RCAF Station Brandon was a Second World War

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Z ...

(BCATP) station located near

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

, Canada. It was operated and administered by the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) 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 environ ...

(RCAF).

History

World War II

The facility was originally built by the

Department of National Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

in 1941, for use as a

flight training school under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. On 16 May 1941, ''No. 12 Service Flying Training School'' was established at RCAF Station Brandon. The school trained pilots on more advanced multi-engined aircraft including the Cessna Crane and

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ...

. On 30 March 1945, the school was closed in conjunction with the end of the Second World War. . Portions of the former RCAF station are now classified as a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

. The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is a popular tourist attraction located at the former station that commemorates the BCATP and the former station.Airport History
Retrieved 11 June 2018

Aerodrome information

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as ''RCAF Aerodrome - Brandon, Manitoba'' at with a variation of 13 degrees east and elevation of . Six runways were listed as follows:

Relief landing field – Chater

A relief landing field for RCAF Station Brandon was located approximately east. The site was located 5 miles northeast of the town of Chater, Manitoba. The relief field was constructed in the typical triangular pattern. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as ''RCAF Aerodrome - Chater, Manitoba'' at with a variation of 13 degrees east and elevation of . Three runways were listed as follows: At some point after the war the former relief field was sold and decommissioned as an aerodrome. The aerodrome has been declared abandoned. A review of Google Maps on 7 June 2018 shows a very visible airfield at the listed coordinates. But runway orientation is flipped top to bottom with the drawing in the book from c.1942.

Relief landing field – Douglas

The second relief landing field for RCAF Station Brandon was located approximately east. The site was located north east of the town of Douglas, Manitoba. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as ''RCAF Aerodrome - Douglas, Manitoba'' at with a variation of 12.5 degrees east and elevation of . The Relief field was listed as Turf all way, however no dimensional data was provided. A review of Google Maps on 7 June 2018 shows no visibility of an airfield near the posted coordinates.

Present day

The airport is now operating as the

Brandon Municipal Airport Brandon Municipal Airport (also known as Brandon Airport or McGill Field) is an airport located north of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. It serves the City of Brandon, the Westman and Parkland regions of Manitoba, and eastern Saskatchewan. Brand ...

References

Brandon Military airbases in Manitoba Military history of Manitoba {{canada-mil-stub Buildings and structures in Brandon, Manitoba 1941 establishments in Manitoba 1945 disestablishments in Manitoba