De Lesseps Field was a small, but important airfield in early aviation in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario, Canada.
Opened sometime before 1910, an airfield was created from three farms by engineer
William Griffith Trethewey (1865–1926). The airfield was located near present-day Hearst Circle and the Wishbone on a site in
York Township (just outside
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
).
The grassy airfield was later used by
French aviator
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Jacques Benjamin de Lesseps (1883–1927) and later renamed after him. The property remained in the hands of the Trethewey family after the death of Trethewey, but in 1928 Trethewey's son Fred sold it to airline
Skyways Limited
Skyways Limited was an early post-World War II British airline formed in 1946 that soon became well-established as the biggest operator of non-scheduled air services in Europe.''Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten ... Skyways)'', p. 57, Ian Allan ...
.
Trethewey Airfield
/ref> de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular De Havilland Canada Dash 8, Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were loca ...
established their first home here in 1928 (building a small hangar) to build Gipsy Moth and Tiger Moth aircraft, but left for Downsview in 1929.Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...
. No trace of the airfield remains in the area.
Besides aircraft manufacturing, the airfield hosted air shows starting in 1910 (hosted by the Ontario Motor League).Leaside Aerodrome
Leaside Aerodrome was an airport in the Town of Leaside, Ontario (now a neighbourhood of Toronto). It opened in 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during the First World War.
History
Unlike nearby Armour Heights Field, the airfield was not ...
1927–1931
* Long Branch Aerodrome 1915–1919
* Toronto Aerodrome 1928–1939
Most of the airfield related buildings were temporary or converted from farm use. De Havilland's first factory was in an old vegetable warehouse because it had double doors wide enough to accommodate assembled aircraft. A larger hangar was built in 1929, but it was moved along with the aircraft manufacturer to Downsview.
See also
* List of airports in the Greater Toronto Area
As of May 2024, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) contains seven airports, eight heliports, and one water aerodrome. These aviation facilities are situated within and around Toronto and its neighbouring cities, serving airline passengers, regional ...
References
External links
Jacques de Lesseps
Toronto’s near-forgotten first aerodrome – Trethewey/De Lesseps Field honoured with a historical plaque
{{authority control
Defunct airports in Ontario