| CFB Picton | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picton,Ontario in Canada | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Royal Canadian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  CFB Picton Location in Ontario | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°59′30″N77°08′30″W / 43.99167°N 77.14167°W /43.99167; -77.14167 | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| In use | April 1941-September 1969 | ||||||||||
| Fate | Now Operated asPicton Airport | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 465 feet (142 m)[1]AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Airfields | |||||||||||
Canadian Forces Base Picton (CFB Picton) was a military installation located inPicton, Ontario. The base was active from theSecond World War to 1969 and served theRoyal Air Force,Royal Canadian Air Force andCanadian Army. Today, the site functions as thePicton Airport.[2][3]
The base at Picton originated as part of theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[4] In November 1940 the Site was occupied by No. 1a Manning Depot. This school was formed on a temporary basis pending the arrival of No 31 Bombing and Gunnery School. the Manning Depot was disbanded in March of 1941.[5] An airfield was built on a high plateau overlooking Picton and theRoyal Air Force's No. 31 Bombing & Gunnery School officially opened in April 1941. Five bombing ranges were also created to allow the students to practice. Aircraft flown at the base included theAvro Anson,Fairey Battle,Bristol Bolingbroke andWestland Lysander. The school offered six week courses in bombing, navigation and air gunnery until it was disbanded in November 1944, at which point theRoyal Canadian Air Force established the No. 5 Reserve Equipment Maintenance Unit at Picton. This unit was responsible for aircraft storage and maintenance of the airfield itself. This unit operated until January 1946 when its functions were absorbed by a unit atRCAF Station Trenton.
In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed at43°59′N77°09′W / 43.983°N 77.150°W /43.983; -77.150 with a Var. 11 degrees E and elevation of 465 feet (142 m). The aerodrome was listed with three runways as follows:[1]
| Runway Name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/23 | 2,600 feet (792 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard Surfaced |
| 17/35 | 2,600 feet (792 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard Surfaced |
| 10/28 | 2,600 feet (792 m) | 150 feet (46 m) | Hard Surfaced |
After the departure of the maintenance unit, most of the base was taken over by the army for use as the Royal Canadian School of Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) (RCSA(A.A.)). The school provided training for anti-aircraft gunners, gunnery radar operators, technical assistants and artillery instructors. A number of operational artillery units were also located in Picton, including the 127th and 128th Medium AA Batteries, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) and the 2nd and 3rd Light AA Batteries of the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA. The RCAF also maintained a small detachment at the base to provide aircraft targets for the gunners. In July 1960, the base was officially renamedCamp Picton and the RCSA (A.A.) disbanded a few weeks later. Two new units were formed later that year, namely the 1st Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) Battery and the 2nd SSM (Training) Battery of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. Both units were transferred; the 1st went to Europe in December 1961 to be equipped withHonest John rockets and the 2nd was transferred toCamp Shilo in 1962. The 1st Battalion of theCanadian Guards then transferred to Camp Picton from their previous base in Germany. With the unification of the Army, RCAF andRoyal Canadian Navy to create theCanadian Forces, Camp Picton was renamedCanadian Forces Base Picton. However, reductions in the Canadian military meant that the base was no longer required and CFB Picton was closed in September 1969.
The Bombing & Gunnery School and Artillery School also operated a number of ranges in other parts ofPrince Edward County. The Point Petre and South Bay Training Areas were located in the southeast corner of the county nearCherry Valley. Point Petre had been in use as an artillery range since 1938 and the area continued in that role with the formation of the RCSA. Sections of the site were also used for test firing of theVelvet Glove air-to-air missile. The South Bay Training Area was used formortar,recoilless rifle andanti-tank rocket training. In 2015, Point Petre is a Provincial Wildlife Area. A transmitter site for the Military Aeronautical Communications System based atCFB Trenton is also located there.
After CFB Picton was closed, much of the base housing was sold to the Government of Ontario. Originally run by the Ministry of Health, it was later transferred to the Ministry of Community and Social Services and was named Prince Edward Heights. The "Heights" as it was known locally, at its peak, was home to approximately 450 individuals with developmental disabilities and employed just as many staff, untildeinstitutionalization became the norm and it closed in September 1999. A developer has since purchased the homes, renamed the development "Macaulay Village" and resold them as individual properties. Much of the main base also remains, with some of the original buildings in use for assorted industrial and institutional purposes. The airfield remains in operation asPicton Airport. The base and Point Petre were also used to filmDieppe (1993), a TV movie by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The site was purchased in 2021 and is now a cultural destination.https://pictongazette.ca/post/tim-jones-of-pec-community-partners-outlines-plan-for-former-air-base
