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RCAF Station Stanley

General Information

Base / Station: Stanley

Province: Nova Scotia

Dates of Operation or Period of Information:

  • March 1941 – Jan 1944

Integral Units:

  • No. 17 Elementary Flying Training School
    • Opened March 1941 to train pilots in basic aircraft operation as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
    • This school ran up to four x 30-student classes simultaneously for six weeks of flight training before graduates passed on to advanced training at other bases.
    • Aircraft Flown:
      • Finch,
      • Tiger Moth
    • school closed in January 1944

Commanding Officers:

Financial Impact:

Date / Reason for closure: 

RCAF Aerodrome Stanley, Nova Scotia.
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.

Training Area Map – No 17 Elementary Flying Training School

Training Area Map – No 17 Elementary Flying Training School, Stanley, Nova Scotia. Source Canadiana.ca

Location – Google Map

Photo Gallery

1942 Hockey team fielded by the RCAF in Stanley, Nova Scotia.
(photo courtesy of David Pollard)

Station Magazine
“”

1944

January

School was disbanded 14 January 1944

Fatalities

This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 17 Elementary Flying Training School and other sources. The list may not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Stanley. With input from various sources, so far there were 9 deaths of service personnel that were stationed at Stanley.

6 March 1942

  • F/Sgt James MacKay
  • LAC George William Edward Power

24 July 1942

  • WO2 Lionel Lodowick Burks
  • LAC William Eric Barker

23 November 1942

  • LAC Thomas John Blundell

3 February 1943

  • P/O Joseph Lester Dominic White
  • LAC Thomas Dickie Colquhoun

21 March 1943

  • LAC James Jack William Bennett

3 August 1943

  • Sgt Norman Leo Lauzon

Aircraft List


Course List
No 17 Elementary Flying Training School


  • Wikipedia
  • MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
  • Aerodrome Disposal File:

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. David Pollard

    Hello, I have a picture of the 1942 hockey team from the Stanley Flying School (your air field). Would you be interested in persevering this picture? Honorary Patron W.H. Stuart and Manager Andy Speziale. They team won Windsor Town League and Citizen’s Trophy. It is in good shape. My Great Grandfather Commander George Ascar Cowling passed it down to his son Captain George Oscar Cowling. I found it and hung on to not realizing that my Great grandfather had a picture taken with the two gentlemen mentioned above.

    1. Nathan Kachur

      Absolutely. I will send you an email.
      Nathan

    2. Leonard Lowe

      Hello, I am the President of the Stanley Sport Aviation Association located on the Stanley Airport.
      We have many historical pictures, etc. from the time when the base was active.

      Would you, consider donating the poster for our clubhouse display?

      Many thanks.

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