In 2026, Prairie Flying Service celebrates 80 Years
Prairie Flying Service was founded by four Royal Canadian Air Force veterans — Bob MacKnight, Paddy Watson, Art Davis and John Howe — in the spring of 1946 after returning home from service in World War II. Over the years, we have served as a flight school, operated a charter airline, and even tried our hand at banner towing, smoke writing, and aerial photography. In 1948, Prairie Flying Service also designed and built the first licensed aerial spray rig in Canada, affectionately known as the “flying watering can”, and pioneered the technique of aerial spraying in farms throughout Southern Saskatchewan.
Read more about our history
here.
Today, Prairie Flying Service remains a pillar of Saskatchewan’s general aviation community.
We are a Cessna, Beechcraft, and Piper Authorized Service Facility and proudly support customers from coast to coast to coast with OEM parts and aftermarket spares. Eighty years on, we continue to be a trusted source “For All Your General Aviation Needs”.
Join us for Prairie Flying Service’s 80th Anniversary Hangar Party
Saturday, June 27 | 📍 2710 Airport Road, Regina
Schedule of Events
To mark this milestone anniversary for Prairie Flying Service, we have planned an exciting day of events.
Join us as we celebrate eight decades of service to Saskatchewan’s general aviation community.
Whether you fly-in or drive-in, we hope you’ll join us for a breakfast to kick-off the 80th Anniversary Hangar Party. There will be pancakes, hash browns, breakfast sausages, and bacon. Suggested donation of $10 to the Prairie Flying Service Legacy Fund.
This year marks both the 80th anniversary of Prairie Flying Service and the Saskatchewan Air Ambulance. With the event taking place in the historic Hangar 4 — the original home of the air ambulance — our friends at the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) will deliver a talk on the history of Prairie Flying Service and the hangar.
Our friends at Street Culture Project’s Safe Café are cooking up a delicious lunch for us to enjoy. Lunch will be provided free of charge for attendees, but we kindly ask for donations to the Prairie Flying Service Legacy Fund.
Singer-songwriter pianist Jeffery Straker serves up a rootsy-storytelling brand of song that has been said to transport listeners – out onto a northern lake or to the main street of a prairie town. Growing up in Punnichy, Jeffery was an Air Cadet and we can’t wait to hear his stories in his first-ever performance in an aircraft hangar!
To conclude the days’ festivities, join us for a cake cutting to celebrate Prairie Flying Service’s 80th Anniversary. Not only will the cake be delicious, but it’s going to feature a very special design!
Prairie Flying Service Legacy Fund
As part of the company’s 80 th anniversary celebrations, the Prairie Flying Service Legacy Fund was established with the Saskatchewan Community Foundation.
The fund will grant to help preserve Canada’s rich aviation history and support the next generation of aviators and aircraft maintenance engineers.
We welcome donations to the Prairie Flying Service Legacy Fund when you register for the 80th Anniversary Hangar Party.