CFB Comox
On June 5, 1979, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 747, chartered by the U.S. military and carrying 368 active-duty personnel and their families from Travis Air Force Base to Japan and South Korea, was passing Cape Scott at the northern tip of Vancouver Island when fire broke out in one of its engines. Efforts to extinguish the flames failed. The crew declared an emergency and requested permission to land at CFB Comox, a military airfield on the Comox Valley that the jumbo jet was never designed to visit. The 747 touched down safely, fire warning lights still flashing in the cockpit, and no one was injured. Base officials, well practiced at hosting large numbers of Canadian Forces personnel, ensured the 368 passengers and 13 crew were comfortable while awaiting a replacement aircraft. It was the first time a jumbo jet had operated into the field.
Built Against an Empire
The Royal Air Force constructed the airfield at Comox in spring 1942, choosing the site for its strategic position guarding the Pacific approaches to North America against the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1943, the Royal Canadian Air Force took control and renamed it RCAF Station Comox, using the base to train crews of Douglas Dakota transport aircraft for the remainder of World War II. After the war, the base was mothballed from 1946 until 1952, when the Korean War and the deepening Cold War prompted reactivation. Comox became a permanent RCAF installation on Canada's Pacific coast, and the squadrons that followed read like a history of Canadian military aviation: Avro Lancasters, Lockheed Neptunes, Canadair Argus maritime patrol aircraft, Lockheed T-33s, and Avro Canada CF-100 Canucks.
Submarine Hunters and Rescue Angels
Today CFB Comox is home to 19 Wing and two operational squadrons that define its dual mission. The 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron flies the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora, a maritime patrol aircraft designed to hunt submarines and monitor Canada's vast Pacific coastline. The 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron operates CC-295 Kingfisher fixed-wing aircraft and AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant helicopters on search and rescue missions that cover some of the most rugged and remote territory in the country. During the catastrophic 2021 Pacific Northwest floods, 442 Squadron dispatched three Cormorants to airlift more than 300 people, 26 dogs, and one cat to safety after mudslides washed out multiple sections of Highway 7 near Agassiz.
Were the Americans Invading?
CFB Comox has hosted some memorable visitors. In 1954, a Pinetree Line radar station was established on the base, operated by the 51 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, part of the continent-wide early warning network designed to detect Soviet bombers. It closed in 1958 as more advanced systems like the DEW Line came online. In 1989, a U.S. Air Force strike force deployed Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers from the Washington Air National Guard to Comox as part of the annual Global Shield Exercise. The deployment included vehicles, equipment, and armed personnel arriving by landing craft at a local beach, which prompted some locals to wonder whether the United States was invading Canada. In 2012, a Korean Air Boeing 777 with 149 people aboard made an emergency landing at Comox after a bomb threat, escorted by F-15 Eagles scrambled from Portland, Oregon.
Shared Runway, Shared Valley
CFB Comox shares its runway with the Comox Valley Airport, a civilian terminal serving commercial flights from WestJet, Air Canada, Pacific Coastal Airlines, and Flair Airlines. The airport handled over 400,000 passengers in 2019 before the pandemic cut that number in half. The base is also home to the Comox Air Force Museum, hosts a biennial air show, and every April welcomes the Snowbirds aerobatic team for their pre-season practice. The Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue trains all of Canada's SAR Technicians here, while Royal Canadian Air Cadets learn to fly gliders and Cessnas during the summer. An annex called Goose Spit hosts sea cadets at CTC HMCS Quadra. For the Comox Valley, the base is not just a military installation but a primary employer and an institution woven into the rhythm of daily life.
From the Air
Located at 49.717N, 124.900W on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Comox Valley. ICAO code CYQQ. The runway is clearly visible from the air, oriented roughly north-south, with the civilian terminal on the east side. Baynes Sound and Denman Island are visible to the southeast. The town of Comox sits immediately south of the base, with Courtenay further inland. Active military airspace; check NOTAMs before approaching. Recommended viewing altitude 5,000+ ft AGL or observe from a distance. The base hosts CF-18 deployments and is planned for armed drone operations in the late 2020s.