RCAF Pennfield Ridge

The primary reason for closure was the end of World War II. As a temporary wartime base built specifically for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), its mission was complete. With the Allied victory and subsequent large-scale demobilization, the training facility was deemed surplus to military requirements.

The site is no longer an airport and has been completely repurposed. The classic triangular runway layout of a WWII-era airfield is still clearly visible from the air, but the land is now the Pennfield Industrial Park. It hosts several major industrial operations, including a large J.D. Irving, Limited sawmill and facilities for Cooke Aquaculture. One of the former runways has been converted into the Pennfield Dragway, a local motorsports venue. The remaining runways and taxiways have been partially incorporated into the industrial park's road network or have fallen into disrepair.

RCAF Pennfield Ridge was a vital air station during World War II, playing a crucial role in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), one of history's largest aviation training programs. Constructed in 1940, its operations included:

- **No. 2 Air Navigation School (ANS):** From May 1941 to May 1942, the base trained navigators for bomber crews using Avro Anson aircraft.
- **No. 34 Operational Training Unit (OTU), RAF:** From May 1942, the base was transferred to RAF Bomber Command to train complete night bomber crews. This unit operated Lockheed Ventura and, later, the high-performance de Havilland Mosquito aircraft. In June 1944, it was renumbered to No. 1 OTU (RCAF).
- **Anti-Submarine Patrol:** Its strategic location near the Bay of Fundy made it an important base for anti-submarine patrols over the Northwestern Atlantic, contributing to the Battle of the Atlantic.
- **RAF Ferry Command:** The airfield also served as a staging point for RAF Ferry Command, which was responsible for flying newly built aircraft from North American factories to the United Kingdom.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RCAF Pennfield Ridge as an airport. The site has been extensively redeveloped for heavy industrial and recreational (motorsports) use for many decades. The significant cost of removing existing infrastructure and rebuilding the airfield to modern aviation standards, combined with the presence of other established airports in the region (like Saint John Airport - YSJ), makes reopening economically and logistically unfeasible.