New RCAF plane completes 1st operational parachute rescue deep in B.C. mountains [Video]

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are celebrating the successful rescue of a pilot who crashed deep in the mountains north of Prince George, B.C.

The mission involved Canada’s newest fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft. The CC-295 Kingfisher carried out its first operational parachute jump on Wednesday after only three weeks on the job.

The air force says the Kingfisher, which is based out of Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, is specifically designed for search-and-rescue operations, and comes equipped with sensors that allow crews to locate people or objects from more than 40 kilometres away, even in low-light conditions.

“The modernization on this plane is night and day compared to what we used to fly previously,” said Capt. Greg Harris, who piloted the Kingfisher during the mission.

The aircraft officially went …