Regina Flying Club open house to feature Cold War-era jet

Over thirty vendors from around the province are in Regina, sharing their knowledge about aviation to the public.

For those with an interest in aviation and a dream of roaring through the skies – your dreams can now take flight right here in Regina.

For its free open house event scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 7, the Regina Flying Club will feature a Cold War-era Fouga Magister.

The magister is a two-seat jet trainer designed and built for the French Air Force in the 1950’s. Despite its design and intended purpose – it was frequently used in combat as a close air support platform by several nations during its operational life.

Since its retirement by most air forces across the globe, many models have ended up in private hands. One such example is owned by “Golden Era Aviation” and based at the Regina International Airport.

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The “bucket list experience” is one of only two places in Canada where a civilian can take to the skies in a former air force fighter jet.  

The Magister’s top speed is about 750 kilometers per hour.  The aircraft has been fully restored and available for those seeking a “Top Gun” flight experience.

“It’s starts off with a little bit of banking, and we work the angle of bank up a little bit more just to see how they are coping with it. Introducing a little bit of g-force; we start off at 1.5 g, and work it up to 2g, 2.5 and 3g,” Mike Moula, the Magister’s pilot, explained.

“If everything is going well in the air, and they want to see a little bit more, then we can do some loops and rolls. A few, what we call gentleman’s aerobatics.”

The Magister will be one of many aircraft on display for Sunday’s open house. The event is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.