Snowbirds being made ready to perform again

Further to this post, the problem has been fixed:

Snowbirds will fly again soon, say feds

Photograph by: WEEKENDLIFE-Sadler Request

REGINA — The Snowbirds, Canada's famous aerobatic flying team, will soon be back in the air after a faulty ejection-seat system kept the team from flying over the past week.

The Department of National Defence implemented an "operation pause" on June 13 that affected a number of Canadian military aircraft that share the same ejection seat system. A problem was identified with the lapbelt system, which is designed to disconnect if a pilot ejects from the plane mid-flight.

That "pause" has now been lifted and, according to a government statement issued on Friday, all lapbelts will be "overhauled and tested" and individual aircraft will return to service once the overhauled lapbelts have been installed.

The problem was discovered June 12 as the Snowbirds were preparing for a performance at an airshow in Bagotville, Que.

"We caught the problem on the ground as part of our standard pre-flight checks, and once the investigation was launched, our people acted quickly to determine the problem and find a resolution," said Major-General Marcel Duval, commander of 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region in a statement released to media.

Eight people have died as a result of Snowbird accidents, including seven pilots.

Official news release here.