RCAF Detachment Grand Bend, located near

Grand Bend Grand Bend is a community located on the shores of Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Municipality of Lambton Shores in Lambton County. History In the 1830s a group of English and Scottish settlers bought lots from ...

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 ...

, was built in 1942 as part of the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a large-scale multinational military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the Second Wo ...

. It was the primary relief aerodrome ("R1") for student pilots training with No. 9 Service Flying Training School at

RCAF Station Centralia RCAF Station Centralia was a Royal Canadian Air Force training base located just outside the village of Centralia near Exeter, Ontario, Canada. It became one of the largest training stations in Canada. It was turned over to civilian use after 1967 ...

. Grand Bend was home to No. 1 Flying Control School from 1951 to 1957. The station was used by Centralia until 1961 when it began use with

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

. It was given back to the

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canad ...

in 1962 and was used by RCAF Station Centralia until the aerodrome closed in 1963. Subsequent owners of the property were Eagleson Construction, John Twynsta Holdings Ltd, POG Ltd (Pickling Onion Growers)and the Grand Bend Motorplex. File:Grand Bend 1942 Hangar.JPG, The RCAF hangar seen from the taxiway, control tower on top File:RCAF Grand Bend Hangar North.jpg, The RCAF hangar seen from the north File:Grand Bend Runway 07.JPG, Runway 07, with race track surface on left side File:RCAF Grand Bend Private Aircraft.jpg, Private aircraft area near runway 07 File:RCAF Grand Bend Main Entrance.jpg, The RCAF main entrance

Aerodrome information

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Grand Bend, Ontario at with a variation of 5 degrees west and elevation of . The aerodrome was listed with three runways as follows: The Grand Bend Motorplex uses the original runway 13/31 as a

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

track. Runway 01/19 is now an access to the dragstrip and also the Grand Bend Speedway oval and Grand Bend Motocross dirt bike tracks. The remaining runway 07/25 of the airfield is shared by the Grand Bend Raceway, the Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center and some local private aircraft. The only RCAF building that remains is the hangar, with the control tower perched on top. The property was subsequently owned by Bell Aerospace, Exeter plastics and P.O.G. The aerodrome is now operated as the Grand Bend Airport.

References

External links

Royal Canadian Air Force website

Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History Page

Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center

Grand Bend Motorplex
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Bend Royal Canadian Air Force stations, Grand Bend Military airbases in Ontario Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Defunct airports in Ontario Military history of Ontario 1942 establishments in Ontario