Aviation in Canada Celebrates 99 Years

Canada was chosen as the primary location for "The Plan" due to ample supplies of fuel, wide open spaces suitable for flight and navigation training, industrial facilities for the production of trainer aircraft, parts and supplies, the lack of any threat from Luftwaffe and Japanese fighter planes and its relative proximity to both the European and Pacific theatres.

The RCAF would run the plan in Canada but to satisfy RAF concerns Robert Leckie a senior RAF commander (at the time in charge of RAF squadrons in Malta) and a Canadian was posted to Ottawa. Appointed to the Canadian Air Council he directed the running of the training from 1940.

Due to its prominence in the plan, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to Canada as "the Aerodrome of Democracy", a play on his earlier description of the United States as "the Arsenal of Democracy." At its height, The Plan included 231 training sites, more than 10,000 aircraft and 100,000 military administrative personnel. Over 167,000 students, including over 50,000 pilots, trained in Canada under the program from May 1940 to March 1945. While the majority of those who successfully completed the program went on to serve in the RAF, over half (72,835) of the 131,553 graduates were Canadians.

In late 1944, the Air Ministry announced the winding-up of the plan, since the Commonwealth air forces had long had a surplus of air crews.

List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Canada
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This article contains a List of Facilities of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), a major program for training Allied air crews during World War II, operated schools and facilities in all nine Canadian provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador was not yet part of Canada).

Training aircraft
For many facilities, the type of training aircraft used appears in parentheses. The BCATP used the following types of aircraft for training:

Airspeed Oxford
Avro Anson
Boeing Stearman
Bristol Bolingbroke
Cessna Crane
De Havilland Tiger Moth
Fairchild Cornell
Fairey Battle
Fairey Swordfish
Fleet Finch
Noorduyn Norseman
North American Harvard
North American Yale
Stinson 105
Westland Lysander
Northrop Nomad



Training Command Headquarters
The BCATP operated four major commands:

1. Toronto, Ontario, with responsibility for all Ontario facilities except those in the far southeastern and northwestern ends of the province.

2. Winnipeg, Manitoba, with responsibility for facilities in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, and part of Saskatchewan.

3. Montreal, Quebec, with responsibility for facilities in far southeastern Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

4. Regina, Saskatchewan, with responsibility for British Columbia, Alberta, and part of Saskatchewan.


Central Flying School
The Central Flying School was located in Trenton, Ontario, which still hosts a major military airbase, CFB Trenton.


Central Navigation School
The Central Navigation School was located in Rivers, Manitoba (Anson).


Instrument Navigation School
The Instrument Navigation School was located near Deseronto, Ontario, at what is currently Tyendinaga (Mohawk) Airport.


Manning Depots
The BCATP had two principal Manning Depots:

1. Toronto, Ontario

2. Brandon, Manitoba

Initial Training School
Recruits started their training with a few weeks at an Initial Training School, to learn the basics of military life.

1. Toronto, Ontario

2. Regina, Saskatchewan

3. Victoriaville, Quebec (Finch and Moth)

4. Edmonton, Alberta

5. Belleville, Ontario

6. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan


Elementary Flying Training Schools
An Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a recruit 50 hours of basic aviation instruction on a simple trainer like the Moth or Finch. Pilots who showed promise went on to advanced training at a Service Flying Training School. Others went on to different specialties, such as wireless, navigation or bombing and gunnery.

1. Malton, Ontario (Moth) — currently Toronto Pearson International Airport

2. Fort William, Ontario (Moth)

3. London, Ontario (Finch)

4. Windsor Mills, Quebec (Finch and Moth)

5. Lethbridge, Alberta, High River, Alberta (Moth and Cornell)

6. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (Moth and Cornell)

7. Windsor, Ontario (Finch)

8. Vancouver, British Columbia (Moth)

9. St. Catharines, Ontario (Moth)

10. Hamilton, Ontario, Pendleton, Ontario (Moth and Finch) — currently Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport and Pendleton Airport

11. Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec (Finch and Cornell)

12. Goderich, Ontario (Finch) — now Goderich Airport

13. St. Eugene, Ontario (Finch)

14. Portage La Prairie, Manitoba (Moth and Finch)

15. Regina, Saskatchewan (Moth and Cornell)

16. Edmonton, Alberta (Moth and Finch)

17. Stanley, Nova Scotia (Finch and Moth)

18. Boundary Bay, British Columbia

19. Virden, Manitoba (Moth and Cornell)

20. Oshawa, Ontario (Moth)

21. Chatham, New Brunswick (Finch)

22. Quebec City, Quebec (Finch)

23. Davidson, Saskatchewan, Yorkton, Saskatchewan (Cornell)

24. Abbotsford, British Columbia, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (Cornell)

25. DeWinton, Alberta (Moth, Stearman and Cornell)

27. Neepawa, Manitoba (Moth and Cornell)

32. Bowden, Alberta (Moth, Stearman and Cornell)

33. Caron, Saskatchewan (Cornell)

34. Assiniboia, Saskatchewan — originally an RAF school.

35. Neepawa, Manitoba — RAF school incorporated into 26

36. Pearce, Alberta (Moth and Stearman)


Service Flying Training Schools
The Service Flying Training School provided advanced training for pilots, including fighter and multi-engine training.

1. Camp Borden, Ontario (Harvard)

2. Uplands (Ottawa), Ontario (Harvard and Yale) — currently Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

3. Calgary, Alberta (Anson and Crane)

4. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Anson and Crane)

5. Brantford, Ontario (Anson) — currently Brantford Airport

6. Dunnville, Ontario (Harvard and Yale) — currently Dunnville Airport

7. Fort MacLeod, Alberta (Anson) — currently Fort Macleod Airport

8. Moncton, New Brunswick (Anson)

9. Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Centralia, Ontario (Anson and Harvard) — currently Summerside Airport and Centralia/Huron Airpark

10. Dauphin, Manitoba (Harvard) — currently Dauphin (Lt. Col W.G. (Billy) Barker VC Airport)

11. Yorkton, Saskatchewan (Harvard, Crane and Anson) — currently Yorkton Municipal Airport

12. Brandon, Manitoba (Crane and Anson) — currently Brandon Municipal Airport

13. St. Hubert (Montreal), Quebec (Harvard and Anson) — currently Montréal/St-Hubert Airport

14. Aylmer, Ontario (Anson and Harvard)

15. Claresholm, Alberta (Anson) — currently Claresholm Industrial Airport

16. Hagersville, Ontario (Anson and Harvard)

17. Souris, Manitoba (Anson and Harvard)

18. Gimli, Manitoba (Anson) — currently Gimli Industrial Park Airport (see also Gimli Glider)

19. Vulcan, Alberta (Anson)

31. Kingston, Ontario (Battle and Harvard) — currently Kingston/Norman Rogers Airport

32. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (Oxford) — currently Moose Jaw/Air Vice Marshal C.M. McEwen Airport

33. Carberry, Manitoba (Anson)

34. Medicine Hat, Alberta (Harvard and Oxford) — currently Medicine Hat Airport

35. North Battleford, Saskatchewan (Oxford) — currently North Battleford (Cameron McIntosh) Airport

36. Penhold, Alberta (Oxford)

37. Calgary, Alberta (Oxford, Harvard and Anson)

38. Estevan, Saskatchewan (Anson) — currently Estevan Airport

39. Swift Current, Saskatchewan (Oxford) — currently Swift Current Airport (where yours truly learned to fly.)

41. Weyburn, Saskatchewan (Anson and Harvard) — currently Weyburn Airport


Air Observer Schools
1. Malton, Ontario (Anson) — currently Toronto Pearson International Airport

2. Edmonton, Alberta (Anson)

3. Regina, Saskatchewan (Anson)

4. London, Ontario (Anson)

5. Winnipeg, Manitoba (Anson) — current Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

6. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (Anson)

7. Portage La Prairie, Manitoba (Anson)

8. Quebec City, Quebec (Anson)

9. St-Jean, Quebec (Anson)

10. Chatham, New Brunswick (Anson)


Bombing and Gunnery Schools
1. Jarvis, Ontario (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

2. Mossbank, Saskatchewan (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

3. Macdonald, Manitoba (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

4. London, Ontario (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

5. Dafoe, Saskatchewan (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

6. Mountain View, Ontario (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

7. Paulson, Manitoba (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

8. Lethbridge, Alberta (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

9. Mont-Joli, Quebec (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

10. Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander)

31. Picton, Ontario (Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke and Lysander) — currently Picton Airport


Air Navigation Schools
3. Port Albert, Ontario (Anson)

33. Hamilton, Ontario (Anson) — currently Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport


Wireless Schools
1. Winnipeg, Manitoba (Moth, Stinson 105) — currently Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

2. Calgary, Alberta (Harvard and Fort)

3. Montreal, Quebec (Norseman and Moth)

4. Guelph, Ontario (Norseman and Moth)


Flying Instructor Schools
1. Trenton, Ontario — currently CFB Trenton

2. RCAF Station Pearce, Alberta (various)

3. Arnprior, Ontario (various) — currently Arnprior/South Renfrew Municipal Airport

4. RCAF Station Vulcan, Vulcan, Alberta


Naval Air Gunner School
1. Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (Swordfish)


General Reconnaissance Schools
1. Summerside, Prince Edward Island (Anson) — currently Summerside Airport

31. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Anson) — currently Charlottetown Airport


Auxiliary Airfields
1. Buttress, Saskatchewan

2. Hamlin, Saskatchewan (Oxford)

"Mustang1" said
Guy...links. But the info is interesting. Here's another Canadian aviation success story that gets buried by the Arrowphiles.

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/e ... klst_e.asp

"WDHIII" said
Guy...links. But the info is interesting. Here's another Canadian aviation success story that gets buried by the Arrowphiles.

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/e ... klst_e.asp