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Hawk One powers flight anniversary

July 22, 2008

Test pilot Paul Kissmann tests the Hawk One ejection seat in the Vintage Wings hangar. Credit: Mary Lee.

By David Krayden

Vintage Wings research test pilot Paul Kissmann seats himself in cockpit of the aircraft as a crane above him pulls the ejection seat out of the canopy.

The ejection seat “pull-through” is a major milestone towards the realization of the Hawk One project as Mr. Kissmann ensures that a CT-114 Tutor ejection seat will function in a Canadair Mark V F-86 Sabre. The procedure also satisfies the strict requirements of the Department of National Defence’s Directorate of Technical Airworthiness Engineering Support.

As the Air Force prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada next year, a Golden Hawk shall lead the way. Hawk One is recreating one of the classic Sabre fighter jets that were painted in the gilt colour of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) celebrated Golden Hawks aerobatic team. The Golden Hawks were born in 1959 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of flight and the 35th of the RCAF. Today’s restored aircraft will serve the centenary of flight with about 20 appearances across Canada.

The restored Sabre is expected to be ready to fly by September. But right now it is still being put together. Mr. Kissmann explains that the ejection seat had to be replaced because it was “unsupportable,” meaning the armament charges necessary to explode the seat are no longer manufactured. In addition, there is a safety issue: the Sabre ejection system produced a 22 G (gravity) force when it threw a pilot from the aircraft while the Tutor seat induces about 15 G.

Project Director LCol Steve Will, CF-18 pilot and former commanding officer of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (the Snowbirds), is forging a unique set of relationships to achieve his mission.

“This is really a marriage of Vintage Wings of Canada, the Department of National Defence and the civilian sector,” he says. Michael Potter, the owner of Vintage Wings (a private collection of classic aircraft located at the Gatineau airport in Quebec), purchased the Sabre, which had been in use as a demilitarized, civilian registered aircraft.

So that leaves funding requirements for operations and maintenance (like fuel) and administration (like travel costs). LCol Will says the price tag for this will amount to about $2.5 million. LCol Will says “tier one” sponsorship ($200,000 or more) from Discovery Air has just been secured.


One of the original RCAF Golden Hawk Sabre aircraft. Credit: DND archive.


Serving Air Force personnel will also contribute their on-duty expertise – but not in great numbers. LCol Will estimates that about “50 person days of work” will be required for maintenance and technical assistance in a project that is truly a public-private partnership. “At the end of the day, I am responsible for the successful execution of a project that must be run under the most arduous rules imaginable – everything must be done in accordance with stringent DND rules,” he says.

Five pilots will also contribute their expertise. LCol Will, along with private test pilot Paul Kissmann, will provide the aerobatic demonstrations. Pilots Dan Dempsey and Tim Leslie will ferry the aircraft from location to location – and make mid weel PR stops with the jet, accompanied by a Snowbirds Tutor in another very special paint scheme – namely that of the Golden centenaires. Colonel (Ret.) Chris Hadfield is also expected to join the crew for selected flypasts.

The task of directing a project to showcase Canada’s aviation heritage was particularly welcomed by LCol Will. “On a purely selfish side, flying the Sabre is a dream come true,” he says. The F-86 was the principal fighter jet for the RCAF and the United States Air Force during the first decade of the Cold War and Canadians flew these aircraft from bases here at home, from stations in Europe and in the skies over Korea.

“If a jet looks good, it usually flies well too,” says LCol Will, “and that’s certainly true of the Sabre. It was, and is, a great aircraft.”

Throughout 2009, thanks to Hawk One and the people behind it, that storied aircraft will be reminding Canadians of their great aviation heritage and the continuing accomplishments of the Air Force today.