RCAF Station Mount Pleasant

RCAF Station Mount Pleasant
RCAF Station Mount Pleasant
Near Ellerslie, Prince Edward Island in Canada
	RCAF Station Mount Pleasant
Coordinates	46°35′54″N 064°00′24″W / 46.59833°N 64.00667°W
Site information
Owner	Dept of National Defence (Canada)
Airfield information
Elevation	110 feet (34 m) AMSL
Runways
2/20	3,048 feet (929 m) hard surface
8/26	3,002 feet (915 m) hard surface
14/32	2,994 feet (913 m) hard surface
	Airfields

Two aircrew examining a target drogue at No. 10 Bombing and Gunnery School, RCAF, Mount Pleasant, P.E.I., 1944

RCAF Station Mount Pleasant was a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) station in Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Two of its runways remain in use by members of the Experimental Aircraft Association.^[2]

World War II

The aerodrome opened during World War II in 1940 under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (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.

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).^[3] Aircraft used for this training include the Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke and Westland Lysander. 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 46°36′N 64°00′W / 46.600°N 64.000°W / 46.600; -64.000 with a Var. 25 degrees W and elevation of 110 feet (34 m). Three runways were listed as follows:^[1]

Runway name	Length	Width	Surface
2/20	3,048 feet (929 m)	150 feet (46 m)	Hard (asphalt) surfaced
8/26	3,002 feet (915 m)	150 feet (46 m)	Hard (asphalt) surfaced
14-32	2,994 feet (913 m)	150 feet (46 m)	Hard (asphalt) surfaced

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 32.
^ "A Short History of Abandoned and Downsized Canadian Military Bases - Introduction". Military Bruce Historical Writings. Bruce Forsyth. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010.
^ 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.

Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History page

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[Handbook-1] Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 32.

[2] "A Short History of Abandoned and Downsized Canadian Military Bases - Introduction". Military Bruce Historical Writings. Bruce Forsyth. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010.

[hatch-3] 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.

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