Royal Canadian Mounted Police Air Division

"For over sixty years the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Air Division has provided safe, efficient and effective airborne support for the delivery of police service to the citizens of Canada."

The advantages of aircraft as a means of patrolling Canadian coastal waters and establishing faster communications between the remote settlements of the north were realized by Commissioner Aylesworth Perry as early as 1919. He recommended the formation of an Air Police Service of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to be equipped with surplus wartime aircraft but the government of the day was not so inclined.

The first ever member of the force to fly while on duty was Sergeant H. Thorne in 1921. He had traveled several weeks by dog team and train from Fort Providence, Northwest Territories to Edmonton, Alberta with a prisoner charged with murder. He made the return trip in an Imperial Oil Junkers in four days, including overnight stops.

The first use of an aircraft for an RCMP Manhunt was in 1932 when “Wop” May flew several weeks out of Aklavik taking supplies to dog teams, and looking for the tracks of the “Mad Trapper”. Eventually he spotted the tracks heading into the Yukon where the chase ended. Wop flew out a badly wounded member of the tracking team saving his life.

The Force acquired its own aircraft through the efforts of Commissioner Sir James H. MacBrien, who was a qualified pilot and aviation enthusiast. In 1932 the RCMP took over the responsibilities of the Preventive Service of the Department of National Revenue. MacBrien obtained the help of several Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft, which patrolled the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to prevent smuggling, particularly rum running.

In 1936 the Department of National Defence decided that it could no longer spare the aircraft and personnel. MacBrien decided that the RCMP should purchase its own aircraft and establish an Air Section. Four de Havilland Dragonflys were obtained in 1937. On May 22 of that year the first official patrol by an RCMP aircraft was made by the Commissioner, along with two crew members, from Ottawa to Toronto. A year later, a Noorduyn Norseman was added to the fleet. In 1939 the flying personnel and all of the aircraft, except the  Norseman, were transferred to the RCAF for the duration of World War II. The Norseman was used extensively throughout the Arctic destroying gas caches to prevent their use by enemy U-boats or aircraft in the event of an invasion.

The Air Section was reorganized after the war ended. In addition to its Norseman, the Force acquired two Beech 18's and an ex-RCAF Grumman Goose in 1946. The Beechcraft were, at the time, state-of-the art, well equipped and faster than the airliners of the day. The Goose became a mobile detachment carrying out patrols across Canada, as operations required. Crews for the new fleet were selected mainly from returning RCAF personnel.

In 1947 a Stinson 108 was added to the fleet. This versatile aircraft was capable of flying on wheels, skis or floats and was used extensively in Saskatchewan, deployed to transport prisoners, carry out searches for lost persons or escaped prisoners, transport crime laboratory personnel to crime scenes and carry police service dogs and handlers on request. A second Norseman replaced the original in 1948 and was joined by the RCMP's first de Havilland Beaver in 1949. In 1950 the Force acquired another Beaver, which was used along the coast of British Columbia. Along with the detachments at such places as St. John's, Newfoundland and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, a new detachment was opened at Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories.

In 1954 the RCMP acquired the first of many de Havilland Otters which, together with the Beavers, changed the way the Force was able to provide service, especially in the North. RCMP aircraft, along with the Department of Northern Affairs personnel based at Churchill, Manitoba, provided medical assistance and portable x-ray equipment in an attempt to curb the tuberculosis epidemic ravaging Canada's northern peoples. During this period, maintenance crews displayed great creativity and versatility in carrying out routine maintenance and field repairs to damaged aircraft under the harshest of weather conditions.

Two significant acquisitions in the 1960's advanced the Air Division into the turbine era. The first was a turbine powered Beechcraft A90, the second, in 1968, was a Turbo Beaver acquired for Peace River, Alberta. This aircraft was the first bush-utility turbine aircraft operated by the RCMP and was so successful it would lead to the purchase of ten Twin Otters and would prove to be the workhorse of the Force.

By the 1970's Air Division Detachments were based across southern Canada from St. John's, NF to Victoria, BC. Northern bases at Whitehorse, Inuvik, Yellowknife and Frobisher Bay provided, at times, the only air service available to RCMP members and their families.

In 1971 the Force acquired its first helicopter, a Bell 212 rotary aircraft made a great impact on the police support role, especially in urban areas, and provided expanded service to such areas as telecommunications. For the first time, close-in support was afforded to the operational police members on site.

The RCMP's first jet, a Cessna Citation, was purchased in 1987 and it, along with additional jets and King Air 200's, played an important role in the ever changing requirements of law enforcement, especially in the Drug Enforcement Program.

In 1999 the RCMP Air Division began replacing its transport fleet with the single turbine Pilatus PC-12, a pressurized, 9 passenger aircraft with a speed of 270 knots. These new aircraft have made a significant impact by providing more efficient long-range transport.

Over the years the Force, in addition to routine police duties, has transported numerous dignitaries including the Queen and other members of the royal family, as well as Prime Ministers and Members of Parliament. It has supplied aerial security for Royal Tours, special events such as Expo '67, Pope John Paul II's tour in 1986 and the 1988 Olympics. Medical evacuations carried out by the Air Division have saved countless lives. Canada's sovereignty is still maintained, in part, by the presence of RCMP aircraft and personnel.

For over sixty years the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Air Division has provided invaluable service to the RCMP and the citizens of Canada. The perseverance, skills, versatility and dedication of its members, at times under adverse conditions and in remote locations, provides the RCMP the ability to "Maintain the Right" or "Maintiens Ie Droit".

The Belt of Orion Award for Excellence was bestowed upon the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Air Division in 2000 at a ceremony held in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

Nine RCMP aircraft logged over 600,000 miles in 1953. The Commissioner’s report for 1954 showed a further expansion of the Air Division to include the conducting of aerial searches for lost persons, escaped prisoners, wanted criminals, stricken vessels in coastal waters and occasionally, stolen livestock and automobiles.