The Second World War (1939-1945) - part 7

Great Britain was dangerously close to the action and vulnerable to enemy attack. Canada, with its plentiful airspace, aviation industry, access to fuel and safe distance from the Axis forces was an ideal location to teach Commonwealth aviators how to fly.

In 1939, an agreement was signed between Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to train pilots and aircrew for service overseas. Training was also carried out on the home turf of the three Commonwealth signatories as well as in Southern Rhodesia (a British colony at the time) and South Africa (under the parallel Joint Air Training Scheme).

Canada carried the heaviest burden of training by far, graduating more than 131,000 personnel and establishing approximately 107 schools and 184 other establishments at 231 locations.

It was one of the most successful air training programs in history.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) trained pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, wireless operators and flight engineers. The program was so successful and so admired by the world that U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt called Canada “the aerodrome of democracy”.

The aircraft most often associated with the BCATP, the Harvard, was used for pilot training at Service Flying Training Schools after pilots had learned to fly on other primary trainers. The Harvard continued service as a trainer following the war.