Elrose Airfield

The closure was due to economic reasons and a lack of use. Following its post-war civilian service, the airfield saw a decline in general aviation traffic. For the local municipality, the costs associated with maintaining the runways and facilities outweighed the benefits. The land was considered more valuable for agriculture, leading to its eventual sale and conversion.

The site has been completely decommissioned and converted back to private agricultural land. Satellite imagery clearly shows that the land is actively being farmed. However, the faint, ghostly outline of the three runways in their classic BCATP triangular pattern is still visible as crop marks, a common remnant of these historic airfields. All original infrastructure, including hangars, buildings, and paved or gravel runway surfaces, has been removed.

Elrose Airfield has significant historical importance as a World War II training facility. It was originally constructed as RCAF Detachment Elrose, a Relief Landing Field (R1) for No. 34 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) based at RCAF Station Medstead. As part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the airfield was used from 1942 to 1944 for overflow training, particularly for practice landings and take-offs in Airspeed Oxford twin-engine aircraft. After the war, the Department of Transport acquired the site, and it was converted into a civilian airport. For decades, it served the town of Elrose and the surrounding rural municipality, supporting general aviation, medical flights, and agricultural operations such as crop dusting.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Elrose Airfield. The land is privately owned and fully integrated into the local agricultural economy. Re-establishing an airport at this location would require purchasing prime farmland and a complete reconstruction of all facilities, for which there is no current economic or logistical justification.