In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 10 degrees E and elevation of. Six runways were listed as under construction and detailed as follows:
The only Relief Landing field for RCAF Station Gimli was located approximately 10 Miles South on the west side of the hamlet of Netley, Manitoba. The Relief field was constructed in the typical triangular pattern. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 10 degrees E and elevation of. Three runways were listed as under construction and detailed as follows:
Runway Name
Length
Width
Surface
14/32
Hard surfaced
8/26
Hard surfaced
2/20
Hard surfaced
On a recent drive by the site of the Netley Relief Landing Field there is little trace of the aerodrome from the ground but the former runways can be made out from the satellite imagery available on google maps.
During the Cold War period, many Second World War air stations were reactivated. Gimli was one of these, and was reopened in 1950 to become a jet aircraft training station. Flying training schools located here include No. 2 Flying Training School, No. 3 Advanced Flying School, and No. 1 Advanced Flying Training School. Married Quarters were built on the base at some point during this period. The former married Quarters are now the community of Aspen Park. At some point after the Base was re-opened the Runways were reconfigured from the 6 runway triangular pattern to 2 longer, roughly parallel, asphalt surfaces. After unification of the three services in 1968, RCAF Station Gimli became a Canadian Forces Base. CFB Gimli closed in September 1971 and the flying schools moved to other Canadian forces bases.
The Gimli airfield became the focus of international attention on July 23, 1983, when Air CanadaFlight 143 made an emergency landing there after a 17-minute powerless glide due to fuel exhaustion. On that day, the runways were being used for race-car activities on 'Family Day' for the Sports Car club from Winnipeg. Flight 143's captain executed a sideslip, before touching down on the tarmac. None of 69 people on board the Boeing 767 aircraft was seriously injured, because the impact with the ground was minimized by the reduced landing speed provided by the slip that increase drag and caused the airplane to quickly reduce speed and to lose altitude. This maneuver is commonly used with gliders and light aircraft but was a first with a commercial aircraft.
