RCAF Station Vulcan
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| RCAF Station Vulcan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Vulcan, Alberta in Canada | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Dept of National Defence (Canada) | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  RCAF Station Vulcan | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°19′55″N 113°21′28″W / 50.33194°N 113.35778°W[1] | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| In use | 1942–1945 | ||||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||||
| Occupants | No. 2 FIS (1942–43); No. 19 SFTS (1943–1945) | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 3,400 feet (1,036 m)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
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| Airfields | |||||||||||
RCAF Station Vulcan, also referred to as RCAF Aerodrome Vulcan, was a Second World War flying training station located southwest of the town of Vulcan, Alberta, Canada. It was one of many stations that were established in Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Aerodrome
The Vulcan aerodrome hosted No. 2 Flying Instructor School (FIS), which was formally established at the station on 3 August 1942.[2][3] However No. 2 FIS started training at RCAF Station Claresholm on 27 April 1942 under the control of No. 15 Service Flying Training School.[4] The aircraft used were Cornells, Cranes, Fawns, Finches, Harvards, Oxfords, Tiger Moths and Ansons. On 3 May 1943, No. 2 FIS moved to the Pearce aerodrome near Fort Macleod and No. 19 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) took over the facilities, training future bomber pilots using the Anson. No. 19 SFTS ceased operation on April 14, 1945. Relief or auxiliary landing fields were located at Ensign and Champion.[2]
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°20′N 113°21′W / 50.333°N 113.350°W with a Var. 23 degrees E and elevation of 3,400 feet (1,036 m). Three runways were listed as follows:
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20 | 3,125 feet (952 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 8/26 | 3,100 feet (945 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 14/32 | 3,100 feet (945 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
Relief landing field – Ensign
The primary Relief Landing Field (R1) for RCAF Station Vulcan was located east of the community of Ensign, Alberta.[3] In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°29′N 113°20′W / 50.483°N 113.333°W with a Var. 23 degrees E and elevation of 2,434 feet (742 m). Three runways were listed as follows:
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/21 | 3,175 feet (968 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 12/30 | 3,175 feet (968 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 15/33 | 3,175 feet (968 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
Relief landing field – Champion
The secondary Relief Landing Field (R2) for RCAF Station Vulcan was located approximately southwest of the community of Champion, Alberta. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 50°13′N 113°11′W / 50.217°N 113.183°W with a Var. 23 degrees E and elevation of 3,200 feet (975 m). The aerodrome was listed as "Turf" and "All-way field" with two runways listed as follows:
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/21 | 6,200 feet (1,890 m) | 500 feet (152 m) | Turf |
| 12/30 | 3,600 feet (1,097 m) | 500 feet (152 m) | Turf |
