Air Board (Canada)

The Air Board was Canada's first governing body for aviation that existed from 1919 to 1923. The Canadian government established the Air Board by act of Parliament on June 6, 1919 with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada.

The Air Board had three functions: devising a means of, and administering Canadian air defence; controlling and conducting all civil government flying operations; and providing rules and regulations for flying within Canada, which included licensing, issuing air regulations and managing air traffic. The Board consisted of three sections: 1) the Department of the Controller of Civil Aviation which controlled all civil flying; 2) the Directorate of Flying Operations which controlled civil flying operations of the Air Board; and 3) the Headquarters of the Canadian Air Force (CAF), which operated at Camp Borden.

Several air stations were established for civil flying operations:

1. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a former US Navy seaplane base.

2. Roberval, Quebec, a seaplane base on Lac Saint-Jean used for forestry patrols and surveying.

3. Jericho Beach, British Columbia, used for fishery, forestry, anti-smuggling patrols.

4. Morley, Alberta, used for forestry patrols (later moved to High River, Alberta).

5. Rockcliffe, Ontario, used for photo surveying.

6. Victoria Beach, Manitoba, a seaplane based used for forestry patrols.

In 1923 the Air Board was absorbed into the new Department of National Defence. The CAF, which had been a small non-permanent air militia directed by the Air Board and originally formed to provide refresher flying training to veterans, was reorganized and became responsible for all Canadian flying operations including the control of civil aviation. Air Board and CAF civil flying responsibilities would be handled by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) after its creation in 1924.

References

*Milberry, Larry, ed. "Sixty Years—The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924–1984". Toronto: Canav Books, 1984. ISBN 0-9690703-4-9.
* Roberts, Leslie. "There Shall Be Wings". Toronto: Clark, Irwin and Co. Ltd., 1959. No ISBN.