RCAF Station Claresholm
| RCAF Station Claresholm | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claresholm, Alberta in Canada | |||||||||||||||||
 RCAF Station Claresholm hangars in 2006 | |||||||||||||||||
  RCAF Station Claresholm Location in Alberta | |||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°00′17″N 113°37′48″W / 50.00472°N 113.63000°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Royal Canadian Air Force | ||||||||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||||||||
| Built | June 9, 1941 | ||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1958 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fate | Became Claresholm Industrial Airport | ||||||||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 2,950 ft (900 m) AMSL | ||||||||||||||||
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| Airfields | |||||||||||||||||
RCAF Station Claresholm was a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan station that trained pilots for World War II service. The station was located near Claresholm, Alberta, Canada.
History
[edit]World War II
[edit]No. 15 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) opened on 9 June 1941, and closed on 30 March 1945.[1] The school used Anson and Cessna Crane aircraft, and its relief airfields were RCAF Woodhouse, a few kilometers east at 49°59′24″N 113°26′51″W / 49.99000°N 113.44750°W, and RCAF Pulteney, a few kilometers north. No. 2 Flying Instructor School (FIS) was established as a sub unit of No. 15 SFTS on 27 April 1942 but relocated in September 1942 to Vulcan.[2] Student pilots at No.2 FIS flew Tiger Moths and Cessna Cranes.
Aerodrome information
[edit]In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°00′N 113°38′W / 50.000°N 113.633°W with a variation of 23 degrees east and elevation of 3,325 ft (1,013 m). Six runways were listed as follows:[3]
| Runway Name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20 | 3,000 ft (910 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 2/20 | 3,100 ft (940 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 14/32 | 3,100 ft (940 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 14/32 | 3,100 ft (940 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 8/26 | 3,000 ft (910 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 8/26 | 3,200 ft (980 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
Relief landing field – Woodhouse
[edit]The primary Relief Landing Field (R1) for RCAF Station Claresholm was located southeast of the community of Claresholm. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°00′N 113°27′W / 50.000°N 113.450°W with a variation of 23 degrees east and elevation of 3,300 ft (1,000 m). Three runways were listed as follows:[4]
| Runway Name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20 | 3,020 ft (920 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 14/32 | 3,020 ft (920 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 8/26 | 3,020 ft (920 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
A more accurate set of coordinates can be found at 49°59′24″N 113°26′51″W / 49.99000°N 113.44750°W[5] at this location the outline of the three runways is still visible on Google Earth. The site is presently used for agricultural purposes.
Postwar
[edit]Claresholm was placed on care and maintenance status until reactivated in 1951 as a NATO training centre run by No. 3 Flying Training School (flying Harvards). The station closed again in 1958 when the school was relocated to Gimli, Manitoba. It is now the Claresholm Industrial Airport. As of August 2011[update], hangars 2 to 4 are derelict and deteriorating.
References
[edit]- ^ Hatch, F. J. (1983). The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. ISBN 0660114437.
- ^ "RCAF Daily Diary of #15 S.F.T.S., Claresholm, Alta". heritage.canadiana.ca. 27 April 1942. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 2. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 86.
- ^ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 2. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 118.
- ^ "Map: Cranbrook-Lethbridge, Air Navigation Edition." Hydrographic and Map Service: Canada Department of Mines and Resources, Surveys and Engineering Branch, July 1941.