RCAF Station Kingston

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RCAF Station Kingston
280px
The airfield during World War II
Active 7 October 1940 – 7 September 1945
Country Canada Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957.svg Flag of Canada.svg
Branch Royal Air Force Air Force Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign (1941-1968).svg
Role British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
Aircrew training
Part of No. 1 Training Command
Schools No. 31 Service Flying Training School
No. 14 Service Flying Training School
Aircraft flown
Trainer Fairey Battle
North American Yale
North American Harvard
File:RCAF Kingston Nav Chart Fragment.jpg
1943 Navigation chart showing RCAF Kingston and surrounding area. North is up, Lake Ontario at bottom.[1]
File:RCAF Kingston 3 Pilots.jpg
Pilots at RAF No.31 SFTS in 1943

RCAF Station Kingston was a World War II air training station built in 1940 at Collins Bay near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The station was originally built by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for use by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Like other RAF schools in Canada, it was subject to RCAF administrative and operational control.[2]

No. 31 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) was the first British Service Flying Training school to be established in Canada and the first flying training school at Kingston.[2]:61 The school was originally No. 7 Service Flying School based in Peterborough, England. Its main intent was to train pilots of the Fleet Air Arm, but in the beginning the school's first students were British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) trainees selected for service with the RCAF and RAF.[2]:62 Naval trainees, however, made up the majority of the trainees by the end of December 1940. Pilots were trained on Fairey Battles, which were shipped from England, and later, Harvards. Relief landing fields were located at Gananoque and Sandhurst, Ontario.

In 1942, the school formally became part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[2]:69 In 1944 No. 31 SFTS was merged with the RCAF's No. 14 SFTS when this school was transferred to Kingston from RCAF Station Aylmer. Aircraft used by No. 14 SFTS included Harvards, Yales and Ansons. No. 14 SFTS closed down in September 1945.

Some of the more noteworthy pilots who trained at this station include:

The old air station has been improved over the years and is now the Kingston/Norman Rogers Airport.

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. David Clarabut obituary Retrieved: 2010-08-12
  4. Robert Hampton Gray Retrieved: 2010-08-12
  5. 5.0 5.1 Awards of the Canadian Navy Retrieved: 2010-08-12

External links