Media Advisories

BAGOTVILLE – High flyers pay Bagotville a visit! Nine French Mirage aircraft and five KC-135s (Boeing 707s) will adorn the Bagotville tarmac until 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. In addition, two British Tornado fighter planes and a C130 will arrive tomorrow night. They will be stopping over on their way to Cold Lake, Alberta, for Exercise MAPLE FLAG, which will be held in Alberta from May 15 to June 24, 2005. Furthermore, 16 CF-18s from 3 Wing, as well as 20 pilots and 120 technicians, will also be participating in this annual international exercise.

“It’s important for our pilots to train for combat in a real environment beside our allies,” says Colonel Yvan Blondin, Commander of 3 Wing. “I have taken part in this exercise more than 10 times in my career, and every experience has been very enriching from a professional point of view,” adds the Commander.

More than 5,000 troops from 11 countries, as well as a NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) contingent, will be participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG XXXVIII.

Exercise MAPLE FLAG is a six-week international air combat exercise, which is held every year at 4 Wing Cold Lake, in Alberta. The exercise, which will take place from May 15 to June 24 this year, is a chance for Canadian and Allied aircrew to train in a modern and realistic simulated air combat environment. Its main focus is on air operations conducted by a large coalition of air forces.

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