Snowbirds grounded over ejection seat problem
Updated Sun. Jun. 14 2009 1:32 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canada's famed Snowbirds aerobatic team has been grounded just as air show season gets underway because of a technical problem with the aircraft's ejection seat system, raising yet more questions about the safety of the aging fleet.
The air force has put all of its CT-114 Tutor jets on "operational pause" after a pre-flight check detected a problem before a practice flight on Friday at the Bagotville International Air Show in Bagotville, Que. Sub-Lieutenant David Lavallee, of 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg, said Sunday that the problem was detected in a component of the ejection seat system called the Ballistic Disconnect Link, which is designed to come apart if a pilot ejects from the aircraft. Lavallee said the exact nature of the problem is still unclear, but the fleet will remain grounded until an investigation by the air force's director of flight safety is complete.
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