RCAF Station Mount Pleasant was a
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) station in
Mount Pleasant,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Two of its runways remain in use by members of the
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. ...
.
World War II
The aerodrome opened during
World War II
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 ...
in 1940 under the auspices 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 ...
(BCATP). It was intended to serve as a relief landing field for No. 9 Service Flying Training School, which was located at nearby
RCAF Station Summerside
Canadian Forces Base Summerside (CFB Summerside) was an air force base located in St. Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city of Summerside.
RCAF Station Summerside World War II
The airfield was constructed by the Royal Ca ...
.
In September 1943, RCAF Station Mount Pleasant evolved from a relief field to a full training facility when it began hosting No. 10 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS).
[
] Aircraft used for this training include the
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, 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), R ...
,
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Ha ...
,
Bristol Bolingbroke
The Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke is a maritime patrol aircraft and trainer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Produced by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada), Fairchild-Canada, it was a license-built version of the ...
and
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War.
After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...
. No. 10 B&GS ceased operation in June 1945.
The airfield was used as a storage depot for a short time before being decommissioned by the RCAF in 1947.
Aerodrome information
The airfield was constructed in the typical BCATP wartime pattern, with runways formed in a triangle.
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 25 degrees W and elevation of . Three runways were listed as follows:
References
Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History page
Former Canadian Forces bases in Canada
Royal Canadian Air Force stations
Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
Transport in Prince County, Prince Edward Island
Defunct airports in Prince Edward Island
Military airbases in Prince Edward Island
Military history of Prince Edward Island
{{PrinceEdwardIsland-stub