by Capt James Fedevich, Pilot,
437 Squadron

   Prime Minister Chretien’s recent trip to Switzerland and the World Trade Summit in South Africa was supported by 437 Squadron from 28 Aug – 4 Sept 02.

   The mission required two full crews and one Polaris Airbus. VIP operations is one of the many roles that 437 Squadron fulfills.

   This specific mission was commanded by Maj Bob Struthers and consisted of two complete flight crews. Flight Lieutenant Parker commanded Crew #1 and they departed on 28 Aug with aircraft 15005 bound for Ottawa. The next day the crew flew to Zurich with the Prime Minister and his staff onboard.

   Meanwhile Crew #2 (my crew), commanded by Capt Rob Aman, was transported to Pearson Internatiional Airport on the same day. Air France then flew the crew to Cairo via Paris, a 23-hour commute. The concept was to pre-position a crew in Egypt so that the PM could fly from Zurich to Johannesburg non-stop. This would not be possible for one crew to accomplish, as the flight is approximately 22 hours long, with a fuel stop. After a smooth crew change in Cairo “Can Force One” continued its’ journey southbound.

   The flight from Egypt to South Africa took 8.5 hours to complete. This was done at night, which made for a fantastic view of the African thunderstorms that we encountered enroute. One of the two onboard air conditioners failed during the flight, although this did not pose any real problem, as the remaining one worked well. However, it would have to be fixed prior to our flight home.

   After an uneventful arrival the crew was transported to their hotel. Due to the high security surrounding the summit, the hotel was extremely far from the South African Air Force Base that we landed at. After a two and a half hour drive on very austere roadways, we arrived at the Mabula Lodge. A smooth check-in was a welcome surprise at the end of a 17-hour duty day. Our journey was half way and we all looked forward to a couple of days of rest.

   Meanwhile, members of Crew #1 were getting some well-earned sleep after their arrival in Cairo. After a short 14 hours in Egypt they were on the road again. They had to get themselves from Cairo to Dakar, Senegal. This was required to set-up another crew change for the journey home at the half way point between Johannesburg and Ottawa, and Air France once again provided the airlift.

   The day before our published departure the air conditioner parts were sent to Johannesburg and our Air Canada technicians went to work feverishly to prepare Can Force One. After participating in several tours of the wild game reserve and exploring the local town of Warbath, to practice our haggling skills, Crew #2 was ready to go again. The remoteness of the hotel necessitated a pick-up at 4:00 am, however South Africa is a very picturesque country and everyone was in good spirits upon arrival at Waterkloof AFB.

   The eight-hour flight to Dakar went very well and a handover to Crew #1 was completed as planned. Members of Crew #2 then became passengers for the remaining duration of the trip. After 29 hours from our early morning bus ride, we arrived in Trenton, a little worn-out but happy to be home just the same.