Gimli Industrial Park Airport, , is a former military field located 2 NM west of Gimli

Gimli, Manitoba

Gimli is a a rural municipality located in the Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about north of the provincial capital Winnipeg...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The field is now operated as a civilian airport, with one of the original parallel runways decommissioned and now a significant portion of Gimli Motorsport Park. Flying-related activities here include use by Manitoba Provincial Government's water bomber squadron, the Regional Gliding School (Prairie), and two private flying schools. Gimli is also used by No. 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron

No. 435 Squadron RCAF

435 Transport and Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.-Operations:The squadron flies the CC-130 Hercules H-model tanker/transport in the airlift and search and rescue roles...

 based out of No. 17 Wing Winnipeg, for training purposes, and as a skydive drop zone by Skydive Manitoba. In summer the airport hosts glider training for air cadets as Regional Gliding School (Prairie).

History

Opened as RCAF Station Gimli

RCAF Station Gimli

RCAF Station Gimli was an air station of the Royal Canadian Air Force located near Gimli, Manitoba, Canada.On September 6, 1943, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan established No. 18 Service Flying Training School to train aircrew for Second World War operations using the Avro Anson. No...

, the airfield served during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 as the home of Service Flying Training School #18 under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...

. The station closed in September 1971.

Incidents and accidents

In 1983, the airport became famous when an Air Canada

Air Canada

Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...

 Boeing 767

Boeing 767

The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...

 ran out of fuel over southern Manitoba and successfully glided to a landing at Gimli Motorsport Park http://www.gimlimotorsportspark.com. There were no serious injuries. The aircraft in the incident became popularly referred to as the Gimli Glider

Gimli Glider

The Gimli Glider is the nickname of the Air Canada aircraft that was involved in a notable aviation incident. On 23 July 1983, Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767-200 jet, ran out of fuel at an altitude of ASL, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton via Ottawa...

.

3 people were killed on August 27, 1992 when a NewCal Aviation turbine-modified de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability...

 they were aboard crashed on the airfield during climb-out after a short take-off from the airport. The aircraft nosed sharply up, arced right and nosed into the ground. Although there was no explosion, a fire started and consumed the aircraft's remains. The cause was listed as failure to deactivate the plane's gust-lock control in the cockpit, which was interlocked into the throttles when the plane was powered by radial piston engines. This feature was defeated in the plane's conversion to turboprop.

Tenants

• Gimili Motorsport Park
• Prairie Regional Gliding School
• Skydive Manitoba
• Royal Canadian Air Cadets
  Royal Canadian Air Cadets
  Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. It is administered by the Canadian Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence with additional support from the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada...
  
  
• Canadian Forces
  Canadian Forces
  The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
  
  
• Prairie Helicopters Incorporated
• Interlake Int Pilot Training Centre