RCAF Station Saskatoon

RCAF Station Saskatoon was a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It was located at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Soon after the Second World War broke out, the airfield became home to No. 4 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), one of dozens of military air training facilities created under the BCATP. This station flew Avro Anson and Cessna Crane twin-engine trainers until 1944, when 4 SFTS was disbanded. One of the many pilots to be trained at the airfield was Les Munro, later to fly on the famous Dambusters Raid.

Postwar, the RCAF returned to the city when No. 406 (Auxiliary) Squadron was set up at the Saskatoon station, initially flying Harvard trainers, and then B-25 Mitchell light bombers. The squadron changed to light transport/utility duties with the C-45 Expeditor and the De Havilland Otter. Another RCAF presence at Saskatoon was No. 1 Advanced Flying School, which used a wide array of aircraft from 1952-62. From 1959-62, the RCAF's Central Flying School was located at the station.

As a result of defence cutbacks, the flying schools and No. 406 Squadron were disbanded in early 1964. For the next 15 years, the airport was the site of the RCAF's storage site for retired aircraft that were awaiting sale of disposal. A trip to this facility in the early 1970s would have revealed parked Dakotas, Neptune antisubmarine aircraft and T-33 trainers. This storage facility was overseen by the Canadian Forces 407 Technical Services Detachment, which contracted with Bristol Aerospace for this work. This facility closed in 1978.

The Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport is located on the former RCAF Station Saskatoon site. Some of the former RCAF buildings remain today.

External links

• Bruce Forsyth's Military History Page