Mr. Speaker, our Labrador search and rescue helicopters came into service between 1963 and 1967, and the Sea Kings between 1963 and 1969. Old aircraft to be sure, but what the opposition does not seem to understand is that this is not that unusual a situation in aviation.
For example, the venerable DC-3 which was built over 60 years ago is still in passenger service around the world. As a member of the Canadian Warplane Heritage, my colleagues and I routinely flew in aircraft over twice the age of our helicopter fleet.
It is a sad fact of life that aircraft, whether new or old, sometimes fall out of the sky. The age of the aircraft is seldom a major contributing factor. It all comes down to maintenance. Properly maintained aircraft can last virtually indefinitely.
These aircraft are becoming too expensive to maintain and must be replaced. In the meantime, I am confident that they remain safe because they are properly maintained by the best air maintenance people on the planet, the members of the Canadian Armed Forces.