Air Traffic Control

Historical Detail

For almost 25 years, the airport at Centralia was used as an RCAF training establishment. In fact, this is what it owes its origins.

Several pilot schools were built throughout Canada during the Second World War. One such institution was the No. 9 Service Flying Training School. SFTSs offered advanced flight training to airmen who had graduated from elementary pilot schools. No. 9 SFTS was formed in 1940 at Summerside, PEI, but as its aerodrome was designated for use as a new General Reconnaissance School in 1942, No. 9 was moved to a new location near Exeter, Ontario. This particular school was assigned Ansons as trainers. As a twin-engine aircraft, the Anson was designed to train bomber and transport pilots. Throughout the war No. 9 FSTS was run by Group Captain Fullerton, the first Canadian to fly a Hurricane fighter. A new class began every month at Centralia with each having 40 to 60 students. By disbandment in June 1945, over 1300 airmen had earned their wings at this school.

Immediately after No. 9's disbandment, the RCAF formed No. 1 Aircrew Conditioning Unit in its stead. ACUs were designed to train servicemen bound for the Pacific theatre. Their four week course included geography, survival, leadership training and tropical medicine. (The unit was nick-named "Murder-Inc" because of its arduous training.) No. 1 ACU operated until the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific. For several months in that last year of the war, part of the aerodrome was used as a subsidiary internment centre responsible to the No. 10 Internment Camp of Chatham.

When No. 1 ACU was closed, the RCAF formed its first post-war flying school at Centralia, the No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS). Little flight training was offered that year becuase of the winding down of activities but a flying course did start in January 1946. Ansons and Harvards flew again but only for three weeks as the course was suddenly cancelled. The airport was then put on a care and maintenance basis.

In January 1947, Centralia came back to life. The base was re-activated to provide extra accommodations and training facilities for students at the No. 1 Radar and Communications School (No. 1 R&CS) of RCAF Station Clinton. The following April, these facilities became No. 2 R&CS. Flying operations to support these schools was provided by the R&CS Flight.

Centralia became home to another school in 1947. The No. 1 Instrument Flying School was re-located there from Trenton in the spring of that year. The IFS gave flying officers a chance to earn their instrument rating qualifications. The course included radio aids, navigation, meteorology, aircraft instruments, link training, flight procedures and direction-finding. Flight training was aboard the Expeditor.

On 1 September 1947, the aerodrome officially became RCAF Station Centralia and the No. 1 FTS was re-activated. No. 1's first course consisted of fifteen students who trained in the school's ten Harvards. These pilots were to be the first to receive their wings in the post-war period.

1948 was a year of change at Centralia. In April of that year, the RCAF's School of Flying Control was formed at the station. The school trained Flying Control Officers and Aircraft Control Assistants for work in airport towers and operations rooms. One month later, a flying detachment for the No. 1 Air Radio Officers School of Clinton was formed there. The same month, No. 1 FTS held its first NATO Wings Parade. The school was one of Canada's contributions to the training of foreign airmen for the new multinational force. The parade included pilots from Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

In October 1954, the Pre-Flight School opened its doors at Centralia. The PSA provided ground instruction to students prior to their flight training at the FTS. The twelve-week course included service indoctrination, drill, and map reading, navigation and aircraft instrumentation much like what was offered at Initial Training Schools during the war.

The station then became home to another school. the Primary (Flying) Training School, two years later. The P(F)TS was both a tri-service school for Canadian pilots and one for Commonwealth and NATO airmen as well. Army personnel took a seventeen-week course which included 80 hours of flight training in preparation for further instruction at the Army Light Aircraft School at Rivers, Manitoba. RCN pilots took a twelve-week course and followed this with further training at the RCAF's Advanced Flying School at Portage-la-Prairie, also in Manitoba. The P(F)TS also trained RCAF auxiliary pilots for twelve weeks. The training aircraft was the Chipmunk.

In March 1957, ther No. 1 FTS disbanded. This meant that graduates from the Pre-Flight School would now have to continue their training at other FTSs in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The same year, the No. 1 IFS amalgamated with the Advanced Flying School at Saskatoon.