by Parks Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba
|
Cessna Crane parked on the ramp, beside #12SFTS’s Tower, 1942.
Source: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
One of Canada’s most important contributions to the Allied effort during the Second World War was the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Under the plan, Canada trained more than 130,000 Commonwealth airmen at Canadian air bases.
At the outbreak of war, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) had only five airports and 4,000 personnel under its wing. It had to expand—and fast. The Brandon Airport was one of the seventy-five new aircrew training sites built in this expansion. It became a service flying training school. Like many of the training airports, the Brandon Airport featured several hard-surfaced runways laid out in a triangular form. Five hangars lined one side while approximately twenty-five other buildings behind them provided accommodations to servicemen, teachers and ground crew.
Cessna Cranes stored inside Hangar #1, Brandon, 1942.
Source: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
Hangar No. 1, a “double landplane hangar,” was constructed in 1940-41 and measures 34 by 49 metres (112 by 160 feet). Its most notable architectural feature is the roof structure of 112 feet clear span, employing the Warren truss system. Developed in 1848, the Warren truss system consists of parallel upper and lower chords with inclined connecting members forming a series of equilateral triangles. The trusses are built of Douglas fir, as are the rigidly braced wood columns on which they rest. Hangar No. 1 also uses bolted joints and split ring connectors, making the joints stronger than in traditional Warren truss systems.
The flat roof was originally sealed with two layers of tarred felt, covered in fibre board, then tarred and gravelled. The roof’s covering was specially designed to withstand the suction lift of high-velocity winds passing over the hangar. It also was made to resist ruptures by preventing any ballooning effect typical of hangars. (Ballooning is caused by interior air pressure generated by high winds blowing through open doors and penetrating through gaps in the roof sheeting).
Hanger No. 1, Brandon, 2004.
Source: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
Of the 701 BCATP hangars constructed, only forty-one are known to have survived. The Brandon Airport’s Hangar No. 1 is among the few that remain relatively unaltered, in good condition and in their original location. It is situated in an operating airport and, by housing the Commonwealth Air Training Plan (CATP) Museum, it is directly associated with the historical interpretation of the program responsible for its design and construction.
On Sunday, 18 September 2005, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada unveiled a plaque commemorating the national historic significance of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Hangar No. 1. Located at the Brandon, Manitoba municipal airport, site of the former No. 12 Service Flying Training School of the BCATP. The ceremony included the participation of 82nd Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron who performed as colour and honour guard, as well as members of the three Brandon-area Scouts Canada troops who presented seventy veterans with “thank you” crests under the program Invitation to Remember and as part of the “Year of the Veteran.”
Scouts Canada youth present veterans with “Invitation to Remember” thank you crests at the plaque unveiling ceremony.
Source: Parks Canada.
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
Plaque Text, Hanger No. 1This building is an exceptionally well preserved
example of a British Commonwealth Air Training
Plan double hangar. Designed by the Royal
Canadian Air Force, it was built in 1940-1941 to
support the training of air crew from Canada and
other Commonwealth countries. The RCAF
perfected a standard plan, wood frame, Warren
truss hangar, hundreds of which were constructed
across Canada. Hangar No. 1, which retains its
original function and airport setting, is an excellent
representative of the few remaining buildings of
this type.
Page revised: 24 April 2011
