Rescue plane drills over Yorkton

Keen observers near the Yorkton Airport on a recent Monday spotted a lot more than clouds and birds.

A massive plane was flying above the airport. It was dropping packages and even people to the earth. Luckily, they had parachutes.

It wasn’t a daredevil stunt; it was a standard Royal Canadian Air Force drill.

435 Transport and Rescue Squadron practiced a series of routines over the Yorkton Airport on July 31. They ran simulations of supply drops and rescue jumps.

According to Alex Popoff, who works at the airport, they practiced for at least three hours.

Their plane, whose huge size stood out in the Yorkton skyline, was a CC-130 Hercules, an aircraft built for tactical transport.

435 Squadron specializes in air mobility, and search and rescue missions. This includes airlifts and air-to-air refuelling of other planes. They’re situated in the 17 Wing Winnipeg base.

Derek Gagnon, the Public Affairs Officer for 17 Wing Winnipeg, says the squadron can be called for help from anywhere between Quebec and the Alberta-British Columbia border. This stretch of land includes parts of Nunavut and the Northwest Territoris.

Gagnon also says the squadron practices over Yorkton due to its relative closeness to the base.

The squadron has performed drills over Yorkton many times over the years.

“They do their jumps, fuel up at Yorkton, and fly back,” says Ray Sass, the Vice-President of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).

According to Sass, CASARA, which is comprised of volunteers, will occasionally assist the squadron with its drills.

17 Wing Winnipeg asked the City of Yorkton for permission to practice its routines, which was granted by Samuel Pwumasi, the airport manager.

While 435 Squadron will return to Yorkton in the future, Gagnon says  there is no firm date. They have a tentative schedule and their drills are dependent on weather conditions and equipment. 

Until then, make sure to look up now and then. You never know what you’ll see.