Less air time for CF-18s in 2019 schedule

OTTAWA— The Royal Canadian Air Force is curtailing air show performances by its CF-18 fighter jet, in part, because of a shortage of pilots and technicians.

The Air Force last week unveiled the 2019 airshow schedule for the CF-18, featuring 30 performances in 16 locations, down from 50 shows at 26 sites this year.

Air Force officials blame the strain of providing ground support for the CF-18 jet at sites across North America for the decision to trim the schedule.

The 2019 season will be shorter — June to September, instead of May to October — and there will also be fewer shows during the months the jet is flying. For the first time in several years, there are no U.S. dates on the aircraft’s 2019 schedule.

Maj. Jennifer Jones, a senior public affairs officer with the Air Force, said that, after several years of “intensive” schedules, the 2019 demonstration season has been “compressed” to focus on training and operations. With reduced demand to support air shows and flybys, technicians and pilots will have more time to “sharpen their tactical skills,” Jones said in an email.

Several key performances remain on the 2019 schedule, including the Canada Day flyby of Parliament Hill in Ottawa and the Canadian International Air Show on the Toronto waterfront over the Labour Day weekend.

In a critical report last month, the auditor general noted that the Air Force has just twothirds of the pilots it needs.