Brandon Flight Centre - Brandon

The Brandon Flying Club was established on November 28, 1936 and incorporated on January 2, 1937. It is a Not-for-Profit Corporation, originally named the Brandon-Virden Flying Club. At the time Cecil Leech, was the Club’s President and Chief Flight Instructor. Mr. Leech held both an RCAF and civilian rating as a pilot instructor and proved invaluable in training civilian pilots and RCAF personnel for the Club as time went on.  At this time, all civil flying was under the jurisdiction of the Department of National Defence and thus the Club’s first move was to gain access to the Canadian Flying Club Association. In order to encourage civilian flying, the department had an arrangement through the Flying Club Association, whereby member clubs who purchased a new training plane were provided with a second trainer. Thus, two new planes were purchased, a Taylor Cub and an Aronca Cabin.

As early as 1939, the Brandon Flying Club was very highly regarded by both inspectors of the Department of National Defense and Flying Club Association officials.  As a result, the Brandon Flying Club was selected as the first club in Canada to train pilots for the Royal Canadian Air Force.  By the fall of 1941, the Club suspended civil operations for the duration of the war as priorities turned to supporting the efforts of the RCAF and of the Allied war effort by contributing to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan.  SFTP number 12 operated out of the local area areodomes and many of the buildings still in use today date from that time.  

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The Club has grown substantially over the years but we remain focused on our roots as a training and educational centre fostered through fairs, fly-ins, social events, public speaking and tours.  We provide pilot training to all levels from, hobbyist to career professional, opening our doors to anyone with a passion for flight. Today, our fleet consists of 2 Cessna 172’s as well as a Piper Cherokee and included 3 full time and 1 part time instructor. 

While BFC continues to operate in the original building and land where it all began, we have expended over the years to include a full service FBO and maintenance shop.   Our FBO provides full ground service to all our membership planes, as well as WestJet and our transient customers from across  Canada and beyond.   The Club now employs 15 full-time and part-time staff and has an active Board of Directors that includes seven Board members with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Presently, the BFC has a membership of over 150  members. The Club is lucky to have over 40 lifetime members and they share with the Club their love and great enthusiasm of flying, and along with many colourful stories of the history of events of the BFC and flying exploits. 

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The industry is undergoing significant changes but BFC has weathered many over they years. By staying true to our roots and focusing on you, our member and community we are and will continue to be a vibrant, enthusiastic and passionate community of aviators and enthusiasts for years to come.