In May 2017, Southport marked 25 years of flight training** with special events and a new "gate guardian." At a ceremony held on April 28, Southport’s tenants, board members, staff and local residents dedicated a Canadair CL-41G Tebuan that has been permanently placed on a pedestal next to Southport’s entrance.
The plane that was dedicated had been displayed at the Pacific Northwest Aviation Museum in Pasco, Wash. after having been flown by airshow performer and former Canadian Snowbird Ross Granley, according to information provided by Bill Zuk, secretary of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society.
After purchasing the aircraft, Southport had N402AG disassembled and shipped to Portage la Prairie. KF Aerospace technicians reassembled and repainted the aircraft in Golden Centennaires colours. The Canadair CT-114 Tutor (company model CL-41) was the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and later Canadian Forces, standard jet trainer, between the early 1960s and 2000. Designed and built by Canadair, it was ordered in September 1961.
The Tutor served as the Canadian Forces primary jet trainer until it was replaced by the CT-155 Hawk and CT-156 Harvard II in 2000. The CL-41G model supplied to Malaysia was built as a ground-attack aircraft. The Tutor is currently still used by the Snowbirds aerobatics team.
In September 1961 the Canadian government ordered 190 examples of the production variant, CL-41A for the RCAF as the CT-114 Tutor. The Tutor served for over thirty years as a primary trainer. In 1976, the Canadian Forces modified 113 remaining aircraft with upgraded avionics and provisions for two belly-mounted 41 US gal (155 l) external fuel tanks.
Canadair also developed an armament training and light attack variant, the CL-41G, with an uprated engine and underwing hard points to allow the carriage of external stores (up to 4,000 lb (1814 kg) of weapons) and drop tanks. In March 1966, the Royal Malaysian Air Force ordered twenty (serials M-22-01 to M22-11) examples of the CL-41G-5 Tebuan (which means Wasp in the Malay language) aircraft as counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft. The Tebuan entered service in Malaysia in 1967, serving for over twenty years, before being phased out in June 1986 and replaced by the Aermacchi MB-339A.
In 1967, ten Tutors were modified for use as a formation aerobatic aircraft by the RCAF (and later the unified Canadian Forces) display team, the Golden Centennaires to celebrate Canada's centennial year. The display team was disbanded after the 1967 season.
In 1971 a formation team was formed at 2CFFTS (Two Canadian Forces Flying Training School) at CFB Moose Jaw. In 1972 the name "Snowbirds" was chosen and in 1978 the team gained squadron status as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, who continue to perform at air shows and special events including the annual flypast on Canada Day over the capital city, Ottawa.
Modifications for the Snowbirds include: a smoke generating system, a unique paint scheme for added crowd appeal, and a highly tuned engine to enhance engine response in low-level flying.
**The former Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie had been the site of military primary flight training since World War II, when it was home to No. 14 Elementary Flying Training School, part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Following the war the base was retained as the home of the 3 Flying Training School (3 FTS) Royal Canadian Air Force, the direct ancestor of 3 CFFTS.