Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg , (CFB Winnipeg) is a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

base located within the City of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Co-located at the

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or Winnipeg Airport) is a Transport Canada designated international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh b ...

, CFB Winnipeg is home to many flight operations support divisions, as well as several training schools. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 17 Wing, commonly referred to as 17 Wing Winnipeg. One of the facilities at CFB Winnipeg is the Billy Bishop Building which houses the headquarters of

1 Canadian Air Division , colors = Blue, green, yellow, and silver , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , ...

(1 CAD) as well as the headquarters of Canadian

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD) Region.

History

Established in 1922 by the federal government's

Canadian Air Board The Air Board was Canada's first governing body for aviation, operating from 1919 to 1923. The Canadian government established the Air Board by act of Parliament on June 6, 1919, with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada. Canada wa ...

(a two squadron

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

formed in 1918 was disbanded in 1920), Winnipeg was opened as an

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

and became known as RCAF Station Winnipeg in 1925 after the

was formed the previous year from the second Canadian Air Force Initially, the base served as a winter home for units that operated across northern Manitoba. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the base played an expanded role, participating in the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

(BCATP). During that time, they trained more than 130,000 personnel from across Canada ranging from pilots, navigators, observers and wireless operators. RCAF Station Winnipeg also became an important supply and repair depot and base to ferry and inspect units for the air force. Following the war, RCAF Station Winnipeg continued to provide training for pilots and navigators from many allied countries, as well as base active RCAF squadrons. The formation of No.2 Air Observer School & Central Navigation School was created from the increased training activities which graduated over 5,000 aircrew from foreign countries. The air force has long had a reserve or auxiliary presence there: No. 112 Squadron from 1932 to 1940 and then, since 1946, No. 402 Squadron. This latter unit has used, successively, the

P-51D Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...

, Harvard Trainer,

de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and ...

Canadair CT-133 Silver Star The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (company model number CL-30) is the Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 jet trainer aircraft, in service from the 1950s to 2005. The Canadian version was powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turboj ...

Beech C-45 Expeditor The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November ...

de Havilland Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and h ...

and were the last Canadian squadron to fly the CC-129 Dakota. The February 1, 1968 unification of the RCAF with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

and

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

formed the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. As a result, RCAF Station Winnipeg was renamed as Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg (North). The Canadian Army camp Fort Osborne Barracks, later renamed Kapyong Barracks, home of the 2nd Battalion,

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

(PPCLI), was merged with the RCAF base, becoming Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg (South). Kapyong Barracks closed in June 2004 and 2PPCLI re-located to

CFB Shilo Canadian Forces Base Shilo (CFB Shilo; french: Base des Forces canadiennes Shilo — BFC Shilo) is an operations and training base of the Canadian Armed Forces, located east of Brandon, Manitoba and adjacent to Sprucewoods. During the 1990s, C ...

near

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

. The Kapyong Barracks name was also transferred to the new garrison facility in CFB Shilo. CFB Winnipeg became home to several transport and utility squadrons, as well as headquarters for Air Command, which was formed in 1975. A realignment of the Canadian Forces in the mid-1990s saw Air Command HQ move to

National Defence Headquarters National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence (DN ...

. As with other AIRCOM bases across Canada, CFB Winnipeg's squadrons were grouped under a wing system, in this case 17 Wing Winnipeg, which is the highest-level unit at the base. As a RCAF training centre, CFB Winnipeg is currently home to 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (although the unit itself is located in

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, west of Winnipeg), 402 Squadron (which conducts training done by the former

Canadian Forces Air Navigation School The Canadian Forces Air Navigation School is located at CFB Winnipeg From Observers to navigators Canadian pilots in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) learned rudimentary navigation during World War I, but separate observer schools were not introd ...

or CFANS), the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies (CFSAS), the

Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training The Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was established in 1996. It provides instruction to aircrew on life support equipment, survival and aviation physiology. History The Wilbur Rounding ...

(CFSSAT), as well as the Canadian Forces School of Meteorology (CFS Met).

Current usage

Canadian Armed Forces - DHC6 - Twin Otter

For flight operations support, the base houses the following units: * 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron, (4) de Havilland CT-142 Dash 8 *

Museum

The base is home to the

Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park The Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park, in Winnipeg, Manitoba displays aircraft and artifacts pertaining to the history of the Canadian Air Force. The park contains memorials to Canadian air search and rescue, and to the people who trained un ...

. The Air Park is located on Air Force Way and contains 10 historic aircraft. The museum is located in the 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters.https://www.facebook.com/17Wing Outside on static display are: *

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to e ...

100784 * Beech CT-134 134228 *

Bell CH-136 Kiowa The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-Helicopter rotor, rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related t ...

136248 * Canadair CF-5A 116749 *

Canadair CX-144 Challenger The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets developed by Canadair after a Bill Lear concept, and then produced from 1986 by its new owner, Bombardier Aerospace. At the end of 1975, Canadair began funding the development ...

144612 *

Canadair CL-13 The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unti ...

B Sabre 23605 * Canadair CT-133 133186 * Grumman CT-121 1551 *

Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being des ...

104753 *

McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo The McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri for ...

101008 *

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

(Canada Car and Foundry Mk IV) 20301

References

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Military airbases in Manitoba