The advantages of aircraft as a means of patrolling Canadian coastal
waters and establishing faster communications between the remote
settlements of the north were realized by Commissioner Perry as early as
1919. He recommended the formation of an Air Police Service of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to be equipped with surplus wartime
aircraft but the government of the day was not so inclined.
The first ever member of the force to fly while on duty was Sergeant
H. Thorne in 1921. He had traveled several weeks by dog team and train
from Fort Providence, NWT to Edmonton, Alberta with a prisoner charged
with murder. He made the return trip in an Imperial Oil Junkers in four
days, including overnight stops.
The Force acquired its own aircraft through the efforts of
Commissioner Sir James H. MacBrien who was a qualified pilot and
aviation enthusiast. In 1932 the RCMP took over the responsibilities of
the Preventive Service of the Department of National Revenue. MacBrien
obtained the help of several RCAF aircraft, which patrolled the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts to prevent smuggling, particularly rum running.
In 1936 the Department of National Defence decided that it could no
longer spare the aircraft and personnel. MacBrien decided that the RCMP
should purchase its own aircraft and establish an Air Section. Four
deHavilland Dragonflys were obtained in 1937. On May 22 of that year the
first official patrol by an RCMP aircraft was made by the Commissioner,
along with two crew members, from Ottawa to Toronto. A year later, a
Noorduyn Norseman was added to the fleet. In 1939 the flying personnel
and all of the aircraft, except the Norseman, were transferred to the
RCAF for the duration of the war. The Norseman was used extensively
throughout the Arctic destroying gas caches to prevent their use by
enemy U-boats or aircraft in the event of an invasion.
The Air Section was reorganized in 1946, when in addition to the
Norseman, the Force acquired two Beech 18s and an ex-RCAF Grumman Goose.
The Beechcraft were, at the time, state-of-the art, well equipped and
faster than the airlines of the day. The Goose was to become a mobile
detachment carrying out patrols across Canada, as operations required.
Crews for the new fleet were selected from, amongst other sources,
returning RCAF personnel.
In 1947 a Stinson 108 was added to the fleet, capable of flying on
wheels, skis or floats. This versatile aircraft was used extensively in
Saskatchewan and was deployed to transport prisoners, carry out searches
for lost persons or escaped prisoners, transport crime laboratory
personnel to crime scenes and carry police service dogs and handlers on
request.
A second Norseman replaced the original in 1948 and was joined by
their first deHavilland Beaver in 1949. In 1950 the RCMP acquires
another Beaver which was deployed along the coast of British Columbia.
In 1950, two of the Air Division pilots qualified for Department of
Transport Instrument ratings and two of the Aircraft Maintenance
Engineers received their "B" License.
Nine RCMP aircraft logged over 600,000 miles in 1953. Along with the
detachments at such places as St. John’s, Newfoundland and Prince
Albert, Saskatchewan, a new detachment was opened at Fort Smith in the
Northwest Territories. The Commissioner’s report for 1954 showed a
further expansion of the Air Division to include the conducting of
aerial searches for lost persons, escaped prisoners, wanted criminals,
stricken vessels in coastal water and occasionally, stolen livestock and
automobiles.
1954 also saw the acquisition of the first of many deHavilland Otters
which, along with the Beavers, changed the way the Force was able to
provide service, especially in the north. RCMP aircraft, along with the
Department of Northern Affairs personnel based at Churchill, Manitoba,
provided medical assistance and portable x-ray equipment in attempt to
curb the tuberculosis epidemic ravaging Canada’s northern peoples.
During this period, maintenance crews displayed great creativity and
versatility carrying out routine maintenance and field repairs to
damaged aircraft under the harshest of weather conditions.
The 1960s brought two significant acquisitions that would change the
face of the Air Division. The first was a turbine powered Beechcraft
A90, advancing the Division into the turbine era. The second, in 1968,
was a turbine powered Turbo Beaver acquired for Peace River, Alberta.
This aircraft was the first bush-utility turbine aircraft operated by
the Force and was so successful it would lead to the purchase of ten
Twin Otters and would prove to be the workhorse of the force.
The 1970s found Air Division Detachments across southern Canada from
St. John’s, NF to Victoria, BC. In the north bases at Whitehorse,
Inuvik, Yellowknife and Frobisher Bay provided, at times, the only air
service available to RCMP members and their families.
In 1971, the Force acquired its first helicopter, a Bell 212, which
was to lead to a helicopter section within the Air Division. Rotary
aircraft would change the police support role drastically, especially in
urban areas and provided expanded service to such areas as
telecommunications. For the first time, close-in support was afforded to
the operational police members on site. In 1973 the Air Division was
further reorganized into the Air Services Directorate.
The first jet, a Cessna Citation, was purchased in 1987 and it, along
with additional jets and King Air 200s, would supplement routine police
duties and play an important role in the ever changing requirements of
law enforcement, especially in the Drug Enforcement Program.
In 1999, the RCMP Air Division began replacing their transport fleet
with the single turbine Pilatus PC-12, a pressurized, 9 passenger
aircraft with a speed of 270 knots. These new aircraft will have a
significant impact by providing more efficient long-range transport.
Over the years, the Force, in addition to routine police duties, has
transported numerous dignitaries including the Queen, Prince Phillip,
Prince Charles and other members of the royal family, as well as Prime
Ministers and other members of Parliament. It has supplied aerial
security for Royal Tours, special events such as Expo ’67, Pope John
Paul II’s tour of 1986 and the 1988 Olympics.
Medical evacuations carried out by the Air Division have saved countless
lives. Canada’s sovereignty is still maintained, in part, by the
presence of the RCMP aircraft and personnel.
