Alberta's Aviation Heritage

In the early 1920’s pilots like Wop May lobbied hard for airfield in Edmonton. The group found a sympatheic hearing with Mayor Kenneth Blatchford.

Blatchford was very air minded. He saw aviation as the way of the future, and as historian Pat Myers explains, he succeeded in convincing the City Fathers to establish an air facility.
By 1924 City Council was ready to take action. So they sent the city engineer out to inspect possible sites, and he eventually chose a parcel of land just north of the downtown area that had come to the city through non payment of taxes.

And that is the site is still our airport today.

The farmland was cleared of brush, the ground leveled and seeded. And three landing courses were laid out, one going north south, the second east west, and the third cutting diagonally across the others.

A building already on the site was turned into a hangar.

Soon Blatchford field was ready for its official opening as the first municipally owned and operated air harbour in Canada.

The opening was held on the 8th of January 1927, with a small ceremony. Two planes flew in from the High River base, they were greeted by the mayor and other civic officials. The pilots and mechanics ere presented with cigarette cases and open house was held the next day for the public and several hundred drove out to have a look at the fields the planes maybe talk to the pilots if the were still there and see the hangar.

Edmonton’s air harbour quickly became a hub for bush flights into the north. And as Pat Myers indicates was a key component of the air harbours efficient operation.

Well, back then the most important thing was keeping the grass cut on the runways making sure they were level, and making sure no livestock wandered onto the field or into the hangar.

They had an annoying habit of scratching their hides against the planes, and this, as you can well imagine caused some damage.

Also, land around the airstrips was leased out and a local farmer cultivated it for hay.



	Municipal Air Harbour In the early 1920’s pilots like Wop May lobbied hard for airfield in Edmonton. The group found a sympatheic hearing with Mayor Kenneth Blatchford. Blatchford was very air minded. He saw aviation as the way of the future, and as historian Pat Myers explains, he succeeded in convincing the City Fathers to establish an air facility. By 1924 City Council was ready to take action. So they sent the city engineer out to inspect possible sites, and he eventually chose a parcel of land just north of the downtown area that had come to the city through non payment of taxes. And that is the site is still our airport today. The farmland was cleared of brush, the ground leveled and seeded. And three landing courses were laid out, one going north south, the second east west, and the third cutting diagonally across the others. A building already on the site was turned into a hangar. Soon Blatchford field was ready for its official opening as the first municipally owned and operated air harbour in Canada. The opening was held on the 8th of January 1927, with a small ceremony. Two planes flew in from the High River base, they were greeted by the mayor and other civic officials. The pilots and mechanics ere presented with cigarette cases and open house was held the next day for the public and several hundred drove out to have a look at the fields the planes maybe talk to the pilots if the were still there and see the hangar. Edmonton’s air harbour quickly became a hub for bush flights into the north. And as Pat Myers indicates was a key component of the air harbours efficient operation. Well, back then the most important thing was keeping the grass cut on the runways making sure they were level, and making sure no livestock wandered onto the field or into the hangar. They had an annoying habit of scratching their hides against the planes, and this, as you can well imagine caused some damage. Also, land around the airstrips was leased out and a local farmer cultivated it for hay.