417 Combat Support Squadron (French: 417e Escadron de soutien au combat) is an Air Force unit with the Canadian Forces. Based at CFB Cold Lake it provides helicopter support to the base operations. Since 1994, it has also provided search and rescue.
Reformed as a part of the Canadian Forces in 1970 it operated as an operational training squadron on the Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter at CFB Cold Lake. The squadron disbanded in 1983 with the retirement of the CF-104 fleet.
On 1 April 1993, No 417 Combat Support squadron was formed from CFB Cold Lake Base Flight plus aircraft servicing and maintenance elements of the Wing Maintenance organization. The squadron continued Base Flight's operations with ten Canadair CT-133 Silver Star and three CH-118 Iroquois. When Base Rescue Moose Jaw was disbanded in 1993, 417 Squadron gained two of their CH-118s, to operate a total of five.
In July 1995 417 Squadron received three CH-146 Griffon helicopters and the five CH-118s were retired. The CT-133 was retired in 2001.[3]
The first CH-146 Griffon arrives at 417 Sqn, on the flight line with the CH-118s it is to replace.
417 Sqn's first CH-146 Griffon, serial number 146414, arrived on 6 July 1995.
Badges
417 Combat Support Squadron official badge 1993
417 Combat Support Squadron Rescue Flight badge 1993
417 Combat Support Squadron T-33 Flight aircraft type badge 1993
417 Combat Support Squadron unofficial badge worn by all members 1993
Base Flight Cold Lake badge 1990
Cadets
417 Squadron is affiliated with 395 Edmonton "Griffon" Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets, in Edmonton, Alberta. This affiliation began in 1993, with annual "Griffon Coin Parades" being hosted every year between the two units.[4]
References
^Berryman, David (2006). Somerset airfields in the Second World War. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 34–49. ISBN1-85306-864-0.
^Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume 2, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1949 (Reprinted 1983, ISBN0-912799-03-X); Richards, D. and H. Saunders, The Royal Air Force 1939–1945 (Volume 2, HMSO, 1953).
^Air Force Public Affairs/Department of National Defence (28 June 2007). "CT-133 Silver Star". Archived from the original on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 12 October 2007.
2 Non-standard code as unit using OW added L. Letters normally denoted parent Command, aircraft type (L Liberator transport, D Dakota etc), unit, and individual aircraft.
3 VCXXA where VC was the civil code used by the RCAF replacing CF-, XX was the unit code and A was the aircraft ID letter
4 XXnnn where XX was the unit code and nnn was the last 3 digits of the serial number. Unit code was replaced with "RCAF" in 1958
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