CFB Trenton

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{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 220px; font-size: 95%;" |- ! colspan="4" style="text-align: center; background-color: #4682B4; color: white;" |Trenton Airport

Canadian Forces Base Trenton, also referred to as CFB Trenton, 8 Wing Trenton or Trenton Airport, , 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 the home of AIRCOM's transport and search and rescue (SAR) aircraft.

Contents

1 History
2 Present operations
3 Other facilities
4 References

History

960 acres (3.9 km²) of farmland near Trenton was purchased in 1929 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 the No. 3 Army Cooperation Flights, flying Siskin and Tiger Moth fighters. Trenton became a major training centre during World War 2 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 Trenton after the February 1, 1968 merger of the RCAF with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Army to form the Canadian Armed Forces.

Present operations

The base is home to CC-130 Hercules and CC-150 Polaris transport aircraft and CH-146 Griffon search and rescue helicopters that are temporarily replacing the break-down plagued CH-149 Cormorant. 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:

424 (Transport & Rescue) Squadron
426 (Transport & Training) Squadron
436 (Transport) Squadron
437 (Transport) Squadron
412 (Transport) Squadron
2 Air Movements Squadron
8 Air Communications and Control Squadron
8 Air Maintenance Squadron

Other facilities

CFB Trenton is also home to Land Force Command's Canadian Parachute Centre.

The base hosts summer training camps for the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

The base contains the RCAF Memorial Museum.

References

Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 8 June 2006 to 0901Z 3 August 2006.

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