RCAF Station High River
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RCAF Station High River was a station of the
Royal Canadian Air Force 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 Can ...
(RCAF) located at
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...
, Alberta, Canada.


High River Air Station

The High River Air Station commenced flying operations on 6 May 1921 when the Flying Operations Branch of the
Canadian Air Board The Air Board was Canada's first governing body for aviation, operating from 1919 to 1923. The Canadian government established the Air Board by act of Parliament on June 6, 1919, with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada. Canada ...
relocated the Morley Air Station to High River over the winter of 1920–21. The Morley Air Station was one of the initial five stations established for civil operations in the summer of 1920. From experience gained during the 1920 flying season, the weather at Morley was determined to be too erratic and dangerous for flying. In the early days, the station had an entirely
civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...
function and was the largest in Canada with ten war-surplus
Airco DH.4 The Airco DH.4 is a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence "DH") for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber capable of defending itself. It was desig ...
aircraft that were part of the
Imperial Gift The Imperial Gift was the donation of aircraft from surplus stocks in Britain after World War I to the dominions of the British Empire: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. On 29 May 1919, the Cabinet of the United Kingdom a ...
provided to Canada by Britain after the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Initially, most of the flying operations consisted of fire-spotting forestry patrols over the mountains and foothills to the west. Two patrols were made daily, to the Clearwater, Bow and Crowsnest Forest Reserves. One patrol flew north as far as the Clearwater River, and one south to the International Boundary. Of the early Canadian air stations, High River was the most active, with 215 flights flown on forest patrols. Other responsibilities of the station included
aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flight, airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wi ...
,
parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
experimentation, aircraft testing, and aerial pesticide spraying. In the early 1920s the station became involved with experimenting with radio.
Wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information (''telecommunication'') between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided transm ...
equipment was developed in cooperation with the Canadian Corps of Signals to develop radio signals to be broadcast over distances greater than 300 km. The most powerful radio transmitter in North America began operating from the High River Air Station in 1922. In 1922, sub-bases were established at
Eckville Eckville is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is west of Red Deer on Highway 766 just north of Highway 11. History Eckville gets its name from A. E. T. Eckford, a European colonist. Eckville relocated to its current location in 1912, af ...
and
Pincher Creek Pincher Creek is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies, west of Lethbridge and south of Calgary. History For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indig ...
at the northern and southern ends of the patrol routes. Patrols were flown outbound in each direction in the morning, refuelled at the sub-bases, and returned in the afternoon.
Aerial photography Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flight, airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wi ...
operations were also begun in 1922, using modified DH.4 aircraft. Following the cancellation of part-time training for military pilots on 31 March 1922, the Air Board restructured its flying operations, merging the Flying Operations Branch into the
Canadian Air Force 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 Cana ...
in June. Changes to the organization of the air stations were deferred to the fall to avoid administrative issues during the flying season. On 25 November 1922, the High River Air Station was renamed CAF Unit High River and the civilian personnel were commissioned or enlisted into the Canadian Air Force. The name changed again when the Canadian Air Force was granted the "Royal" prefix effective 13 March 1923, becoming RCAF Unit High River, then RCAF Station High River in early October. None of these changes, nor the official formation of the
Royal Canadian Air Force 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 Can ...
on 1 April 1924, substantially altered the role of the station. Late in 1924, five Avro 552 Vipers were delivered to replace the DH.4s on forestry patrol, with two of the latter type retained for the station's mobile photographic flight. In July 1925, retroactive to 1 April, all the RCAF's civil operations stations were re-designated as numbered squadrons, with High River becoming No. 2 (Operations) Squadron. The northern refueling field moved from Eckville to
Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David ...
in 1926, though Eckville was used again temporarily in 1927. On 1 July 1927, the RCAF's civil operations were transferred to the new Directorate of Civil Government Air Operations, and No. 2 (Operations) Squadron again became the High River Air Station. This directorate was nominally civilian, the director reporting directly to the Deputy Minister of National Defence, but was still staffed almost entirely by attached or seconded RCAF personnel. The following year, all photographic operations were re-organized as independent detachments reporting directly to Ottawa, and High River provided support to No. 1 Photographic Detachment instead of fielding its own photographic flight. In 1928, De Havilland DH. 60 Cirrus Moths replaced both the DH.4s and the Avro 552s. That same year, a sub-station was established at
Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in Northern Alberta, northwestern Alberta, Canada, within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Alberta Highway 43, Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) ...
to enable the patrolling of the
Peace River Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; ) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where a certain portion of the region i ...
. After jurisdiction for natural resource management was transferred to the Province of Alberta in 1930, fire towers were built and spotting aircraft were no longer necessary. Fire-spotting patrols gradually ceased. No. 1 Photographic Detachment moved to
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
for the 1930 flying season. Other activities such as aircraft testing continued until the station closed on 31 March 1931, with its facilities transferred to the Winnipeg Air Station for care and maintenance. The station did, however, remain as an aircraft storage facility until the beginning of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
when the station was reactivated to train pilots for wartime service.


No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School

RCAF Station High River was a major participant in
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 ...
aircrew training during the Second World War. No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) was established at High River on 28 June 1941 after having moved from RCAF Station Lethbridge because of wind problems at Lethbridge. Training was provided by civilian instructors from the Calgary Aero Club.
De Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary traine ...
s were the first aircraft used. They were later replaced by Fairchild Cornells. An unprepared emergency and practice landing field, also known as a relief landing field, was located on the then dry lakebed of nearby Frank Lake. More than 4000 pilots were trained at No. 5 EFTS. The school closed on 15 December 1944.


Aerodrome

In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 23 degrees E and elevation of . The field was listed as "Irregular all-way turf field" and had three runways listed as follows:


Relief landing field - Frank Lake

In approximately 1942 the relief aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 23 degrees E and elevation of . The field was listed as "Dry Lake Bed" and was located at Frank Lake, east of High River, and was marked as a square measuring: * N-S - * E-W - Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes, p. 94


Closure to present

The High River aerodrome closed in December 1944. The site is no longer a functioning airport and is used for private commercial purposes. I


References

* Hatch, F.J
''Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan 1939–1945''.
Ottawa: Canadian Department of National Defence, 1983. . Retrieved 2010-04-26. * Milberry, Larry (General Editor). ''Sixty Years - The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924 - 1984''. Toronto: Canav Books, 1984. . * Roberts, Leslie. ''There Shall Be Wings''. Toronto: Clark, Irwin and Co. Ltd., 1959. No ISBN.
Fencelines and Furrows Historical Book Society. ''Fencelines and Furrows''. First Edition, 1969. No ISBN.
Retrieved 2018-07-10
Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History Page - Abandoned Bases (Alberta): No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School
Retrieved 2014-05-23
Smith, D. ''Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Aerial Reconnaissance in the Canadian Rockies During the 1920s''. Western Division, Canadian Association of Geographers. Western Geography 7 (1997)
Retrieved 2016-04-07

Retrieved 2016-04-07
A Proposal to Commemorate RCAF Station High River
Retrieved 2019-06-04


External links


Air station description from bombercommandmuseum.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:High River
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...
Former Canadian Forces bases in Canada
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...
High River 1921 establishments in Alberta