RCAF Station Rivers originally opened in May 1942 under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan as No. 1 Air Navigation School (No. 1 ANS). As the war progressed, RCAF Station Rivers also became a training centre for Army pilots and parachutists as well as flying instructors from the Army, RCN and RCAF. Additionally, the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Air Dispatch School made Rivers their home.
In 1942, No. 1 ANS merged with No. 2 ANS from Pennfeld Ridge, New Brunswick to form No. 1 Central Navigation School. By the time the school disbanded in August 1945, No. 1 ANS and No. 1 CNS had trained a combined total of 11, 406 Commonwealth navigators.
In 1947 the Canadian Parachute Training Centre, established at Camp Shilo in 1942, merged with the Airborne School of the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre and moved to RCAF Station Rivers, making the station Canada’s main para-training centre. Also in 1947, the Army Aviation Tactical Training School was established at Rivers to provide pilot training to Army aviators, as well as helicopter instructor training for the Army, RCN and RCAF. No. 6 Signal Regiment, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Air Support Signals Unit provided communications duties at Camp Rivers. 444 Air Observation Post Squadron was formed on 1 October 1947, but disbanded 1 April 1949.
In 1948, the Joint Air Photo Interpretation School opened at Rivers. The school closed in 1960 and its personnel merged with the Air Photo Interpretation Centre at RCAF Station Rockcliffe, who became fully responsible for training photo-interpreters.
The Basic Helicopter Training Unit was established at Rivers in August 1953, initially to train RCAF pilots, but by 1956, Army helicopter pilots were also training at Rivers. After the closure of the helicopter school at RCN Air Station HMCS Shearwater, the Royal Canadian Navy began sending trainees to Rivers as well, making the BHTU the first tri-service flying training unit in Canada.
The first helicopter employed by military forces in Canada was the RCAF’s Sikorsky H-5 (S-51) in 1947. RCAF Station Rivers used the H-5 as a rotary wing trainer, but it was also used by the Royal Canadian Air Force in search and rescue roles.
In December 1963, No. 1 Transport Helicopter Platoon (No. 1 THP), a unit of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, was established at RCAF Station Rivers, along with their fleet of CH-113A Voyageur transport helicopters and one CH-112 Nomad. The platoon's function was to support the Army on field exercises. No. 1 THP moved to RCAF Station St. Hubert in 1966, but also established a detachment at RCAF Station Namao. In 1968, No. 1 THP was re-designated 450 (Heavy Transport) Helicopter Squadron.
408 Tactical Fighter Squadron, whose primary functions were reconnaissance and weapons delivery, moved to Rivers in 1964 from RCAF Station Rockcliffe, and remained until disbanded on 1 April 1970.
As a result of the Unification, RCAF Station Rivers was re-named CFB Rivers.
CFB Rivers closed in September 1971 and in September 1972 the land was turned over to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for use as an industrial training centre for Manitoba Indians, the Oo-Za-We-Kwun Centre. The Rivers Gliding School, a summer Air Cadet glider camp opened at the former base in 1974, remaining until 1984, when it re-located to Gimli.
In 1980 the Oo-Za-We-Kwun Centre closed and the land was sold by the Federal Government. Hangar Farms Ltd, a hog farm operation, opened at the site in 1988.
Today, only small parts of the old air station still exist, including the old supply buildings, two World War II era hangars, a post-war "arch style" hangar, the power plant, the fire hall, some of the two-story H-huts, and five of the PMQs. The entire airfield remains, and used by crop dusting airplanes, although a reservoir sits across one of the runways.
In the mid 1990’s, the RCAF reutrned to the former RCAF Staion Rivers, with the help of some movie magic, in the movie “For The Moment”, a film about an Austrailian pilot who comes to Manitoba to train under the BCATP, starring Russel Crowe. While most of the movie was filmed at the Brandon Airport, scenes of the actors standing outside their barracks were filmed at Rivers, requiring a fresh coat of green paint to be applied to the old buildings.
Updated: April 15, 2005