NUMBER ONE SCHOOL OF FLYING CONTROL
The governmental authorization for the Flying Control Organization also recognised the need for trained personnel to staff the airfields and on 24 August, 1942, under direction of AFHQ organization order 93/12-8-1942, Number One School of Flying Control opened at RCAF Station Pat Bay B.C. The Commanding Officer was Flight Lieutenant R.M. Donaldson who had been recalled from the U.K. after a period of Flying Control familiarisation with the Royal Air Force. It was somewhat of an inauspicious beginning. The staff of three officers and 2 airmen arrived, but the Station Commander had no accommodation for a school - indeed, there wasn't even a building. Two ab initio students arrived the same day, but had to be usefully employed for several weeks in the Control Tower. One often wonders if this was the start of Contact Training?
During the next month a barrack block for use of the Flying Control School was constructed, and a brand new building for the School was sited and completed. It is interesting to note that the #1 School of Flying Control was built from the ground up and equipped with all furniture and five trainers for the princely sum of $800.00. When one examines the pictures, a "motif of 4 x 8 plywood sheets" becomes quickly apparent! The Curriculum, comprising seven days work weekly, was not firmly established until early in 1943, but it planned for 40 officers or 40 other ranks to graduate every twelve weeks - a copy of a timetable is included at Appendix F. Note that classes were from 0800 to 1700 hours daily. Sunday was always a Church Parade. After graduation, the successful candidate could expect to take 8 to 12 months of training in the field before final qualification.
From late 1942 until the summer of 1945, #1 School of Flying personnel, but as a result of the successful conclusion of the war in Europe and the successes against Japan, the continued operation of #1 School of Flying Control was deemed no longer necessary. Under authority of AFHQ Organization Order 301 dated 8-9-1945, the #1 School of Flying Control was closed at Pat Bay B.C. and trainers, school buildings and accommodations were disposed of by Crown Assets. The Commanding Officer at the time, Wing Commander R.M. Donaldson was sent to Ottawa to work in AFHQ.
#1 SCHOOL OF FLYING CONTROL AT TRENTON
On 16 April 1946, under authority of AFHQ Organization Order 702 4-4-1946, the No. 1 School of Flying Control was reestablished at RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario with Wing Commander R.M. Donaldson as Commanding Officer. On 1 August 1946, he was replaced by Wing Commander W.J. Michalski (Pilot). Training continued until October 1947, but AFHQ decided that the RCAF had enough trained personnel to fulfill all its Flying Control tasks. The decision was made that all training of Flying Control Officers would be carried out by means of contact training in the tower at RCAF Station Centralia. Thus under authority of AFHQ Organization Order 899 10-10-1947, Flying Control training and Flying Control Standards became the responsibility of #1 Instrument Flying School based at Trenton.
GROUND CONTROL APPROACH SCHOOL, DORVAL P.Q.
On 24 August 1948, AFHQ Organization Order 947 stated, "As a result of the introduction of GCA into the RCAF it is necessary to establish a school to train personnel as controllers and in the maintenance of GCA equipment. This training is necessary because of the complexity of these installations." The function of the GCA School was as follows: "To train selected Flying Control Officers and Aircraft control Assistants as GCA Controllers to operational standards." As well, another task of this School, established under control of 426 Transport Squadron and commanded by F/L Ron Gilmour was, "To train selected Master Radio Technicians, Radar Technicians and/or Radio Technicians (Ground) in the maintenance and repair of GCA Equipment to a level that will enable them to perform any servicing normally done at Station level."
At the same time, it was realised that the RCAF needed ATC assistants to carry out the Flying Control tasks and the training of Flying Control Other Ranks started again at #1 Instrument Flying School (Trenton) with Squadron leader K.C.M. Dobbin (Pilot) appointed as Officer Commanding Flying Control training. While this training was reinitiated, the Air Board at AFHQ decided that enough personnel had been trained to fulfill the needs of RCAF personnel for the particular MPN 1 GCA equipment purchased for the RCAF, and under Org Order 1/50 dated 14 Feb 1950 the GCA School at Dorval was closed on 29 May 1950 after four Technician Courses and eight GCA Controller courses had been completed. These courses were dedicated solely to the particular MPN 1 GCA Equipment. Later, training of MPN 1C Controllers was carried out at RCAF Station Edmonton in 1951 under command of F/O Lloyd Pike (pilot on ground tour) while in Eastern Canada MPN 1 GCA training was carried out at RCAF Station Rockcliffe.
#1 SCHOOL OF FLYING CONTROL-RCAF DETACHMENT GRAND BEND
In early 1951, when the RCAF was reequipping with Sabres AFHQ realised that the new jet aircraft coming into service required a system of control for safety reasons and thus the Flying Control Branch was again instituted. This immediately meant that contact training of controllers at Centralia was no longer a feasible method of providing trained controllers so under AFHQ Org Order 14/51 of 20-3-1951, the #1 Flying Control School was reestablished, this time at RCAF Station Centralia (Relief Field #1) located at Grand Bend, Ontario. The School, opened on 5 April 1951 and trained Officers and Other ranks until 1957. The Officer training was aimed at graduating Aerodrome controllers with some training in conventional non-Radar control.
FLYING CONTROL SCHOOL, CFB CAMP BORDEN
By 1957, owing to a need for a better radar simulator and because the RCAF wished to consolidate, under Org Order 5.5.5. 17-3-1957, the Flying Control School moved into Hangar 9 at RCAF Station Camp Borden. This hangar, and its sister hangar #10, were World War I hangars, lacking good insulation. Hanger 9 also included the Control Tower. Soon, with the inception of IFR Terminal Control training this school was churning out the graduates for the increased establishments needed to staff Terminal Control units in the RCAF.
GROUND CONTROL APPROACH SCHOOL, AYLMER
Meanwhile, some of those GCA controllers who had been trained at Dorval were beginning to leave the Service, and as new GCA equipment was being purchased, the immediate need was filled by training some controllers with the USAF at Biloxi, Mississippi until the RCAF established its own GCA School. This school, under command of F/L J.A. Honour was set up at RCAF Station Aylmer, Ontario in the fall of 1953, collocated with the GCA Technician School. Training of GCA Controllers continued here until, facing base closure in 1957, AFHQ ordered the consolidation of GCA training with other Flying Control training at RCAF Station Camp Borden. This move took place on 2 December 1957. Due to the cost of providing aircraft flights to train GCA controllers, new computers (the infamous T-2) were provided to the School and the designation of School of Flying Control change to a non-flying unit in June of 1959. That date marked the inception of Simulator-only training for the School of Flying Control. Henceforth, live aircraft training for all controllers would be carried out in the field.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STANDARDS TEAM
The AFHQ move to change the name of Flying Control Branch was culminated in 1966 with the Branch being renamed as the Air Traffic Control Branch. Meanwhile, several changes within RCAF Station Borden occurred and the School of Flying Control changed its name to Air Training Wing. In 1967, the Branch decided also to establish the Air Traffic Control Standards Team, headquartered at the school, under command of S/L G.R. Carter with team member, F/L H. Gold and F/L R.W. Hawkins.
This Team's mandate was to:
Annually assess the proficiency of air traffic control units.
Evaluate/standardize unit programmes.
Propose changes to ATC School syllabi.
Standardize Flight Check Team functions.
Suggest/evaluate amendments to ATC publications.
Consult with civil/military ATC units on matters of mutual interest.
Recommend types of postings for AS/ATC officers.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING COMPANY, CFB BORDEN
Soon after the integration of the Canadian Forces in 1968, the Canadian School of Aerospace and Ordnance Training was established at CFB Borden and the Air Training Wing became known as the Air Traffic Control Company. (Army nomenclature had been accepted). During the next few years the ATC Company struggled to train using old equipment and to obtain new simulators.
In 1973, the ATC Company forwarded to National Defence Headquarters a requirement to upgrade the IFR/Radar simulator, which, unfortunately, could not fit into Hangar 9. Also The Ministry of Transport was also going to the government with plans for the new simulators at the Transport Canada Training Institute (TCTI) at Cornwall, Ontario. Many governmental authorities wanted to know why two Schools were needed. As a result, no decision on replacement of simulators for DND was taken, but it engendered many discussions, when finally, in 1975 the Military Air Traffic control Company at CFB Borden was directed to join with Ministry of Transport Air Traffic Services School at Cornwall. In 1976, the two Schools switched instructors with Bob Billard coming to Camp Borden as MOT Liaison with Captain Jack Garbutt moving to Ministry of Transport Training Institute in Ottawa, later moving to Cornwall. The final hurdles were overcome in May of 1978 and the RCAF switched from the RCAF method of strip-marking to that of DOT. Joint training was the plan for civil/military ATC from that time on.
CANADIAN FORCES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING UNIT, CORNWALL
Thus, on 1 April 1979, the ATC Company, under authority of NDHQ Org Order 5.2.5 01/06/79 became the Canadian Forces Air Traffic Control Training Unit (CFATCTU) supported from CFB Kingston under the auspices of Training Systems in Trenton, Ontario. The name had to be changed from that of a school as the Ministry of Transport, quite rightly, did not want a School within the Air Traffic Services School.
While Tower training, GCA training and Terminal Control training was unique to the RCAF, the School did carry out combined courses in VFR Tower training. By 1982, however, some problems had arisen, and the two schools separated their training. Also in 1983, CFATCTU became a unit of Air Command, although still supported from CFB Kingston. In 1984, however, with the inception of 14 Training Group and the switch to CFB Ottawa as support unit, CFATCTU assumed its proper place in Air Command. In 1986, a review of training, inspired by high failure rates on Officer courses, prompted a change in training philosophy and the Officer courses were rewritten, allowing for a smoother training progress. This has improved training success for both IFR and VFR courses thus helping to alleviate shortages in the field.
The old GCA unit at CFB Borden was judged uneconomical to move but no plans had been made to replace it with a new simulator at Cornwall. After two years of no GCA training, the shortages of AirTCon 161s were becoming alarming and from 1981 until late 1982, Precision Approach Controllers received their initial Surveillance radar training at Cornwall with two weeks of Precision training at the United States Navy Air Traffic Control School at Memphis, Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Sgt Dale Campbell and Warrant Officer Elphick of CFATCTU had been spending many days working with Norpak Company in Ottawa and a new Precision Radar simulator was finally designed, purchased and installed at Cornwall in late 1982. It is interesting to note that in the fall of 1979, NORPAK was the sole simulator source recommended by ATC to provide the proper simulator for CFATCTU. However, the engineers and "purchasers" did not believe that ATC personnel had the "necessary expertise" to select such a simulator, and the Senior staff stated it had to go out to tender. Accordingly, it was let to tender by the Department of Supply and Services. In 1982, these same people evaluated four proposals and guess what? - NORPAK won the contract at a substantially higher price than had been asked as sole source in 1979 and, of course, only two years later.
In 1990, 14 Training Group was again disbanded, and once more CFATCTU reported direct to Air Command Headquarters. In 1990, a national shortage of controllers in Canada has caused many military controllers to seek employment with Ministry of Transport and an increase in officer training was again required. Presently, discussions are underway to explore the possibility of Ministry of Transport Air Traffic Controllers providing all ATC Service to the Air Element. Time will tell what decision will be reached in this regard.
The inception of the Stone House Mess, thanks largely to the efforts of Captain Jack Garbutt into the Military ATC organization and the perception of the mess as the "HOME OF MILITARY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL" has helped mould a strong professionalism to the Air Traffic Control Branch. This should continue with the help of the Military Air Traffic Control Association. Hopefully, the Stone House Mess will remain for many years to come.
#1 SCHOOL OF FLYING CONTROL RCAF STATION PAT BAY B.C.
F/L R.M. Donaldson: 1942-1943
S/L R.M. Donaldson: 1943-1943
#1 School of Flying Control closed at Pat Bay BC 25 September 1945.
RCAF STATION TRENTON ONTARIO
W/C R.M. Donaldson: 16 April 1946 -1 August 1946
W/C W.J. Michalski: 1 August 1946 -1 October 1947
1947 - until early summer 1949, no Assistant courses were held and Officers were training by Contact Training in RCAF Station Centralia's Tower.
RCAF GROUND APPROACH CONTROL SCHOOL, DORVAL P.Q.
F/L R. Gilmour 24 August 1948-29 May 1950
RCAF STATION CENTRALIA, ONTARIO
S/L K.C.M. Dobbin 1949-1951
The #1 SFC was formed as an integral part of #1 Instrument Flying School
RCAF STATION CENTRALIA (Relief Field #1 Grand Bend, Ontario)
S/L W.M. French 1951-1957
GROUND CONTROLLED APPROACH SCHOOL, AYLMER ONTARIO
F/L J. Honour 1954-1956
F/L M.J. Campbell 1956-1957
The GCA School was moved to RCAF Station Borden, Ontario in 1957 and became an integral part of the Flying Control school.
RCAF STATION CAMP BORDEN
S/L S.N.E. Beauchamp 1957-1962
S/L D.L. Snowden 1962-1964
AIR TRAINING WING, CFB BORDEN, ONTARIO
S/L E.F. McConvey 1964-1967
Major G.R. Stockwell 1967-1969
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING COMPANY, CFB BORDEN, ONTARIO
Major G.B. Woods 1969-1972
Major W.L.G. Greenaway 1972-1974
Major F.N. Pearce 1974-1975
Major E.B. Wellman 1975-1978
Major E.H. Decaux 1978-1979
CANADIAN FORCES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING UNIT, CORNWALL
LCol E.H. Decaux 1979-1982
LCol E.B. Wellman 1982-1986
LCol P.R. Hussey 1986-1989
LCol R.M. McDonald 1989-
Updated: November 28, 2004