Leaside Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Leaside
Leaside is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who settled there in the early years of the nineteenth century. The area first developed as farmland along with Toronto through the nineteenth century. It was incorporated as a...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(now a neighbourhood of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
). It opened in 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps Canada
The Royal Flying Corps Canada was a training organization of the British Royal Flying Corps located in Canada during the First World War. It began operating in 1917....
airfield during the First World War.
Unlike nearby Armour Heights Field
Armour Heights Field
Armour Heights Field was home to a Royal Flying Corps airfield in Toronto, Canada during World War I, and was one of three in the area. Many RFC pilots trained in Canada due to space availability. The airfield was opened in July 1917, but closed in 1919 as the war had ended...
, the airfield was not abandoned at the end of the war, but was acquired for use by the Toronto Flying Club. After the war, the airstrip became the site of Canada's first delivery of airmail on June 24, 1918 when pilot Brian Peck delivered 120 letters from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(taking off from Bois-Franc Field
Cartierville Airport
Cartierville Airport was an airport in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, now a borough of Montreal. The airport was decommissioned and turned into the Bois-Franc neighbourhood. It was located next to Route 117, and the terminal buildings were accessed via Boul...
). This delivery was initially organized at the behest of some of his friends in Montreal who wanted letters delivered to Toronto; however when the Post Office Department
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
heard of the plans, they gathered together the letters as a test of an airmail system.
The Toronto Flying Club closed the airport in 1931. From June 1942 - March 1944, the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
(RCAF) operated No. 1 RDF (Radio Direction Finding
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
) School at Leaside, and the station was briefly known as RCAF Station Leaside. Although the airport was replaced with industrial uses, the last hangar was not removed until 1971.
The area is now primarily home to small industrial businesses.