Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA), also called Blatchford Field as well as Edmonton Municipal Airport, was an airport within the city of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada. It was bordered by Yellowhead Trail to the north, Kingsway to the south, 121 Street to the west, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Jefferson armouries to the east. It encompassed approximately of land just north of the city centre of Edmonton. The airport was originally called Blatchford Field, named for former mayor Kenneth Alexander Blatchford. It later was known as the Edmonton Municipal Airport, then as Edmonton Industrial Airport, and then Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA), finally ending as Blatchford Field at Edmonton City Centre Airport. Over the years, the three letter code "YXD" continued to be used for the airport by all of the airlines serving the airfield. The airport was closed in November 2013, and , the land is being redeveloped by the City of Edmonton as a planned community called Blatchford. Early history The airport has a rich aviation history, being the first licensed airfield in Canada (1926). Characters such as Wop May, a World War I fighter ace and bush pilot, helped pioneer aviation in Alberta and Northern Canada, further solidifying Blatchford Field as the "Gateway to the North". Along with May, the Mayor of Edmonton, Kenny Blatchford, had played a key role in establishing the airport in 1927. Blatchford's son, Howard Peter Blatchford, became a fighter ace in WWII. Wiley Post landed at the airport during both of his circumnavigations. RCAF Station Edmonton The airport served as a military airbase during World War II, when it was a major stop-over on the Northwest Staging Route and hosted two British Commonwealth Air Training Plan schools. No. 2 Air Observer School (AOS), operated by Canadian Airways and Canadian Pacific Airlines, opened at RCAF Station Edmonton on August 5, 1940. Later that year, on November 11, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) established No. 16 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), operated by the Edmonton Flying Club; this school was closed on July 17, 1942, to allow for an expansion of No. 2 Air Observer School. Upon winding down of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, No. 2 AOS was closed on July 14, 1944. On 1 October 1955, all RCAF Squadrons and support units were transferred to the "new" RCAF Station Namao. Blatchford Field was turned over to