CFB Wainwright Airfield 6

The airfield was not closed due to a specific event like an accident or economic failure. It was abandoned because it became obsolete for military operational and training purposes. This was a result of changes in Canadian Armed Forces training doctrine, the retirement of aircraft that used such strips, and the consolidation of air operations at the main, better-equipped Wainwright Airfield (CYWV). The strip was deemed redundant for modern military needs.

The site is located deep within the restricted, active military training range of Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. The former runway is completely unmaintained, overgrown with grass and shrubs, and is only faintly visible as a linear clearing on satellite imagery. The area is now part of the ground manoeuvre and live-fire training range used by the Canadian Army and allied forces. It is not a usable airfield and the area is dangerous and inaccessible to the public.

CFB Wainwright Airfield 6 was one of several auxiliary and unpaved landing strips located within the vast CFB Wainwright training area. Its significance was purely military. It was constructed to support large-scale Canadian Army training exercises. Operations would have included light observation aircraft for artillery spotting, army co-operation flights, and potentially practice for short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft (like the DHC-5 Buffalo or DHC-6 Twin Otter) simulating operations in austere or unprepared environments. Its purpose was to add realism and tactical air support capability to ground force manoeuvres on the base.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening this airfield. It is functionally and strategically obsolete. Its location within an active weapons range makes it unsuitable for any use other than as part of the ground training area. All current and future aviation needs for the base are served by the primary, paved Wainwright Airfield (CYWV).