Radar Station (film)
| Radar Station | |
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Screen shot of title frame
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| Produced by | Allen Stark |
| Written by | Allen Stark |
| Narrated by | Bill Lee |
| Cinematography | Jean Roy |
| Edited by | David Mayerovitch |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / CBC Television |
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Release date
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Running time
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15 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Radar Station is a 1953 Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the On The Spot series made specifically for television. The documentary involved an account of a visit to a radar station while it is involved in a simulated air attack, and is based on first-person interviews of the staff at the radar station.
In 1953, during the Cold War, RCAF Squadron Leader Bill Lee visits RCAF Station Lac St. Denis in the Pinetree Line of radar stations. Typical of the many Royal Canadian Air Force radar stations that provide air defence over Canada and the United States, the base is involved with identifying and plotting air operations in Canada's Arctic.
S/L John Mahoney, the Senior Controller shows how the standard multi-level operations complex works. The search and height finder equipment and operations are located on the third floor where the Surveillance Controller Supervisor are found. The Senior Controller and other appropriate staff are on the second floor with the Identification Officer and the "cross-tellers", horizontal plotting boards and tote boards on the main floor.
While FtrCops staff are in the canteen, the large search antenna sweeping the skies has detected "unknowns" at 25,000 ft., and the Identification Officer has issued an "alert" through the station PA system. As Airwomen plot the four aircraft on their radar scopes, the Senior Controller issues a command to the Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W Sqn), who are constantly on operational readiness. The nearby RCAF base "scrambles" a flight of Canadair Sabre fighter aircraft to intercept the approaching aircraft. The aircraft turn out to be Avro Lancaster bombers that are part of an exercise, showing that the radar station can adequately protect Canada's northern frontiers from the Soviet threat of nuclear attack on North America.
Radar Station relied heavily on military assistance in obtaining footage. The film incorporated footage shot in 1953 at RCAF bases where the radar station operated. The On The Spot series segments were produced with a three-person crew: a director, cameraman and on-screen host, usually Fred Davis, but in this case, RCAF Squadron Leader (later Group Captain) William "Bill" Lee acted as the interviewer and narrator.
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