CFB Comox – 19 Wing

19 Wing Comox is located at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island. Its Aurora crews keep watch over the Pacific Ocean looking for illegal fishing, migration, drugs and pollution in addition to foreign submarines. With CC-115 Buffalo Aircraft and CH-149 Cormorant Helicopters, they also carry out search and rescue operations in the busiest region in Canada, stretching from the B.C.-Washington border to the Arctic, and from the Rocky Mountains to 1,200 km out into the Pacific Ocean.

Comox – the Town

Comox is nestled against the calm waters of Comox Bay whose entrance is defined by the Comox Spit. The Comox Harbour and its four marinas provide the main commercial and recreational access to the ocean for the Comox Valley. The views across the bay to the Comox Glacier and surrounding area are captivating. Comox is the only town in the Comox Valley that borders on the city of Courtenay. It occupies the southern portion of the Comox Peninsula and sits prominently above the Comox Harbour. Its name is a derivative of the First Nations name K’omoks that dates back to 1862 when the Grappler, a gunboat assigned to Base Esquimalt, brought a group of pioneer settlers to the Comox Bay which was known then as Augusta Bay. As of the 2016 Census 14,028 residents called this charming retirement community home.

19 Wing, CFB Comox

A vibrant and active Air Force community. The Comox Valley is known as the Recreation Capital of Canada, whose residents live active lifestyles surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery on Vancouver Island. 19 Wing Comox reflects this West Coast attitude with a multitude of opportunities for the Defence Team and their families.  Read more about 19 Wing, Comox

The Comox Valley is considered one of the most desirable places in Canada due to its incredible natural setting on the Pacific Ocean, mild climate and limitless year-round recreational pursuits, all of which are located within a relatively small geographic area.  Read more about CFB Comox

Comox Real Estate – Carla Arnold

Carla Arnold is your Local Military & RCMP Relocation Expert

Choosing the right neighborhood is an important part of finding a home. If you love the house but hate the neighbors, or have the perfect kitchen but have an agonizing two-hour commute, you’re never going to feel completely comfortable living there.

Your best bet is to figure out if your neighborhood is a good fit with your family before you start looking for a home there (or certainly before you put in an offer). Spend some time there; take a walk through the streets, visit local shops and restaurants, and pick up a community paper to get a sense of the area’s personality.

Carla is your registered Brookfield Relocation Specialist. Carla will be there for you to ensure that your move is easy, efficient and most important, stress-free. Relocation is all about timing and paperwork, Carla has the experience and knowledge to take care of the entire relocation process for you, and on time. Carla will ensure all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed for your next move.

Call Carla Direct  250-338-3711

Email Carla    carla@cvregroup.com

Canadian Forces Base Comox commonly referred to as CFB Comox or 19 Wing is a Canadian Forces Base located 2.5 nautical miles north northeast of Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is one of two bases in the country using the CP-140 Aurora anti-submarine/maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 19 Wing, commonly referred to as 19 Wing Comox.

Comox Military Home Inspector   call Bryce Babcock at 250-201-7354

CFB Comox’s airfield is also used by civilian aircraft. The civilian passenger terminal building operations are called the Comox Valley Airport and are operated by the Comox Valley Airport Commission.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The Royal Air Force (RAF) constructed the airfield at the strategic location of Comox in spring 1942. RAF Station Comox was built to guard against any possible Japanese threat to North America.

In 1943, the RCAF took over control of the airfield, renaming the facility RCAF Station Comox. The RCAF used Comox for training crews of transport aircraft for the rest of World War II, basing a training squadron flying the Douglas Dakota in 1944.

From 1946 until 1952 the base was mothballed until tensions resulting from the Korean War and Cold War prompted reactivation and the establishment of a permanent RCAF base on Canada’s Pacific coast.

No. 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron initially used the Avro Lancaster then Lockheed P2V Neptune, followed by the Canadair CP-107 Argus and now the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora.

No. 409 All Weather Fighter Interceptor Squadron was equipped with the Canadair CT-33 Silver Star and Avro CF-100 Canuck, followed by the McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo, an example of which can be found on display at the main entrance of 19 Wing.

In 1954, Comox became home to a Pinetree Line radar early-warning station, operated by the 51 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (radar). This facility was closed in June 1958 with the advent of more advanced radar systems such as the Mid-Canada Line and the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line).

In 1964, RCAF Station Sea Island near Vancouver International Airport was closed and turned over to the Canadian Coast Guard. Sea Island’s 121 Composite Unit moved to Comox and was reorganized as 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron, flying the Grumman HU-16 Albatross fixed-wing and Piasecki H-21 helicopter, later re-equipping with the CH-113 Labrador and CC-115 Buffalo. The Labrador helicopter was replaced with the AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant starting in 2001.

On February 1, 1968, the RCAF merged with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Army to form the unified Canadian Forces. RCAF Station Comox was renamed Canadian Forces Base Comox, shortened to CFB Comox. During a 1975 reorganization of the Canadian Forces, Air Command (AIRCOM) was created to operate the air element.

After CFB Comox began sharing the airport with scheduled airlines and other civilian aircraft, a Boeing 747 flown by Northwest Airlines became the first jumbo jet to operate into the field when it made an emergency landing there on June 5, 1979. The flight, chartered by the U.S. military to transport 368 active duty personnel and their families from Travis Air Force Base to Japan and South Korea, was over Cape Scott following an intermediate stop at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport when fire broke out in one of the aircraft’s engines. Efforts to extinguish the flames were unsuccessful; the crew declared an emergency and requested permission to land on the 10,000-foot (3,048 m) runway at CFB Comox. Though no flames were visible, the fire warning light was still flashing in the cockpit as the plane landed.  There were no injuries to the passengers or to the 13 crew members. Base officials, practiced at hosting large numbers of Canadian Forces personnel, ensured that the plane’s occupants were comfortable while awaiting a new aircraft to carry them to their destinations.

In 1980, 407 Squadron began re-equipping with the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora. In 1984, 409 Squadron moved from CFB Comox to CFB Cold Lake leaving the base with the duties of coastal patrol, anti-submarine and transport missions, and search and rescue (SAR) missions.

In 1989, a strike force of United States Air Force KC-135E tankers from the Washington Air National Guard deployed to CFB Comox as part of the annual Global Shield Exercise. The deployment, which included vehicles, equipment and armed personnel arriving by landing craft at a local beach, prompting some locals to ask whether the United States was invading Canada.