15 Wing Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw/Air Vice Marshal C.M. McEwen Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerGovernment of Canada
OperatorDND
LocationMoose Jaw No. 161, Saskatchewan
Time zoneCST (UTC−06:00)
Elevation AMSL1,892 ft / 577 m
Coordinates50°19′49″N 105°33′33″W / 50.33028°N 105.55917°W / 50.33028; -105.55917
Map
CYMJ is located in Saskatchewan
CYMJ
CYMJ
Location in Saskatchewan
CYMJ is located in Canada
CYMJ
CYMJ
CYMJ (Canada)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 3,400 1,036 Asphalt
11L/29R 8,326 2,538 Asphalt
11R/29L 7,280 2,219 Asphalt

Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw (IATA: YMJ, ICAO: CYMJ), also known as 15 Wing Moose Jaw, is a Canadian Forces base located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) south of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is home to RCAF Pilot training and 431 Squadron, the Snowbirds, which is the RCAF's air demonstration squadron.

The base's airfield is named after Air Vice-Marshal Clifford McEwen and is one of only three military aerodromes in Canada to be named after an individual, Valcartier (W/C J.H.L. (Joe) Lecomte) Heliport and Cold Lake/Group Captain R.W. McNair Airport being the others.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The customs service is restricted to 15 Wing – Moose Jaw aircraft only.[1]

History

A civilian flying club aerodrome was established on the site south-southwest of Moose Jaw in 1928 by the Moose Jaw Flying Club. Its location surrounded by flat open prairie proved to be an ideal training site.

RCAF Station Moose Jaw

The declaration of World War II saw the Moose Jaw Flying Club initially contracted to provide pilot training for the Royal Canadian Air Force; however this was soon replaced by the far larger British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) which saw the Government of Canada acquire the aerodrome and completely reconstruct it into RCAF Station Moose Jaw in 1940 with the new aerodrome opening in 1941.

Initially the Royal Air Force trained exclusively at the base under the RAF's No. 32 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) (ca. 1942) using Harvards, and later, Oxfords. No. 32 SFTS eventually broadened its intake to train 1,200 pilots for the air forces of Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, the United States, and the Netherlands.[3]

Aerodrome information

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°20′N 105°33′W / 50.333°N 105.550°W / 50.333; -105.550 with a variation of 18 degrees east and elevation of 1,900 ft (580 m). Six runways were listed as follows:[4]

Runway name Length Width Surface
13/31 2,760 ft (840 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced
13/31 2,820 ft (860 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced
8/26 2,760 ft (840 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced
8/26 3,120 ft (950 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced
2/20 2,760 ft (840 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced
2/20 2,820 ft (860 m) 100 ft (30 m) Hard surfaced

RCAF Station Moose Jaw had two relief landing fields. One was located at Buttress, Saskatchewan and one at Burdick (Moose Jaw Municipal Airport) .

In 1946 RCAF Station Moose Jaw was decommissioned and the aerodrome was returned to civilian service.

Because of rising Cold War tensions, the aerodrome was reactivated by the RCAF in 1953 as the site of military pilot training. RCAF Station Moose Jaw undertook additional construction to support its expanded personnel complement. The base was used by the RCAF and its NATO allies for pilot training, using both single-prop World War II-era Harvards and Canadair CT-133 Silver Star jet training aircraft. By the mid-1960s these were both replaced by the Canadian built CT-114 Tutor.

CT-114 Tutor jet trainer and the old Moose Jaw control tower in the spring of 1982

The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at RCAF Base Chapel.[5]

CFB Moose Jaw

In 1968 the RCAF merged with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Navy to form the unified Canadian Forces. The base's name was changed to Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw, usually shortened to CFB Moose Jaw. From 1968 until the formation of Air Command in 1975, CFB Moose Jaw fell under the direction of Training Command and served to house the Tutor Jet Training Program.

By the early 1990s, CFB Moose Jaw was operated by over 1,300 employees and made a significant economical impact on the region, but pending cutbacks in military spending spread rumours of possible closure of the base. In 1994, the Government of Canada awarded Bombardier with a 20-year contract to support the delivery of what is now the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. Many of the base's structures were renovated to accommodate new personnel and new training aircraft. Pilots from Denmark, Singapore, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Finland, and many other allied nations train at CFB Moose Jaw every year, ensuring the base's future with the Canadian Forces. In 2015, Bombardier sold its NFTC contract to CAE who are currently the prime contractor.

CT-114 Tutors belonging to 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School parked on the ramp at CFB Moose Jaw, 1982

From 1970 until its disbandment in 1993 Moose Jaw had a Base Rescue Flight flying three CH-118 Huey helicopters.[6]

During a reorganization at AIRCOM in the late 1990s, CFB Moose Jaw's various AIRCOM units were placed under a new primary lodger unit called "15 Wing"; consequently the base is now referred to as 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

Current operations

Base Rescue Moose Jaw CH-118 Iroquois helicopters at CFB Moose Jaw, 1982

15 Wing Moose Jaw is home to the following units:

CFB Moose Jaw

Integral Units

Canadian Armed Forces Lodger Units

  • 23 Canadian Forces Health Services Centre, Detachment Moose Jaw
  • 1 Dental Unit, Detachment Moose Jaw
  • Real Property Operations Unit - West, Detachment Moose Jaw
  • Canadian Armed Forces Transition Centre, Detachment Moose Jaw
  • 14 Military Police Flight, 1 Military Police Squadron, Air Force Military Police Group

Other Lodger Units

NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC)

  • CAE Inc - Prime Contractor
    • Serco[7][8] - Air Traffic Control, Air Information Services, and Ground Electronic Services
    • ATCO Frontec[9][8] - Facilities Management, Vehicle and Logistics Services, Fire/Crash Rescue Services, Airfield Infrastructure, Flight Training Facilities

Southport Aerospace Centre

Integral Units

Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS)

  • KF Aerospace[10] - Prime Contractor
    • Canadian Base Operators[10] - Air Traffic Control, Fire and Crash Support, Airfield Maintenance, Food Services, Administrative Support, IMIT, Housekeeping and Aeronatuical Information Services
    • Bluedrop Training & Simulation[10] - Coursewear development
    • Canadian Helicopters[10] - Helicopter maintenance and ground-based and simulation instructors.

Future Aircrew Training Program (FAcT)

The NATO Flying Training in Canada[11] and Contracted Flying Training and Support[12] contracts expire in 2027. Future Aircrew Training Program (FAcT) will replace these two contracts as well as create a new contracted system for Air Combat Systems Officers and Airborne Electronic Sensors Operators. After the REquest for proposals going out on 11 February 2022, the new contract is expected to be awarded in 2023.

Prospective bidders

Raytheon CT156 Harvard II at CFB Moose Jaw, 3 November 2005

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Synoptic/Metstat Station Information Archived 1 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Greenhous, Brereton; Norman Hillmer (Fall 1981). "The Impact of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan on Western Canada: Some Saskatchewan Case Studies". Journal of Canadian Studies. 16 (3): 133–144. doi:10.3138/jcs.16.3-4.133. S2CID 151441160Project Muse.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  4. ↑ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 2. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 51.
  5. ↑ Stained glass at RCAF Base Chapel
  6. ↑ AEROWARE / RCAF.com (2010). "Bell CH-118 IROQUOIS". Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "Aviation Services". serco. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Facilities & Operations". SkyAlyne. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "ATCO Frontec Profile: NATO Flying Training in Canada - 15 Wing Moose Jaw". frontec.atco.com. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 GSSI. "Contracted Flying Training & Support (CFTS)". KF Aero. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada (7 March 2022). "NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) – Extension (W8485-7-VA01/001/ZD)". buyandsell.gc.ca. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada (12 March 2018). "Future Aircrew Training Program - Air - Defence and marine procurement - Buying and Selling - PSPC Services - PSPC". www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "SkyAlyne | Truly Canadian Training". SkyAlyne. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The SkyAlyne Team". SkyAlyne. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training". Babcock & Leonardo. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Babcock Canada and Leonardo Canada join forces to support the country's Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program". Babcock & Leonardo. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 "Three new strategic partners join the FAcT team led by Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training". Babcock & Leonardo. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "Canada's Largest Indigenous-Owned Hospitality and Site Management Company Joins the Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training Team". Babcock & Leonardo. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Canada's Leading Aviation and Emergency Management Specialists join the Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training team". Babcock & Leonardo. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Executive Flight Centre, a leading Canadian provider of aerodrome site support services, joins Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training for the FAcT program". Babcock & Leonardo. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "Leading Canadian infrastructure management organization joins the FAcT bid team led by Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training". Babcock & Leonardo. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "A leading Canadian facilities management organization joins the FAcT bid team led by Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training". Babcock & Leonardo. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
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