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 Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

on June 6, 1919, with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada. Canada was the first country to legislate and implement rules governing the entire domain of aviation.

Functions

The Air Board had three functions: devising a means of, and administering Canadian

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

; controlling and conducting all

civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

(non-military) government flying operations; and providing rules and regulations for flying within Canada, which included licensing, issuing air regulations and managing air traffic. The Board consisted of three sections: 1) the Department of the Controller of Civil Aviation which controlled all civil flying; 2) the Directorate of Flying Operations which controlled civil flying operations of the Air Board; and 3) the Headquarters of the Canadian Air Force (CAF), which operated at

Camp Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

Stations

Several air stations were established for civil flying operations: 1.

Naval Air Station Halifax Naval Air Station Halifax, also NAS Halifax, was a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, Canada. History NAS Halifax was established in August 1918 by Richard E. Byrd in the months following the United Sta ...

, a former

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

base used for

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

and forestry patrols, and aerial photography. 2.

Roberval, Quebec Roberval is a city on the south-western shore of Lac Saint-Jean in the Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. With a population of 9,840 in the Canada 2021 Census, it is the fourth largest city on this lake after Alma, ...

, a seaplane base on

Lac Saint-Jean Lac Saint-Jean (Canadian French: ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area ...

used for

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

patrols and surveying. 3. Jericho Beach, British Columbia, used for fishery, forestry, anti-smuggling patrols. 4.

Morley, Alberta Morley is a First Nations settlement within the Stoney 142/143/144 Indian reserve in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located along the Canadian Pacific Railway between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Bow River, upstream from Ghost Lake. It has ...

, used for forestry patrols (later moved to

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...

, Alberta). 5. Rockcliffe, Ontario, used for photo surveying. 6.

Victoria Beach, Manitoba Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, a seaplane base used for forestry patrols.

Members

List of members of the board from 1920: * Arthur Sifton, Chairman 1919–1921 and Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue (Canada) *

Hugh Guthrie Hugh Guthrie, (13 August 1866 – 3 November 1939) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a minister in the governments of Sir Robert Borden, Arthur Meighen and R. B. Bennett. Biography He was born in Guelph, Ontario, the ...

- Chairman 1921 - appointed to replace Sifton * George Perry Graham - Chairman 1921–22 - appointed to replace Guthrie *

Oliver Mowat Biggar Oliver Mowat Biggar, (October 11, 1876 – September 4, 1948) was a Canadian lawyer and civil servant. He was the second judge advocate general for the Canadian Militia and the first chief electoral officer of Canada. He also served as the firs ...

, Vice Chairman 1919–1922 and Judge Advocate General * Sydney Chilton Mewburn, Member and

Minister of Militia and Defence (Canada) The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canadian militia units only, as the British Army w ...

Charles Ballantyne Charles Colquhoun Ballantyne, (August 9, 1867 – October 19, 1950) was a Canadian politician. A millionaire and one-time owner of Sherwin Williams Paints in Montreal, Ballantyne was president of the Canadian Manufacturer's Association and ...

, Member and Minister of Naval Service * Dr. Robert M. Coulter – Member and Deputy Postmaster General * John Armistead Wilson, Member and Assistant Deputy Minister for Naval Service – later Controller of Civil Aviation with Department of National Defence and Transport Canada 1922–1941 * Edward S. Busby – Chief Inspector of Department of Customs and Inland Revenue] *

Willoughby Gwatkin Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin, (11 August 1859 – 2 February 1925) was a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Canadian Militia during the First World War. Military career The son of a barris ...

– Inspector General 1919–22

Operations staff

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Robert Leckie – Superintendent of Flying Operations *

James Stanley Scott – Superintendent of Certificates Branch *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Alexander Macdonald Shook Major Alexander MacDonald Shook was a Canadian World War I flying ace. During his stint with the Royal Naval Air Service, he was credited with 12 official aerial victories. Early life Shook was born in Ontario, Canada on 2 December 1888; the ex ...

– Secretary

Succession

In 1922 the Air Board, along with the former Department of Militia and Defence and the Department of Naval Service, was absorbed into the new Department of National Defence (DND). January 1, 1923, however, was set as the formal change-over date to allow time for reorganization.Milberry 1984, p. 23. The CAF, which had been a small non-permanent air

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

directed by the Air Board and originally formed to provide refresher flying training to veterans, was reorganized and became responsible for all Canadian flying operations including the control of civil aviation. The

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 ...

(RCAF), which was created in 1924, would direct civil flying until 1927 when a Civil Aviation Branch was created within the DND. In November 1936 the Civil Aviation Branch was transferred to the new

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

, which would control all civil flying except for work directly related to defence.Roberts 1959, p. 110.

Notes

References

* Milberry, Larry, ed. ''Sixty Years—The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924–1984''. Toronto: Canav Books, 1984. {{ISBN, 0-9690703-4-9. * Roberts, Leslie. ''There Shall Be Wings''. Toronto: Clark, Irwin and Co. Ltd., 1959. No ISBN.

External links

Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers – The Air Board Years 1919 to 1927 (and beyond)

Military history of Canada Aviation in Canada 1919 establishments in Canada 1923 disestablishments in Canada Former Canadian federal departments and agencies Government agencies established in 1919 Government agencies disestablished in 1923