Everything about Rcaf Station High River totally explained
RCAF Station High River was a station of the
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) located at
High River,
Alberta,
Canada.
The
Canadian Air Board began operating the High River Air Station in January 1921 after having moved the station from Morley, Alberta, where the weather was discovered to be too erratic and dangerous for flying. In the early days, the station had an entirely
civil function and was the largest in Canada with ten war surplus aircraft .
Most of the flying consisted of fire-spotting forestry patrols over the mountains and foothills to the west. The aircraft used was the
DH.4. Late in 1924
Avro Vipers began to be used, and in 1928
De Havilland Cirrus 60 Moths were added. Intitially, two patrols were made daily, to the Clearwater, Bow and Crowsnest Forest Reserves, one patrol flew north as far as the
Clearwater River, and one south to the International Boundary. Eventually substations were built at
Pincher Creek in the south and
Eckville in the north to increase patrol efficiency. In 1928, a substation was constructed at
Grand Prairie to enable the patrolling of the
Peace River country.
Other responsibilities of the station included
aerial photography,
parachute experimentation, and aircraft testing. In the early 1920s the station became involved with experimenting with
radio. The most powerful radio transmitter in
North America began operating from High River in 1922.
High River discontinued operation on
March 31,
1931 although the station remained as an aircraft storage facility until the beginning of the
Second World War when the station was reactivated to train pilots for wartime service.
The High River Air Station was a major participant in
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan aircrew training during the war. No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) was established at High River in 1941 using civilian instructors.
De Havilland Tiger Moths were the first aircraft used. They were later replaced by
Fairchild Cornells. An unprepared emergency and practice landing field was located on the then dry lakebed of nearby Frank Lake.
The High River aerodrome closed in October 1944. The site is no longer a functioning airport and is used for private commercial purposes. It shouldn't be confused with the present
High River Airport, which is in a different location.
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