In the early 1950s Canadair Limited proposed a new, high performance jet trainer to help train RCAF pilots for the newly acquired F-86 Sabre. Throughout the course of the design of what would become the CT-114 Tutor (but at this time was known within Canadair as the CL-41A) two prototype aircraft were manufactured. Prototype 000 flew with the civilian registry CF-LTW-X. Since it was to train pilots to fly the Sabre, many of the controls were the same, but unlike the Sabre, it featured side-by-side seats each with identical controls, so an instructor could monitor the student or take control if necessary.

The first flight of one of these prototype Tutors occured on January 13, 1960, flown by project pilot Ian MacTavish. Following extensive testing and demonstration flights, Canadian Minister of National Defence D.S. Harkness announced an initial order of 190 CL-41As on September 11, 1961. The Tutors began arriving in 1963 at a cost of $425,000 CDN per aircraft.                                                 

Tutor 000 was one of the two prototype CL-41As manufactured by Canadair and used for extensive testing, demonstration flights, and went through a number of re-design and engine variants. In 1971, it was loaned to Canadair to fly in the London to Victoria Air Race to celebrate the Centennial of British Columbia’s Confederation with Canada. It was later mounted on a plinth at CFB Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, painted as a Golden Cetennaire, until 2013 when it was acquired by the National Air Force Museum of Canada and transported to Trenton. It has undergone restoration, and currently is awaiting new paint for display.