Page 6 - Sept 2018

Not to pick on NATO navies, but another of his Ah, but how far down the runway was the T-38?
stories revolved around using CF-5s in simulated
About 7,000 feet, came the word.
attacks on Canadian warships firing at a 1970s
version of a “drone” – an unmanned target towed a Yogi put the team into three three-plane flights, peered
mile behind a warship at a sedate 12 knots. Would at the runway and told the controller that since the T-38
the air force like to join in? was so far down the runway, he’d bring in the entire
team to land in available 7,000 feet. No sweat.
Indeed it did – with Yogi recalling that “I think (on)
the second pass, I sunk it – and the exercise was There was consternation in the control tower.
over.” “I basically told him ‘I’m landing – I have no choice!’

Back to Halifax for another target went the ships – Betcha I wasn’t more than a quarter-mile off the end of
while the CF-5 pilots adjourned for a meal and the runway when he said, ‘You’re cleared to land!’”
gentlemanly drink.

With another target in place the next day, “the 5s After retiring from the Canadian Forces, Yogi and his wife
came over again — and sank the second one!” Phyllis took up residence on a small ranch near his

On the third day, the admiral overseeing things, family’s roots at Glentworth, Sask. And eventually got
came on the radio and said, “’I order you to ‘shoot into politics as an early member of the then-new
to miss’!’” Yogi recalled. “Seems they’d only built Saskatchewan Party, an amalgam of Liberals and
three drones!” Conservatives.

Yogi returned to the Snowbirds as team lead in
1985 and ’86. He’s told stories about the team
elsewhere, but noted the challenges of designing
manoeuvres. “Some of the stuff would work, some
of the stuff wouldn’t work in cold weather … you
had to design manoeuvres that worked all the

time.”
He won election as an MLA four times and served in
And he also told of being challenged to get nine, Premier Brad Wall’s cabinet as the minister overseeing
sometimes 11, small aircraft with limited range in policing and corrections. He did not seek re-election in
formation from Point A to Point B. the 2016 general election.
Typical was one trip to Houston, Texas. Clear skies,
Cabinet colleague Greg Ottenbreit, minister responsible
no problem—until the team was approaching a for rural and remote health, called Huyghebaert a
refueling stop at a USAF base in South Dakota. “mentor” and said: “He lived a life serving others.
Snowbird 4 called out low fuel.
Blue skies, Yogi. Rest Peacefully.”
But as the team was 50 miles out, the tower
reported: the runway had been closed because a T-
38 had blown a tire and was sitting on it.