[Newsbot]

Title: Snowbirds flying team cancels U.S. shows after budget cuts
Category: Military
Posted By: DrCaleb
Date: 2014-02-10 12:44:28
Canadian

[uwish]

still better than ALL the US air demo teams who had to cancel their entire 2013 season...

[Regina]

uwish uwish:

still better than ALL the US air demo teams who had to cancel their entire 2013 season...

I was thinking the same thing. Not sure all their teams stood down because I think I saw the Blue Angels still scheduled to go last fall.

[PluggyRug]

This guy could step in....

[DanSC]

Personally, I think American/Canadian demonstration teams should switch to F-4s to save money.*



*may not actually save money

[saturn_656]

Snowbirds should have transitioned to Hawks when the rest of the air force did. They operate an orphan fleet of 54 year old planes. That can't help the "costs" situation.

[Regina]

PluggyRug PluggyRug:

This guy could step in....

[Regina]

saturn_656 saturn_656:

Snowbirds should have transitioned to Hawks when the rest of the air force did. They operate an orphan fleet of 54 year old planes. That can't help the "costs" situation.

They could use converted L-39s which would be much more modern and much easier to maintain. Going rate for a converted flying L-39 is between $200-300K. Quite a few other Demo teams use them such as the The Patriots Jet Team, Black Diamond Jet Team and The Breitling Jet Team.

[saturn_656]

Regina Regina:

saturn_656 saturn_656:

Snowbirds should have transitioned to Hawks when the rest of the air force did. They operate an orphan fleet of 54 year old planes. That can't help the "costs" situation.

They could use converted L-39s which would be much more modern and much easier to maintain. Going rate for a converted flying L-39 is between $200-300K. Quite a few other Demo teams use them such as the The Patriots Jet Team, Black Diamond Jet Team and The Breitling Jet Team.

L-39 is long out of production, we'd have to hunt for 20+ of what is essentially a Soviet era Czech-made aircraft on the used aircraft market. We can do better than that.

The modern variant of that plane is the L-159, guess what we can buy them new.

[PluggyRug]

Electric (battery) powered.

[Regina]

PluggyRug PluggyRug:

Electric (battery) powered.

I have one and made it do that.................but not on purpose and it didn't stop a few inches from the grass. In fact it only really lasted one day.