Design and Development
In the early 1960s the Royal Canadian Air Force’s standard elementary training aircraft was the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk. Flight instruction was completed by student pilots on the DHC-1 before they progressed to the then-brand-new Canadair CT-114 Tutor jet trainer. A decision was made by RCAF HQ to remove the DHC-1s from service and not replace them, as it was felt that the CT-114 was easy enough to fly that initial training was not needed. The CT-114 quickly developed a wash-out rate of near 95% amongst student jet pilots and it was clear that an elementary trainer was needed. Due to the RCAF’s previous customer relationship with Beechcraft while operating that company's Expeditor twin-engine aircraft, a hasty purchase of twenty-four B23 Musketeers was made in 1971. The first CT-134 arrived at CFB Portage la Prairie on March 23, 1971.
The new trainers were designated CT-134 Musketeer in the then Canadian Armed Forces. The aircraft purchased were standard Model B23s equipped with the O-360-A4G engine of 180 bhp (130 kW), modified by the addition of a cowling strake, horizontal stabilizer strake and ventral fin to improve spin recovery performance. They were initially serial numbered as 13401-13424, but were re-numbered 134001-134024 to avoid confusion with other CF aircraft serial numbers.
The initial batch of CT-134s was replaced in late 1981 with a purchase of twenty-four more aircraft. These were 1982 model Beechcraft C23 Sundowners and were designated by the CF as CT-134A Musketeer II. These were numbered 134025-134048.
The CT-134 was approved for limited aerobatics, including loops, rolls, chandelles and lazy eights
Read more about this topic: Beechcraft CT-134 Musketeer
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