CFB Trenton

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Trenton Airport
CFB Trenton
8 Wing Trenton
IATA: YTR - ICAO: CYTR
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator DND
Serves Trenton, Ontario
Elevation AMSL 283 ft (86 m)
Coordinates 44°07′08″N, 077°31′41″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 10,000 3,048 Asphalt
13/31 3,025 922 Asphalt

Canadian Forces Base Trenton, also referred to as CFB Trenton, 8 Wing Trenton or Trenton Airport, (IATA: YTR, ICAO: CYTR), is a Canadian Forces Base located 2.3 nautical miles (4.26 km) northeast of Trenton, Ontario.

CFB Trenton is an air base and is primarily used by Air Command (AIRCOM). It is home to a large portion of AIRCOM's transport and search and rescue (SAR) aircraft.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1929, 960 acres (3.9 km²) of farmland near Trenton were purchased by the federal government to establish a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) station to be called RCAF Station Trenton. The base was officially opened in August 1931. Trenton was intended as a smaller supporting base to RCAF Station Borden, which was the home of Canadian military aviation and a major training base at the time. The location was chosen for being the mid-point between Ottawa and Toronto. It also provided the possibility of using the facility for sea planes operating on Lake Ontario.

RCAF Station Trenton became host to No. 1 Fighter and No. 3 Army Cooperation Flights, flying Siskin and Tiger Moth aircraft. Trenton became a major training centre during the Second World War under Canada's participation in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Following the war, Trenton became home to transport and fighter aircraft, with transport aircraft from the base taking part in the Korean Airlift, as well as numerous other missions throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Canada upgraded its transport and search and rescue fleet in the 1960s when the RCAF purchased 707, Hercules, Labrador and Buffalo aircraft. Trenton became the home of training facilities for these aircraft.

RCAF Station Trenton was renamed Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton after the February 1, 1968 merger of the RCAF with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Army to form the Canadian Armed Forces.

[edit] Present operations

The base is home to CC-130 Hercules and CC-150 Polaris transport aircraft and the CH-146 Griffon helicopter, the temporary replacement for the CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue aircraft while they are assigned to cover aircraft shortages at other search and rescue squadrons. The base also supports the fleet of CC-144 Challenger business jets and a customized Polaris which are used to fly the Governor General, members of the Royal Family (when visiting Canada), the Prime Minister and members of the federal cabinet.

Current squadrons include:

[edit] Future operations

On June 22, 2006 the Treasury Board of Canada approved the purchase of four aircraft to address Canada's strategic airlift capability shortfall. The aircraft chosen to meet the needs of the Canadian Forces is Boeing's C-17 Globemaster III. (Canada will use the identifier CC177). The main base of operations has been announced by a recent CANAIRGEN to be CFB Trenton. With this announcement Trenton remains the centre of heavy lift transport.

The first of four CC177's are scheduled to arrive in Trenton, summer 2007. However this requires several infrastructure projects, which may require the new aircraft to operate from a temporary location till the facilities are built.

[edit] Other facilities

CFB Trenton is also home to Land Force Command's Land Advanced Warfare Centre (formerly the Canadian Parachute Centre).

The base is also home to the Trenton Air Cadet Summer Training center (TACSTC), used annual by the Royal Canadian Air Cadets for summer camp training.

The base contains the RCAF Memorial Museum.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


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| Nova Scotia | Nunavut | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Yukon |
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