wing Moose Jaw, and between them they will train the next generation of Canadian military pilots. They will also, eventually, be painted red and white and flown by the Snowbirds.<\/p>\r\n<p>That last part is the one Canadians are arguing about, because the Snowbirds have flown jets since 1971 and the Siskin has a propeller on the front.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:15px 20px;margin:20px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Arrived:<\/strong> 17 September 2026, Gatineau, Quebec &mdash; the first two of 19<\/li><li><strong>Type:<\/strong> Pilatus PC-21, designated CT-157 Siskin II in RCAF service<\/li><li><strong>Base:<\/strong> 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan<\/li><li><strong>Engine:<\/strong> Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-68B, around 1,600 shaft horsepower<\/li><li><strong>Top speed:<\/strong> roughly 685 km\/h &mdash; fast for a turboprop, slower than the jet it replaces<\/li><li><strong>Programme:<\/strong> Future Aircrew Training (FAcT), 71 aircraft across five fleets, run by SkyAlyne on a 25-year, C$11-billion contract<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Swiss Aircraft Canada Has Been Flying All Along<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Royal Canadian Air Force has never operated an aircraft built by Pilatus. That sounds like a first, and officially it is one. In practice Canada has been flying Pilatus designs for a quarter of a century: the trainers it has used until now were, in essence, developed from the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/pc-9\/\">PC-9<\/a> and built in the United States.<\/p>\r\n<p>So this is less a new relationship than a formalised one. What changes is the standard. The PC-21 is not a refined PC-9; it is a clean-sheet aircraft designed to take a student much further before the cost of a real fast jet has to be paid. Switzerland has trained its own pilots on it since around 2008. Australia&rsquo;s Roulettes display team flies it. So do Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France, Jordan and Singapore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nQgZIR1C26s\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Pilatus&rsquo;s deputy chief executive, Ioannis Papachristofilou, points at the part you cannot see from the ramp.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;This aircraft has an embedded mission-simulation suite, which allows you to simulate, for example, sensors like radar.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Ioannis Papachristofilou<\/strong> &mdash; Deputy CEO, Pilatus Aircraft<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>That is the whole commercial argument for the type. A student in a Siskin can be given a synthetic radar picture, synthetic threats and a synthetic wingman, and can learn to manage all of it at 300 knots in a machine that costs far less per hour to fly than an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/m-346-master\/\">M-346<\/a> or a Hawk. By the time they reach the real fighter, the expensive hours are spent on flying rather than on learning what the symbology means.<\/p>\r\n<p>The engine, pleasingly for Ottawa, is Canadian: a Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-68B of about 1,600 horsepower. A Swiss airframe with a Canadian heart is an easier sell in Parliament than an entirely foreign one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/raaf-roulettes-pilatus-pc-21-landing-canberra.jpg\" alt=\"A Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes Pilatus PC-21 landing at Canberra Airport\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Australia&rsquo;s Roulettes have flown the PC-21 for years, which is the closest thing Canada has to a preview. Photo: Bidgee \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 AU<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Tutor Problem<\/h2>\r\n<p>The CT-114 Tutor is roughly sixty years old. Canada tried to keep it flying to 2030 with an upgrade programme, and the plan came apart on the three things that always break old-aircraft plans: cost, schedule, and the slow disappearance of spare parts. This spring the federal government accepted the inevitable and announced a replacement.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Snowbirds will fly their last show in the National Capital Region at Gatineau this weekend, with the first two Siskins parked nearby at AERO Gatineau-Ottawa &mdash; the outgoing and the incoming on the same field. The team&rsquo;s final flight comes at the Grey Cup in Calgary in November. After that they stop, possibly until 2030, while Ottawa procures additional Siskins specifically for the display role.<\/p>\r\n<p>Three or four seasons without the Snowbirds is a long time in a country that treats them as national furniture.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/canadair-ct-114-tutor-snowbirds-nose-hangar.jpg\" alt=\"The nose of a Canadair CT-114 Tutor in Snowbirds markings inside a hangar\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The CT-114 Tutor has carried the Snowbirds since 1971. The airframes are about sixty years old. Photo: Eric Friedebach \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Can a Propeller Replace a Jet?<\/h2>\r\n<p>This is the objection, and it is not a silly one. The Tutor is a jet. It is loud, it leaves a clean smoke trail, and nine of them in tight formation make a particular noise that Canadians have grown up with. The Siskin has a five-blade propeller.<\/p>\r\n<p>The RCAF&rsquo;s commander, Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, has heard the complaint and does not accept it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;It is extremely manoeuverable and capable, and powerful, actually. More so than perhaps people&rsquo;s understanding of other propeller aircraft from the past.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>She concedes the Siskin is slower than the Tutor and quieter than a jet, but insists &ldquo;it&rsquo;s not a quiet aircraft&rdquo; and that it will &ldquo;really wow Canadians&rdquo; once the shows resume. Anyone who has stood under a PC-21 at Axalp will know she has a point: a 1,600-horsepower turboprop turning a five-blade scimitar propeller does not whisper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tQAaRpGTSL8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>There is a second, quieter benefit she raised. Because almost every Canadian military pilot will now train on the Siskin, the pool of pilots already current on the display aircraft becomes enormous. Selecting a Snowbird stops being a conversion exercise. And basing the whole fleet at Moose Jaw keeps the maintenance and support in one place.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Italian Question<\/h2>\r\n<p>Three months ago Canada opened talks with Leonardo about the M-346 for the advanced jet phase of its training pipeline. That contrast is worth holding in view: a Swiss turboprop for the bulk of the syllabus and the display team, an Italian jet for the pointy end.<\/p>\r\n<p>It is a pattern Europe has been quietly exporting for a decade. The heavy lifting of pilot training migrates down to a turboprop that costs far less per hour and simulates much of what a jet used to teach; the jet is reserved for the handful of skills that genuinely need one. The Netherlands went the same way this month with the first flight of the PC-7 MKX.<\/p>\r\n<p>The FAcT contract is the largest of its kind Canada has signed: 25 years, C$11 billion, 71 aircraft in five fleets, run by SkyAlyne, the partnership between CAE and KF Aerospace that won it in 2024. Two red-and-white turboprops at a Quebec airfield is what that looks like when it finally arrives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7bCaZgBL4IY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: The Canadian Press, SkyAlyne, Pilatus Aircraft, aeroTELEGRAPH, FlightGlobal, Royal Canadian Air Force.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is the CT-157 Siskin II?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The CT-157 Siskin II is the Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the Pilatus PC-21, a Swiss-built single-engine turboprop advanced trainer. The RCAF took delivery of its first two aircraft at Gatineau, Quebec on 17 September 2026 and will operate 19 in total from 15 Wing Moose Jaw.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Will the Snowbirds fly the CT-157 Siskin II?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, eventually. The Siskin II will replace the CT-114 Tutor the Snowbirds have flown since 1971, but the aircraft delivered so far are for pilot training. The federal government is still procuring additional Siskins specifically for the display team, and the Snowbirds will pause after November 2026 for a hiatus that could run to 2030.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is Canada retiring the CT-114 Tutor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Tutor airframes are roughly sixty years old. An upgrade programme intended to keep them flying to 2030 ran into rising costs, slipping timelines and a shrinking supply of spare parts, so the federal government announced a replacement in spring 2026.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can a turboprop really replace a jet for aerobatic displays?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet argues yes, calling the PC-21 extremely manoeuvrable and powerful, and warning against judging it by older propeller aircraft. Australia\u2019s Roulettes have flown PC-21 displays for years. It is slower and less loud than the Tutor, but it is not a quiet aircraft.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What engine does the Pilatus PC-21 use?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-68B turboprop of roughly 1,600 shaft horsepower, driving a five-blade propeller. Top speed is around 685 km\/h. The engine being Canadian-built is a useful detail for a Canadian procurement.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Future Aircrew Training programme?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">FAcT is the RCAF\u2019s 25-year, C$11-billion overhaul of military flight training, covering 71 aircraft across five fleets. SkyAlyne, a partnership between CAE and KF Aerospace, won the contract in 2024. The CT-157 Siskin II is the advanced flying training element.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which other air forces fly the Pilatus PC-21?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Switzerland has trained on it since around 2008, and operators include Australia, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France and Jordan. Australia\u2019s Roulettes display team flies the type, which makes it the closest existing preview of what Canada\u2019s Snowbirds will look like.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the CT-157 Siskin II?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The CT-157 Siskin II is the Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the Pilatus PC-21, a Swiss-built single-engine turboprop advanced trainer. The RCAF took delivery of its first two aircraft at Gatineau, Quebec on 17 September 2026 and will operate 19 in total from 15 Wing Moose Jaw.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Will the Snowbirds fly the CT-157 Siskin II?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, eventually. 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The CT-157 Siskin II is the advanced flying training element.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which other air forces fly the Pilatus PC-21?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Switzerland has trained on it since around 2008, and operators include Australia, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France and Jordan. Australia\u2019s Roulettes display team flies the type, which makes it the closest existing preview of what Canada\u2019s Snowbirds will look like.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/canada-leonardo-m-346-trainer-talks-italy-2026\/\">Canada Picks an Italian Jet to Train Its Pilots<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/snowbirds-ct-114-tutor-final-season-2026\/\">The Snowbirds&rsquo; Final Season With the CT-114 Tutor<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/pilatus-pc-7-mkx-first-dutch-trainer-first-flight-2026\/\">Pilatus PC-7 MKX: The First Dutch Trainer Takes Off<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Gatineau on Thursday morning a single turboprop pulled up over the airport in a ceremonial flypast, and a sixty-year era began its long goodbye. The aircraft was a Pilatus PC-21, built at Stans in central Switzerland. In Canadian service it is the CT-157 Siskin II. Two of them are now in the country. Seventeen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":23869583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23869955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CT-157 Siskin II: Canada&#039;s New Pilatus PC-21 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The RCAF has taken its first two CT-157 Siskin II trainers. The Pilatus PC-21 replaces the 60-year-old Tutor, and the Snowbirds&#039; jets with it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/ct-157-siskin-ii-rcaf-pilatus-pc-21-snowbirds-tutor-replacement-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"it_IT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CT-157 Siskin II: Canada&#039;s New Pilatus PC-21 | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The RCAF has taken its first two CT-157 Siskin II trainers. 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