The RCAF in Lac du Bonnet

September 24, 2020

This article was done in partnership with the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society. It appeared in the October 15, 2020 edition of the Lac du Bonnet Clipper.

When the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was officially established in 1924, their Winnipeg operations were located at Victoria Beach. Their fleet were aging Vickers Vedette and Viking aircraft. These planes required regular maintenance and the aircrew always carried tool kits for emergency repairs which comprised of, among other items, copper wire, bits of fabric and spark plugs. Chewing gum was also included for quick mid-air fixes of leaking hoses.

Primary duties throughout the 1920s and 30s were aerial surveys and fire patrols. Also common were anti-smuggling operations, fisheries patrols, and the development of long-distance and Northern flying routes. These RCAF pilots were nicknamed “bush pilots in uniform.”

In August 1926, the RCAF moved their main base to Lac du Bonnet, as the waters of Lake Winnipeg were often too rough to accommodate their “flying boats.” This new base provided a central location for pilots flying throughout Manitoba and interprovincially, and consisted of two mess halls and quarters, one each the for officers and airmen, along with a store house. A slipway led from the Winnipeg River to a hanger with large maintenance area outside.

With radios becoming more reliable, the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals also established a ground station at Lac du Bonnet. Pigeons bred on base at Lac du Bonnet were carried in wicker baskets as a backup.

A pilot based out of Lac du Bonnet made RCAF history in late August 1929: Sgt. J.M. Ready took off in a De Havilland Moth bound for fire patrols at Gordon Lake (near Nopiming Provincial Park). Haze and heavy smoke forced him to turn back to Lac du Bonnet. On route, while flying blind, Sgt. Ready lost reference to the horizon. The plane dropped into a dive and couldn’t be stabilized. Sgt. Ready bailed out at 500 feet, deploying his parachute, before he, and his plane, ended up in the water. He swam to shore and started walking. After five miles, Sgt. Ready arrived at Davis Lodge (located on the Bird River), where he borrowed a boat to return to base. Sgt. Ready became the first RCAF pilot to be saved by a parachute.

With the formation of the Manitoba Government Air Service in 1932, and budget cuts caused by the Depression, the need for the RCAF in Lac du Bonnet was dwindling. The military’s fleet had also diversified, requiring a runway for wheeled aircraft. In 1933, Depression work crews carved out a section of the spruce bog behind the base. The airstrip was fully operational in 1934, though it was often difficult to navigate due to the soft ground. By 1937, the RCAF ended all local operations.

Ownership of the airport reverted to the Manitoba government in 1972. Numerous companies leased the land, including Wendigo Wings and Lac du Bonnet Airpark before Whiteshell Air Service established a float plane base on the site in 1984. Adventure Air started their operations in 2005.

References:

“Lac du Bonnet Played a Key Role in Manitoba’s Aviation History.” Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, May 25, 2017. https://royalaviationmuseum.com/article-lac-du-bonnet-played-a-key-role-in-manitobas-aviation-history/

S. Bernard Shaw, Photographing Canada from Flying Canoes (Burnstown, ON: General Store Publishing House, 2001), 53, 87.

Hugh A. Halliday. “The Forest Watchers: Air Force, Part 35.” Legion Magazine, Oct. 20, 2009. https://legionmagazine.com/en/2009/10/the-forest-watchers-air-force-part-35/

“The Air Force Between the Wars.” Royal Canadian Air Force.
http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/on-windswept-heights-2/12-history-1918-1939.page?=undefined&wbdisable=true

Gordon Goldsborough. “Historic Sites of Manitoba: Lac du Bonnet Airport Monument.” Manitoba Historical Society. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/lacdubonnetairport.shtml

William March, “Royal Canadian Air Force”. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published March 02, 2015; Last Edited March 30, 2015. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-canadian-air-force

Rob Godin. “Aviation pioneer reflects on Lac du Bonnet’s past.” The Leader (Lac du Bonnet, MB), April 30, 1996.

“Lac du Bonnet Airport Looks to the Future.” The Leader, Feb. 14, 2000.

Marc Zienkiewicz. “Adventure Air Takes Flight.” The Leader, Mar. 4, 2005.