CF-18 move to Museum part of RCAF 100th anniversary

Images provided courtesy of Cold Lake Museums. 

Jets in the skies above Cold Lake is a common feature of the city with 4 Wing air base. But a CF-18 on the roads? That doesn’t happen every day.

Cold Lakers moved their vehicles, got on their lawns, and watched last Wednesday’s voyage of a retired CF-188 Hornet from the base to Cold Lake Museums.

That will be the new home for the aircraft, moved as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s centennial anniversary.

Wandy Stacey, curator at the Cold Lake Museums, passed along information about the history of this fighter.

This particular craft is tail number CF-188733, which had its first flight on March 8, 1985 and its last on May 22, 2003, when it was taken out of service due to heat damage. 

It was taken on strength in 1985 with 410 Sqn in Cold Lake, and later served with 439 Squadron, 1 CAD in Solingen, Germany in 1990, and the Desert Cat detachment in 1990-1991 in Doha, Qatar.

It served with 441 Squadron at CFB Cold Lake in the 1990’s, and was part of Op ALLIED FORCE in the Balkans in 1999.

Some heat damage occurred in 2003, causing it to be removed from operational status. In 2006, CF-188733 was with 416 Squadron at CFB Cold Lake. In 2010, it was used for battle damage repair training.

Many groups assisted in the undertaking of this move, including the City of Cold Lake, 4 Wing Recovery and Salvage (RAS) Team, RCMP, 4 Wing Military Police, 1 AMS, 10 FTTS, and RPOPs.

The Cold Lake Museums are preparing to open this upcoming Friday.

• Date – First flight / Where ;  08 Mar 1985 at 410 Sqn , Cold Lake
• Date- Last Flight / Where ;    22nd May 2003 at AETE, Cold Lake
• Date removed from operational status: Remark entered in 2006 indicate the A/C was Training Aid since 2003 due to Heat damage to AFT section.
• Attached operational units / Sqn ;   441 Sqn (UIC -2460), AETE (UIC -1671)
• Deployments : Sorties per deployment / where: Aviano – Mar 1999 to Jul 2000 – 363 sorties, Albuquerque Kirtland AFB – 14 to 21 Oct 2002 – 13 sorties, Savannah – 17 to 23 Feb 2003 – 20 sorties

• Total AC sorties; 2086 sorties
• Total AFH   4840.6 AFH