As the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) marks its 100th anniversary today — April 1, 2024 — we take a look back at the last century, from the Silver Dart to the CF-18, and from the First World War to modern peacekeeping missions.

Text and photos are courtesy of Canadian aviation author Larry Milberry, who is also a long-time member of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, a Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, and an honorary Snowbird.  

When J.A.D. McCurdy flew the “Silver Dart” in 1909, few in Canada envisioned anything useful for airplanes other than amusement at country fairs. The Canadian military certainly had no aeronautical vision. But this instantly changed in 1914, when world war erupted and the airplane became game-changing technology. Even dawdling Ottawa showed some interest in 1914 by sending its nominal, one-plane “air force” to the UK. This was headed by one of the great confidence men of the day, E.L. Janney. What an embarrassment that became, but at least it got Canada into military aviation.

The pace of the First World War drove aeronautical technology relentlessly. With ever more planes and aircrew needed, the U.K. chose distant, wide-open Canada as its aviation training ground. Training required airplanes, so in 1916/17 the U.K. also established a major aircraft factory in Toronto. In less than two years, this would turn out nearly 3,000 aircraft — from JN-4s to giant F-5L flying boats. Overseas, Canadians flew combat in all the aerial theatres and in all aircraft types. Hundreds gave their lives and many others were rewarded for their service — W.G. Barker, W.A. Bishop, and A.A. McLeod being Canada’s air recipients of the Victoria Cross.

By war’s end, more than 20,000 Canadians had served in the air war. Home from the front, a few veterans began laying the groundwork for post-war aviation, especially when the U.K. donated more than a hundred war surplus planes to Canada. In 1919, Ottawa established the Canadian Air Board, under which was the nascent Canadian Air Force, but the flying essentially was civil – aerial photography, forest surveying, patrolling the coasts on fisheries and smuggling duties, and providing refresher flying training to veteran pilots. CAF air stations were established from Vancouver to Shearwater, the heart of it all being the great First World War base at Camp Borden near Toronto. On Nov. 30, 1921, the CAF ensign, having been approved by King George V, was unveiled there. Then, on March 5, 1923, the King approved the CAF becoming the Royal Canadian Air Force. The RCAF officially came into being on April 1, 1924, with an establishment of 62 officers and 194 other ranks.  

Through the 1920s-30s, the RCAF accomplished much with few aircraft and crews. Budgets were tight year by year, and the Great Depression weighed heavily on operations. Regardless, headway was made in mapping Canada from the air and landmark expeditions that were mounted, including the daunting Reindeer Lake Expedition covering 2,810 miles across northern Manitoba; it saw 1,700 photographs produced over a gruelling four weeks. The Viking flying boat, its four crewmen, and all-up load performed beautifully, averaging 64 mph along the way. Another expedition involved open-cockpit Fokker Universals — as well as 41 men (17 RCAF) — from July 1927 through November 1928, doing challenging environmental studies along 400 miles of barren Hudson Strait coastline. Such operations brought the RCAF widespread admiration and respect through these pioneer years.

With Ottawa remaining adamant about not having a “military” air force, the RCAF pushed on uncomplainingly, its aviators known as “Canada’s bush pilots in uniform.” This was rooted in how the Canadian public had had all the war it could take. “No more guns, no more bombs” was the outlook in the interwar years. Eventually, however, the RCAF lobbied for its first strictly military aircraft: a few Atlas Army co-operation two-seaters and Siskin fighters. In service in 1927, these already-obsolete types would endure into the early days of the Second World War.

As war drums again could be heard around the world by the mid-1930s, RCAF budgets finally began increasing. New types were ordered — from Fairchild, Delta, and Norseman utility planes to Wapiti bombers, Sharks, and Stranraers for coastal patrol, as well as 10 speedy new Hurricane fighters. When war broke out in September 1939, the RCAF was a solid organization ready for action and growth, despite still being very small. Total strength was 410 officers and 3,651 other ranks (reserves included), as well as 270 aircraft of 28 mainly-obsolete types.

The first great challenge was Canada’s role in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), tasked to turn out thousands of air and ground crew trades. By mid-1941, the RCAF established more than 100 BCATP schools from coast to coast; by war’s end, it had graduated more than 130,000 air and 80,000 ground trades. Meanwhile, Canada’s aircraft industry almost overnight transitioned from making a few little “wood, wire, and fabric” planes to mass producing more than 16,000 trainers, fighters, and bombers by war’s end.

While the RCAF excelled on the home front with the BCATP — fighting the U-boat war on the East Coast, and protecting the West Coast from the 49^th parallel to the distant Aleutian Islands from Japanese threats — it also fought far and wide from Great Britain to the Mediterranean, and North Africa to the Far East. In the U.K., RCAF No.6 Bomber Group proved indispensable to Bomber Command in bringing Nazi Germany to its knees. In every category, RCAF members showed unequalled determination, skill, and bravery. Most notable were Victoria Cross recipients David Hornell for sinking a U-boat, then striving to save his crew when their Canso was shot down; and, Andrew Mynarski, who died assisting a trapped crewmate on their doomed Lancaster. With some 215,000 men and women in uniform late in the war, the RCAF had become the fourth largest Allied air force. Shockingly, some 17,000 RCAF members would give their lives, more than half in Bomber Command.

At war’s end in 1945, the RCAF shrank overnight — as much as had happened in 1918. Squadrons disbanded and thousands of aircraft went for scrap. The RCAF was down “to the bare bones” by 1947, just as new world crises began emerging and the “Cold War” was declared. NATO formed in 1949 to counter the USSR. The RCAF shone with its North Star transports through the Korean War (1950-53). At Avro Canada, CF-100 fighters began rolling off the lines, while Canadair delivered Sabres and T-33s. From 1954, RCAF Sabre and CF-100 squadrons moved to the U.K., France, and Germany to bolster NATO. In 1957, Canada and the U.S. formed NORAD to meet the continental threat of Soviet bombers. The RCAF contributed 14 NORAD CF-100 squadrons over the decades. Meanwhile, Canada began building a reputation in United Nations peacekeeping beginning with the 1956 Suez crisis, then in such hotspots as Belgian Congo and Cyprus. These all depended heavily on RCAF Air Transport Command with its North Stars, C-119s, Yukons and, eventually, 707s.

Through the Cold War, the RCAF was in its peacetime “glory years” with such other trademarks as its NATO aircrew training system, dozens of fighter squadrons, world-wide transport operations, and the most advanced anti-submarine aircraft, the Argus. By 1960, it totalled some 50,000 members. Other highlights included celebrating Canada’s 50^th year since the Silver Dart first flew — with the Golden Hawks flight demonstration team on one hand, and the downfall of the Avro Arrow on the other.

To stay current, the RCAF added new aircraft types — each of which gave decades of service. In fighters alone came the CF-101, CF-104, and CF-5, replacing the Sabre and CF-100. Other new fleets included the Tutor, Buffalo, Hercules, and Yukon. Meanwhile, in 1965 Ottawa began the process of integrating its three forces. Never popular, integration became reality in 1968, with every soldier, sailor, and aviator wearing the same much-disliked dark green uniform. Integration begrudgingly was accepted even though each element soon began slyly reclaiming its traditions and heritage, the first sign being the quiet re-appearance of distinct badges and emblems.

In 1975, a new Canadian air force called Air Command arose, but by then the service had withered to 23,000 personnel. In fighter aircraft alone, RCAF inventory shrank from about 1,000 in 1960 to perhaps 200 in 1980, then those were replaced in the early 1980s by 138 CF-18s. In the same period, Canada’s 30+ Argus fleet was replaced in the early ’80s by 18 CP-140 Auroras. At each such step, fewer personnel were required. Meanwhile, training was becoming more sophisticated with the introduction of ever-more realistic flight simulators.

Ottawa continued to squeeze annual budgets to the detriment of national defence. More fleets were phased out; missions (such as Arctic patrols) were slashed; Canada’s NATO air element folded; and recruiting withered. Year after year, austerity was the watchword in the corridors of political power. In one case, Canada’s revered NATO force of 12 nuclear- and reconnaissance-capable CF-104s shrank to a token three conventionally-armed squadrons. In another, when Canada retired its fleet of versatile Tracker maritime patrol planes, their duties largely were contracted out to civil operators flying King Airs. The DND now became increasingly interested in contracting out duties formerly done by men and women in uniform — be that aircrew training or maintaining fleets. In further downsizing, Canada’s air reserve steadily faded. From prominence in the 1950s-60 with squadrons from Vancouver to Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, London, Hamilton, Toronto, and Montreal, by 1990 the air reserve was reduced to Kiowa squadrons at Toronto and Montreal.

Regardless of being beset by negative political influences, Canada’s Air Force continued performing miracles through the 1980s into the 2000s. It went to war in 1991 as part of a coalition to bring down the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. This involved Canada’s CF-18s, 707 tankers, Hercules, and Sea Kings. Subsequent CF-18 assignments involved supporting coalition forces fighting from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Kosovo, Syria, and Afghanistan — the latter being a 20-year involvement. On the humanitarian front, Canada’s Hercules, 707s, C-17s, Griffins, and Chinooks were (and remain) “on call” whenever asked to bring aid to earthquake or hurricane-smitten areas. The same has gone for United Nations operations since Suez and Cyprus days in the 1950s — prominent cases in more recent times including aid in the early 1990s in Ethiopia and Somalia; Rwanda; the former USSR; and into the 2000s in Haiti and Mali. One of the most enduring operations has been the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping role in the Israel-Egypt Sinai desert — ongoing since 1981.

Often over the decades, Canada’s Navy supported UN and other types of peacekeeping and blockade operations, where its Sea Kings and (present) Cyclones played/play eminent roles. Although Canada pulled its fighters out of NATO in 1993, in recent years it has taken part in significant NATO air exercises and operations; contributed aircrew to NATO’s E-3A early warning force; and provided CF-18s to patrol the borders of NATO members near Russia — especially since Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine began in 2014. At home, Canada’s CF-18s do good service in NORAD from Bagotville and Cold Lake, often being on exercise from Florida or California to Alaska, and even Baffin Island.

Today’s RCAF fleet in photos

Photo credits clockwise: Mike Reyno; Simon Blakesley; Sgt Ghislain Cotton; Heath Moffatt; and Galen Burrows

Photo credits clockwise: Derek Heyes; CAF; Stephen Fochuk; Aviation PhotoCrew; and Eric Dumigan

Photo credits clockwise: Mike Reyno; Patrick Cardinal; Galen Burrows; Mike Reyno; and Galen Burrows

Photo credits clockwise: Aviation PhotoCrew; KF Aero; DND; Patrick Cardinal; and Simon Blakesley

Photo credits L-R: DND; Cpl Darryl Hepner

Watch for the full feature in the 2024 edition of RCAF Today, celebrating the Air Force’s centennial.