Thread by @steffanwatkins

🇨🇦 Follow me down a parachute training plane rabbit hole, filled with speculation and discovery!

I find the planes used by the Canadian Forces to conduct parachute training extremely interesting (I'm sure some wish I didn't), because they're 🇺🇸 planes; usually call sign #CFC0300

Well, today there's a chunky bird flying over Arnprior, and it looks like it's been doing the same dance of the bumblebee that the Canadian Forces would normally do during training; but not the right callsign. Not deterred, I wondered if they forgot (or intentionally) skipped it.

It could also be a civilian parachuting company, who brought up a plane from the United States...? I really don't know, maybe they're awfully busy. Maybe business is really good, for fall skydiving in Arnprior, during a pandemic?

🇺🇸 Eagle Air Transport Inc-owned 1968 Shorts SC-7 Skyvan N50EA (formerly N50NS)|#A637FC flew into Ottawa #YOW on 2020-09-24 from the United States. Yes, during the pandemic; so they'll quarantine for 14 days, right?

📷 2015-12-04 jetphotos.com/photo/8283483

Nah. They were flying the very next day. Who cares if the United States is a petri dish and Americans the agar-agar? Ottawa is also having a huge surge in cases right now.

2020-09-24 Arrival #YOW
2020-09-25 Arnprior
2020-09-26 Arnprior
2020-09-27 (Short day? Too windy?)

To the web site!

eagleairtransport.com

"Eagle Air Transport is an Aircraft Rental and Servicing Company."

Sounds like a wet leasing company, my favourite.

"Eagle Air Transport operates a fleet of Twin Otters, Caravans, and Cessnas. Our fleet is dependable and will meet all your mission needs."

My mission huh? Not just my requirement, or service my needs, they've got what I want for my *mission*. 👍

"Eagle Air Transport is Department of Defense Certified for military operations."

Say no more, DoD-Certified wet-leasing company.

So is it, or isn't it, 🇨🇦 military training?

I don't have any answers. It seems odd, but maybe it's normal demand that requires they fly an American plane from Illinois to conduct non-military training, a 1hr drive from #CFBPetawawa, in the fall, during a pandemic.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Related? IDK, I don't have access to the attached documentation.

W6399-18KA26/A - Air Support for CAF Parachute Operations (W6399-18KA26/A)
merx.com/public/supplie…
Closing date 2019/01/25

Related? IDK, I don't have access to the attached documentation.

W6399-18KC54/A - Canopy Control Parachute Training (W6399-18KC54/A)
merx.com/public/supplie…
Closing date 2019/10/16

Buy and sell, you scamp, you've got some of the details I'm looking for:

Canopy Control Parachute Training (W6399-18KC54/A)
buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-da…

Air Support for CAF Parachute Operations (W6399-18KA26/A)
buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-da…

Canopy Control Parachute Training (W6399-18KC54/001/KIN)
buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-da…
$456,367.51 USD

Supplier Information:
Flight-1 LLC
PO BOX 1466
DELAND
Florida
32721
United States

Why did PWGSC think sending ~$600k CAD of my taxes to Florida was the right thing to do?

FLIGHT-1 LLC (W6399-18KC54/001/KIN~000)
buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-da…

I don't see a link between the company in Illinois and Florida; maybe they subcontract, maybe it's totally unrelated, maybe I can't find the right info. Anyhow, it's weird to me there aren't any Canadian companies that could bid lower or even a Canadian supplier clause in the RFP

...and why does #CANSOFCOM outsource parachute training to an American company to start with? We can't do that ourselves? C'mon guys.