Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw , also known as 15 Wing Moose Jaw, is a
Canadian Forces base
A Canadian Forces base or CFB (french: links=no, base des Forces canadiennes, BFC) is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units (e.g., army r ...
431 Squadron
Year 431 ( CDXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Bassus and Antiochus (or, less frequently, year 1184 ''Ab urbe c ...
, the Snowbirds, which is the RCAF's air demonstration squadron.
The base's airfield is named after Air Vice-Marshal
Clifford McEwen
Air Vice Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence a ...
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...
(CBSA). The customs service is restricted to 15 Wing – Moose Jaw aircraft only.
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
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) 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.
Aerodrome information
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a variation of 18 degrees east and elevation of . Six runways were listed as follows:
RCAF Station Moose Jaw had two relief landing fields. One was located at
Buttress, Saskatchewan
Buttress was built in 1940 as the relief landing field for RCAF Station Moose Jaw and Royal Air Force's, No. 32 Service Flying Training School that was stationed there. These fields were used for practice circuits and also as an emergency alt ...
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
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
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.
The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at RCAF Base Chapel.
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.
From 1970 until its disbandment in 1993 Moose Jaw had a Base Rescue Flight flying three CH-118 Huey helicopters.
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
15 Wing Moose Jaw is home to the following units:
CFB Moose Jaw
Integral Units
* 15 Wing/NFTC Headquarters
** 15 Wing Air Reserve Flight
* CFB Moose Jaw
* 15 Operations Support Squadron
** 15 Wing Air Traffic Control Flight
*** Military Terminal Control Unit
*** Military Aerodrome Control Unit
*
2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School
2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (2CFFTS; french: links=no, 2e École de pilotage des Forces canadiennes) is one of the Royal Canadian Air Force's training centres for pilots and also one of the facilities of the NATO Flying Training in C ...
(2 CFFTS)
*
431 Air Demonstration Squadron
The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...
23 Canadian Forces Health Services Centre
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many socie ...
, Detachment Moose Jaw
*
1 Dental Unit
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length ...
, Detachment Moose Jaw
*
Real Property Operations Unit
Real may refer to:
Currencies
* Brazilian real (R$)
* Central American Republic real
* Mexican real
* Portuguese real
* Spanish real
* Spanish colonial real
Music Albums
* ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000)
* ''Real'' (Bright album) (201 ...
- West, Detachment Moose Jaw
*
Canadian Armed Forces Transition Centre
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, Detachment Moose Jaw
*
14 Military Police Flight
Fourteen or 14 may refer to:
* 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15
* one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014
Music
* 14th (band), a British electronic music duo
* ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013
*''14'', an unrel ...
,
1 Military Police Squadron
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length ...
,
Air Force Military Police Group
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing ...
Other Lodger Units
*
Defence Construction Canada Defence Construction Canada (DCC; french: Construction de Défense Canada) is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Canada.
DCC was created in 1951 to help build massive defence infrastructure during the Cold War. It was notably involved i ...
, Moose Jaw Regional Office
*
Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) (French language, French: ''Services de bien-être et moral des Forces canadiennes''; ''SBMFC''), previously known as Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services (CFPFSS) and Canadian F ...
Canadian Forces Exchange System
The Canadian Forces Exchange System, or CANEX, is a commercial service of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. First established in 1968. It is tasked with supporting the Canadian Forces operational effectiveness, contributing to mo ...
* CAE Inc - Prime Contractor
** Serco - Air Traffic Control, Air Information Services, and Ground Electronic Services
** ATCO Frontec - Facilities Management, Vehicle and Logistics Services, Fire/Crash Rescue Services, Airfield Infrastructure, Flight Training Facilities
Southport Aerospace Centre
Integral Units
*
3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School
3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (3 CFFTS; french: 3e École de pilotage des Forces canadiennes) is located at the Southport Aerospace Centre just south of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada.
3 CFFTS conducts Primary Flight Training on ...
* KF Aerospace - Prime Contractor
** Canadian Base Operators - Air Traffic Control, Fire and Crash Support, Airfield Maintenance, Food Services, Administrative Support, IMIT, Housekeeping and Aeronatuical Information Services
** Bluedrop Training & Simulation - Coursewear development
** Canadian Helicopters - Helicopter maintenance and ground-based and simulation instructors.
Future Aircrew Training Program (FAcT)
The NATO Flying Training in Canada and Contracted Flying Training and Support 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.
KF Aerospace
KF Aerospace is an approved maintenance organization (AMO) which operates two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Canada, one at Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia and the other at Hamilton International Airport i ...
Canadian Base Operators
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Lockheed Martin
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
***
PAL Aerospace
PAL Airlines (formerly Provincial Airlines) is a Canadian regional airline with headquarters at St. John's International Airport in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
***
Serco
Serco Group plc is a British company with headquarters based in Hook, Hampshire, England. Serco primarily derives income as a contractor for the provision of government services, most prominently in the sectors of health, transport, justice, i ...
* Babcock Leonardo Canadian Aircrew Training
** Primary Partners
*** Babcock Canada
*** Leonardo Canada
** Potential Sub-Contractors and Strategic Partners
***
Top Aces
Top Aces Inc. is a Montreal, Quebec-based defence contractor that offers contracted airborne training services to the Canadian Armed Forces through the Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) program. Top Aces operates a fleet of modernized ...
Athabasca Catering
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may ...
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The Loomex Group
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
***
Executive Flight Centre
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive di ...
***
Bird Construction
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...