Fliers at Toronto Flying Club ca. 1930
Image Credit: City of Toronto Archives
In 1927, the Department of National Defence announced a plan to encourage the establishment of flying clubs across Canada, which was modelled on a successful program launched by the British Government in 1924.
If a club could establish an airport and hangar, recruit a flying instructor and enlist 30 members, they were entitled to receive two training aircraft from the government.
Fifteen flying clubs were established in 1928 and eight more in 1929, including a total of eight in Ontario: Toronto, Hamilton, London and Border Cities (Windsor-Walker), Kingston, St. Catharines, Brant & Norfolk, and Fort William.
The flying clubs became a hub for aviation activity and promotion in their local communities and many of the pilots and mechanics associated pursued careers in civil and military aviation.
In early 1940, the Department of National Defence asked the flying clubs to form civilian companies to rapidly develop and manage Canada’s wartime Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS).
– Kenneth Swartz
Today, students from Centennial College, Toronto Metropolitan University, Queens University, McMaster University, York University and the University of Toronto are working together on collaborative DAIR projects, developing skills and helping to build an even stronger aerospace industry for Ontario and Canada.