Air Traffic Control

Historical Detail

A Return to the Tundra

[Map of Churchill Area]

According to this map, the former base site is marked correctly as Fort Churchill and was about 5 miles east of the town. The rail line leading to Fort Churchill is a spur off the main line and ends on the west side of the base site at what was probably a Service Corps supply building that is still standing - close to the location of the Provost Corps guard house. The thin blue line is the main road from the town of Churchill and runs through the former base site to the rocket range.

ACOp Course 37 finished in either March or Aprril of 1961 - just before Easter. This other guy and I had to choose our postings - either Churchill or Goose Bay. It literally didn't matter which way the coin was going to land. Both of us were going to "The Great White North" - career management was relatively simple back then.

I boarded a C-119 in Trenton with a bunch of other happy chaps - Air Force and Army - who were also probably served by unbiased career management, and we departed for Winnipeg. We did a turnaround in Winnipeg where we dropped off a few lucky souls; added a few more; plus more cargo to stare at, then departed for Churchill. Final approach to Churchill was in the middle of the night during a raging snow storm and there weren't enough little white bags in Air Transport Command. This was all done in the same day with the same C-119 - the second experience of that day was when they opened the clamshell doors. The next day saw the other happy chaps depart for Resolute Bay.

Postings to Churchill were normally one year for unaccompanied personnel and I believe two years for accompanied personnel. I was due to leave around March 1962 but my Group 2 Trade Board was also due at the same time so ATCHQ graciously gave me a six month extension to further my career. I eventually left around the middle of August 1962 on a civilian DC-3 that was medevaccing a USAF technician from the DEW Line to Winnipeg. I don't know what happened to him, but there was a priest on board.

[Aerial photo of Fort Churchill]

I believe the original base was built during WWII as a military presence intended only as a temporary facility to offset possible German activity in Hudson Bay. It was later expanded to include a rocket range and a 10,000 foot runway with six USAF KC-97 tankers on 24/7 standby at the south end of Runway 15-33. The runway was capable of, and was used in the unscheduled recovery of a B-52 with an engine problem (summer of 1962). The intersection of the NS-EW runways held the nose dock hangars and refueling complex.

During the height of activity in the late 1950's and early 1960s, the base population could be anywhere between 6000 and 7000 Canadian and American troops. It was actually a Canadian Army base with the other services - RCAF, USAF, SAC, and US Army - being lodger units. The Canadian Army did a lot of northern training up there - large scale summer and winter field exercises and cold weather operations. The RCN was also up there and operated a communications complex between the town of Churchill and the Fort, however, they were a completely separate and self contained entity and were not part of the base.

The RCAF provided air traffic control (VFR, limited IFR, and GCA) services for the region in conjunction with the DOT radio range facility, and also did some cold weather aircraft trials - German Air Force F-104 and RCAF CC-106 Yukon.

The USAF provided administrative and logistical support to the SAC unit, and the US Army at that time operated the RLF (Rocket Launch Facility) about 5 miles or so east of the base.

[Entrance to the Rocket Launch Facility]

Entrance to the Rocket Launch Facility.

I beleive that the US Army turned control of the Rocket Launch Facility (RLF) over to Pan American Airways in the summer of 1962. The handover ceremony was very brief - a USAF MATS aircraft landed - Army personnel had their files and bags packed, walked onto the aircraft and took off. A Pan Am aircraft landed a short time later - Pan Am personnel walked off with files and bags, restencilled logos on the vehicles and helicopters and started work. We just had enough time to process the flight plans in the tower. The RLF was later operated by the National Research Council who conducted a number of Black Brant and other high altitude launches.

[The Control Tower]

The Control Tower was a 24/7 Controller and B Stand operation due mainly to SAC operational requirements. The Flight Planning Centre (FPC) was mainly normal hours, and depending on traffic, I believe GCA was on call during the silent hours. During activity at the Rocket Site, the FPC would do all the required NOTAM action while the actual launch procedures were being monitored by radio and landline comm systems from the tower - not quite the same as a NASA launch, but those little Black Brants could really move.

[Flying Control Staff]

Flying Control Staff
December 1961.

There were an average of 15 people in the ATC section at that time. The SFCO wanted a group photo with the tower in the background for the ATC Section Christmas Card, so we all ended up out on the roof of the hangar in the middle of a snow storm. That is real live snow in the picture and the wind chill was brutal. The bears didn't seem to mind and it seemed like a great idea at the time.

The entire ATC Section served a wide spectrum of traffic that included military and commercial flights; RCMP air operations and bush pilot excursions, probably not much different than Goose Bay. The Control Tower was actually quite close to the Hudson Bay shoreline and we used to get a lot of polar bear and arctic fox activity around the ramp, hangar line and PMQ areas. Dick Prydie came off an evening shift one night during the winter and was chased into his PMQ by a polar bear. I also saw a lot of dog sled activity on the ice as well as beluga whale pods heading for the Churchill River area.

I believe the base ceased operations in the 1970s and was completely demolished some time in the late 1970s or early 1980s - not sure of exact time frame. The RCN building is still standing on the outskirts of the town and appears to be in surprisingly good condition but it is not used for anything.

The economy of the town took quite a hit when the military left. It appears to have stabilized now with grain shipments through the port. There is a large elevator complex in the area and tourism helps a little. There are no highways in or out of the area so everything and has to be shipped in by rail or air - again, not much different than Goose Bay - the railroad is the major lifeline for the area.

[Aerodrome Layout in 2004]

I returned to Churchill in 2003 and the only recognizable buildings of the base left standing are the prefab hangar that was behind the RCAF hangar on the north side of Runway 07-25; part of the nose dock refueling complex at the intersection of Runways 15-33/07-25; the SAC alert complex at the end of Runway 33, and maybe one or two other small buildings. There is very little left to indicate that a large military complex had ever been there. PMQs, barracks, everything is gone - except the profound silence of the tundra reclaiming the area.

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Updated: December 28, 2004