CFB Chatham

CFB Chatham was a military air base located south of Chatham featuring three 5,000-foot runways and multiple training facilities for the armed forces. The complex served both flight instruction and operational aviation units throughout its active years.

The base was established in 1940 as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, focusing on training pilots and air observers. It contributed to Canada's wartime effort by preparing hundreds of aircraft crews for military service.

The RCAF Golden Hawks aerobatic team established their home base here starting in 1959, regularly performing demonstrations of Canadian military aviation skill. The team shaped the place's reputation as a center of flight excellence for many years.

The former military site now operates in part as Miramichi Municipal Airport with regular commercial flights from the original airfield. Visitors can explore the area where traces of the military infrastructure remain visible.

The base housed a nuclear warhead storage facility under US control during the Cold War when 416 Squadron operated CF-101 Voodoo aircraft. This role made the location a strategically important point in nuclear deterrence between East and West.