Alpha jets in Winnipeg

Jeff Hunt · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 12:54 pm

The other day I was waiting to catch a flight out of Winnipeg Manitoba. I had my camera with me because Winnipeg has a great viewing lounge to watch the comings and goings. I was pleasantly surprised to see two Alpha jets taxi by. Both are reistered to Top Aces Inc. out of Quebec. The first is registered as C-GQTA and was built in 1981 s/n 0141. The second is registered C-FOTA and was built in 1980 s/n 072.

I believe both are ex Luftwaffe aircraft.

Can anyone here provide any info on Top Aces?

Cheers,

Jeff

T33driver · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:15 pm

They have the current contract for the Canadian Air Force Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) mission and took over the adversary roles the T-33s had. Not sure if they have target towing capability but they can carry jamming pods. One of the owners is a former Canadian Hornet pilot. Some friends of mine did consulting for them and assisted in redesigning the Alpha jets' avionics architecture as well as contributing in the development of their tactics, doctrine, ROE, etc.

Bill Walker · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:21 pm

They have a fairly informative web page. Does anybody know what happened to the Hunters that were briefly imported in Canda for the same contract? I assume they left the country after Top Aces got the job.
http://www.topaces.ca/

vernicator · **Joined:** Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:42 am **Posts:** 350

Most of the hunters appear to have been registered in the USA to Hunter Aviation Intl and are flying for ATAC.

http://www.atacusa.com

Four Hunters remain on the Canadian civil resiter, three to Lortie Aviation Inc. and one still under Northern Lights. The Lortie aviation website shows a former Northern Lights Hunters with an american registration (one of the Hunter Aviation Intl ones).

http://www.lortieaviation.com/

peter · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:31 pm

Does anyone know what happened to the hunter from CWH that was loaned out to the Northern lights?

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

I don't know about the CWH Hunter, but there is a Red 2 seat Hunter for sale that I think was a former Northern Lights Aircraft........

Mark H

AIRIC · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:29 pm

“Pitch” Molner who once operated Combat International at St. Catharines, ON brought QTA to the Vintage Wings of Canada Open House back in Spetember.

Eric

AirJimL2 · **Posted:** Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:09 pm

The ex-CWH Hunter is still sitting outside at CWQB.

Mark H. - Funny thing...the red Hunter (N617NL) indeed is a former Northern Lights aircraft, but a much different Northern Lights. N617NL, N576NL, and CF-104D N104NL were owed by a Northern Lights of Alabama. The Canadian owners of Hunters are Northern Lights of Quebec whose principal was Andre Lortie. Since the Canadian Northern Lights lost the CAF contract to Top Aces the Hunters have been registered under a few different names and in a few different places, but I believe Lortie is still very involved with most of them. While they aren't doing anything with the CAF I think they still have quite a few contracts with other gov'ts.

Jim

Alpine · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:41 am

I saw them up at Maple Flag 07. Way cool. I jst couldn't get a good picture during recovery. I got nice pics of every other type of aircraft, but not tha Alpha's. Here are a few anyway. I think they had a total of four there.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:00 pm

..for the L-39 crowd.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:26 pm

It looks like the Alpha Jet is the perfect host for the services they were imported to provide. Since I was a wee boy I always thought it was a real looker of a design, especially among its immediate peers. I hope to see more than a few make it into the civilian market for whatever reasons before all is said & done.

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Alpha jets in Winnipeg

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