Canadian Forces Station Ladner

Canadian Forces Station Ladner
The main hangar at Boundary Bay is the only original structure left from the RCAF station
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Canadian Forces Air Command
Location	Delta, British Columbia
Time zone	PST (UTC−08:00)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC−07:00)
Elevation AMSL	6 ft / 2 m
Coordinates	49°04′26″N 123°00′27″W / 49.07389°N 123.00750°W / 49.07389; -123.00750Coordinates: 49°04′26″N 123°00′27″W / 49.07389°N 123.00750°W / 49.07389; -123.00750
Website	www.CZBB.com
Map
CFS Ladner Location in British Columbia
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 07/25 5,606 1,709 Asphalt 12/30 3,755 1,145 Asphalt
Sources: Canada Flight Supplement

Canadian Forces Station Ladner is a former military airfield and communications station located beside Boundary Bay and 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) east of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, south of Vancouver and close to the U.S. border. After its closure it was reopened as Boundary Bay Airport.

After the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan came into effect in 1939, the Royal Canadian Air Force began looking for locations at which to train aircrew for the Second World War. Boundary Bay was one location that was selected, and in 1940, land from three farms was appropriated for an airport. Construction proceeded slowly as boggy areas had to be filled with hay and gravel, but gravel roads and runways were in place for the airfield's opening on 10 April 1941. No. 18 Elementary Flight Training School (No. 18 EFTS) was the first unit established at the newly created Royal Canadian Air Force Station Boundary Bay. Flying De Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes, No. 18 EFTS's training was provided by private civilian instructors. The Aerodrome was officially opened by Prime Minister MacKenzie-King on 2 July 1941 with all the pomp and circumstance one might expect to find in a small patriotic community at war. A huge air demonstration was put on by the school instructors to the delight of hundreds of local spectators. This school was sponsored by the Aero Club of B.C and named the Vancouver Air Training Co. Ltd. (VATC). Less than one year before the VATC had established No. 8 EFTS stationed at RCAF Station Sea Island (current site of Vancouver International Airport) On 25 May 1942, No. 18 EFTS was disbanded as a direct result of the attack on the American Naval station at Pearl Harbor. It was felt that the West coast was now vulnerable to attack by the Japanese and Boundary Bay was the most advantageous location for a fighter Squadron to protect Vancouver and the surrounding Coast. No. 18's personnel and equipment were transferred to Royal Air Force No. 33 RAF EFTS in Caron, Saskatchewan, where the civilian staff took over operations from RAF staff.