419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron

419 Squadron was originally formed at Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall, Suffolk, England in December 1941. It was an active member of 3 Group RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War and completed numerous missions with Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster bombers. At the end of the war the unit’s aircraft were flown back to Canada and the squadron was disbanded.

Reactivated in March 1954, 419 Squadron began it’s second era, now as an all-weather fighter squadron flying the CF-100 Canuck. This continued until the squadron was once again disbanded in December 1962.

The squadron’s third life commenced in December 1970, when 419 began to relocate to Cold Lake, Alberta as No. 1 Canadian Forces Flight Training School. They initially flew the T-33 Silver Star but then transitioned to the CF-5 Freedom Fighter. The squadron reached active duty in November 1975 but disbanded again 20 years later with the retirement of the CF-5 in June 1995.

419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron was reactivated a fourth time on, 23 July 2000. The squadron has since conducted Phase IV of the NATO Flying Training Canada (NFTC) program for the air forces of Canada, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. This program trains basic jet pilots to become fighter pilots and prepares them for training on CF-188 class aircraft through instruction in Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground combat tactics over a six month period.

At first glance, 419 Squadron may appear to be small with a fleet of just 7 jets, 29 technicians and 32 pilots. However, this team flies nearly 2000 hours per year while ensuring that the demand for RCAF, Republic of Singapore Air Force and Hungarian Air Force fighter pilots is always met with some of the worlds best trained personnel.

The complete squadron history can be found on the Department of National Defence's Directorate of History and Heritage webpage.