Grand Bend Airport Explained

Grand Bend Airport
Tc:CPL4
Type:Private
Location:Grand Bend, Ontario
Timezone:EST
Summer:EDT
Elevation-F:642
Coordinates:43.2869°N -81.7142°W
Pushpin Map:Canada Ontario
Pushpin Label:CPL4
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ontario
R1-Number:07/25
R1-Length-F:2,340
R1-Surface:Gravel
Footnotes:Source: Canada Flight Supplement

Grand Bend Airport is located 2.3NM southeast of Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada.

History

The airport was originally established as RCAF Detachment Grand Bend by the RCAF in 1942 as a relief, or auxiliary, aerodrome for student pilots training with No. 9 Service Flying Training School at RCAF Station Centralia. Grand Bend was home to No. 1 Flying Control School from 1951 to 1957. The station was used by Centralia until 1961 when it began use with the Canadian Army. It was given back to the RCAF in 1962 and was used by RCAF Station Centralia until the aerodrome closed in 1963. Subsequent owners of the property were Eagleson Construction, John Twynsta Holdings Ltd and the Grand Bend Motorplex.

Today the Grand Bend Motorplex uses the original runway 13/31 as a drag racing track. Runway 01/19 is now an access to the dragstrip and also the Grand Bend Speedway oval and Grand Bend Motocross dirt bike tracks. The remaining runway 07/25 of the airfield is shared by the Grand Bend Raceway, some local private aircraft, and formerly the Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center. The only RCAF building that remains is the hangar, with the control tower perched on top. That property was subsequently owned by Bell Aerospace, Exeter plastics and P.O.G.

References