Plane stored in Regina hangar for 12 years may soon help with rocket development

A military jet that has been stored for over a decade at the Regina’s airport may soon fly again and help with future rocket development.

The privately owned Tutor, similar to those flown by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, needs to be put to good use instead of sitting in storage, its owner says.

“We’re actually doing something special with this aircraft. We’ll be making an announcement formally with what’s happening with this historic airframe. It’s going to be part of the activity here in Saskatchewan. It’s going to be coming into the skies here at home so we hope to share some more news on that soon,” Vladimir Mravcak the CEO of AVRO Aerospace said.

The plane has been stored in a Regina hangar for the past 12 years. It was meant to serve as a test bed for a new type of jet engine.

Over the weekend, the aircraft was used to draw people to a charity fundraiser at the Regina airport.

Participants had the opportunity to sit in the plane in return for a donation to Team Rocket, the organization that owns the plane plans to move into the rocket development world.

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“Yeah, we’re with Team Rocket and AVRO Aerospace and we’re doing a barbecue for SaskAbilities and Camp Easter Seal with their Drop Zone event. A team of us are going to be rapelling down Hill Tower and we’re raising money,” Regan Hinchcliffe from Team Rocket said.

“We also have hybrid technology out that we recently tested with the Canadian government successful in Alberta at CFB Suffield and that technology is step one of three of taking Canada to space,” Mravcak said.

Next year AVRO Aerospace hopes to reach the edge of space by rocket and blast into orbit from Canadian soil two years later.