RCAF Station Mossbank

The station was closed due to the winding down of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) as World War II neared its conclusion. With the Allied victory becoming more certain, the immense demand for newly trained aircrew was significantly reduced, leading to the systematic closure of many training bases across Canada.

The site of the former RCAF Station Mossbank is no longer an airport. After its closure, the land and buildings were sold. Today, the area has been repurposed into an industrial park, primarily serving the agricultural sector. Several of the original large, double-wide WWII hangars are still standing and are used for industrial storage and operations by companies such as Northern Nutrients and Alpine Plant Foods. The characteristic triangular runway layout of a WWII-era airfield is still faintly visible from the air, though the runways themselves are deteriorated or have been partially removed or built over. The road network within the industrial park largely follows the original taxiways and station roads. The town of Mossbank maintains the memory of the station through the Mossbank & District Museum, which features extensive exhibits on the BCATP and No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School, and a local monument dedicated to the personnel who served there.

RCAF Station Mossbank was a major air training facility during World War II, officially designated as No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School. It opened on October 28, 1940, as a critical component of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), a massive joint program between Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to train aircrews in the relative safety of Canada. The station's primary mission was to provide advanced training for Bomb Aimers and Air Gunners. Trainees practiced precision bombing on a nearby range at Old Wives Lake and honed their gunnery skills by firing at drogue targets towed by other aircraft. The base operated a variety of aircraft, including Fairey Battles, Avro Ansons, Bristol Bolingbrokes, and Westland Lysanders, which were often used as target tugs. At its peak, the station was a large, self-contained community with thousands of personnel from across the Commonwealth, featuring multiple hangars, barracks, mess halls, a hospital, and recreational facilities. Its location on the vast, open prairies of Saskatchewan provided ideal conditions for flight training. The station made a significant contribution to the Allied war effort by training thousands of aircrew who would go on to serve in combat theaters around the world.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening RCAF Station Mossbank as an airport. The site has been comprehensively redeveloped for industrial use, with significant infrastructure built on the former airfield grounds. The original runways are no longer in a usable condition, and the economic and strategic need for an airport of this scale in this location does not exist. Its purpose was tied specifically to the unique demands of World War II, and its post-war conversion to civilian industrial use is considered permanent.