Runway 21 at Claresholm Airport - Gary Watson Photo

By Gary Watson for SKIES Magazine

Claresholm airport to see new life

New life at one of Canada’s historic WWII airports

Nov 11, 2020 | 1:21 PM

CLARESHOM, AB. — Eighty years ago, at the end of October 1940, the Battle of Britain was winding up, and the air war over the U.K. and mainland Europe was beginning. Allied military leaders realized earlier that a large number of aircrew would be required to ensure that the input of new aircrew exceeded the number lost in battle.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) had been created in 1939 to recruit and train pilots and aircrew. Canada had been chosen as the safest country to carry out the training. The impetus to rapidly expand this plan went into effect by the end of 1940 with a massive engineering program — the largest in Canadian history.

By the end of 1942, 150 airfields were built and operational across the country, with the majority on the western prairies. By the end of the Second World War, 131,553 students had graduated, of which 49,507 were pilots. Most of these airfields were decommissioned and have since faded into obscurity.

Two original World War II hangars. Hangar 5, to the left, is extensively renovated inside and out – the taxiway freshly sealed and painted – Gary Watson Photo

The 4,558-square-kilometre Municipal District of Willow Creek (MD) — with a population of 5,800, located in Alberta’s southwestern corner — is mainly farming and ranching country. The town of Nanton borders it at the north, Fort MacLeod near the south, and Claresholm’s small village in the middle, alongside Highway 2 — the beginning foothills of the Rockies are to the west. The weather is mild for Alberta, and the skies are clear approximately 300 days per year, making it an ideal place to learn to fly.

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Near Claresholm was Number 15 Service Flying Training School (15SFTS) that provided advanced flying courses using the Avro Anson and Cessna Crane aircraft. Approximately 2,000 pilots received their wings before the end of the war. Claresholm Industrial Airport was reactivated in 1952 through 1958, during the Cold War, for NATO pilot training using the North American Harvard, then closed once again.

Over the ensuing years, several companies invested in the existing large hangars and other buildings, making various products, but little effort was spent to promote aviation.

Recently, the town relinquished ownership to MD with shared costs to maintain the runway and taxiway.

Derrick Krizsan, MD’s chief administrative officer, is pro-business development for Claresholm Airport and pro aviation, something not necessarily evident at governments near most airports today.

“We have a commitment to the town and the MD to develop more opportunities for industry and aviation at the airport,” said Krizsan, during an interview with Skies. “The revenue we generate will be reinvested in the airport property by creating more available areas for new serviced lots for both industry and hangars.”

Coincidently the MD offices are located at the airport, and staff are familiar with the property.

The general aviation terminal – Gary Watson Photo

An aviation-related user is Frame Aviation, a small, general aviation (GA) maintenance business. Private aircraft owners with small hangars and local area residents with their own airstrips that use the fuelling station are customers of Frame Aviation.

This activity has kept Claresholm Airport open as a registered airport, consisting of the one remaining runway 03/21 — which is 3,100 feet long by 100 feet wide — equipped with ARCAL lighting, reflective markers on the taxiway and a non-directional beacon (NDB) off the south end. The airport is also registered as having a 24-hour available medevac runway.

In mid-October 2020, the runway was repaired by crack-sealing the original asphalt surface and the runway lines and markers were repainted. More cyclical maintenance is planned.

New interest has been shown by Canadian Flight Instruction (CFI) to lease a portion of the small GA terminal to create classrooms and an area for a flight training device to provide both private and commercial flight training.

“When I first saw the Claresholm Airport and the surrounding area, I knew this was the ideal location for us,” said Bruno Jaguande, GM and chief flying instructor of CFI. “It was too expensive and crowded at airports closer to Calgary, such as Springbank, Okotoks, and High River. We were looking for a quieter location further south to start a new flying school. The history of the airport, the open skies, the room for development, plus a welcoming attitude by the local government make it the ideal location.”

At MD’s monthly planning commission meeting on Oct. 13, 2020, the first business item was a discussion to lease part of the terminal to CFI. Present at the meeting were Jaguande and his business partner, Paul Eldridge, as well as Frame Aviation owner, Murray Frame, and local pilots and landowners.

The NDB site in the foreground – Porcupine Hills in the background – Gary Watson Photo

The CFI executives answered questions about their plans to operate the school, ensuring minimal disruption to landowners. They offered to meet directly with concerned parties to discuss their concerns or suggestions to mitigate potential noise issues. After the public meeting, the MD committee meeting continued and agreed to lease the terminal building to CFI.

Skies met directly with the CFI executive after the MD committee meeting before the lease was made public.

“We already have a hangar designed,” said Eldridge, “however, the MD has to complete the process of sub-dividing the new properties before they can lease or sell us the land.”

“We own a Cessna 172 and a Piper Twin Comanche,” said Jaguande. “We have ordered a SimFlight Technologies BATD II, which is a Cat II flight training device with a 230-degree display. More aircraft and staff will be added as the school expands. We intend to seek students in Canada and internationally for both private pilot and commercial license training.”

The MD is also going forward with plans to create 10 new, 0.75-acre, fully serviced lots in front of the existing Second World War hangars and taxiway to construct new hangars. Additionally, the area with existing GA hangars will be subdivided, making an area for the CFI-planned, 5,200-7,200-square-foot hangar. A second phase would develop more land south of the terminal. Plans could also include a site dedicated to a helipad. A significant advantage at the airport is a massive amount of development space both on and off airside.

CFI is already in the process of clearing all the necessary regulatory hurdles and hopes to begin training in early 2021 — depending on receiving all the required approvals and the COVID-19 status.

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*** LNN offers thanks to ‘SKIES’ magazine for graciously allowing us to reprint the above article.