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Miramichi Airport (CYCH) lies just south of the town of Miramichi on New Brunswick's east coast, built on the former CFB Chatham military base. It offers one long, lit hard-surfaced runway well beyond the needs of light aircraft, making it a straightforward and interesting VFR or IFR destination with an unusual history as an air tanker base and former RCAF station.
Miramichi Airport, identified as CYCH (IATA: YCH), sits close to the town of Miramichi in New Brunswick, Canada, on the site of the former CFB Chatham military air base. It is best known today as the home base of the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Air Tanker Operations and Forest Protection Limited, who operate the province's water bomber fleet from the field, alongside a General Electric J85 engine test facility. For a simulator pilot the appeal lies in its long, oversized runway, its air tanker operations, and the atmosphere of a scaled-down former military airfield.
The airfield is located roughly 3 km south of Miramichi, New Brunswick. Area traffic is worked by Moncton Centre on 123.7 MHz, with a UNICOM/ATF frequency of 122.7 MHz used for aerodrome traffic.
Miramichi has a single paired runway, 09/27, measuring 9,988 ft with a hard surface and runway lighting. There is no ILS. A second, disused runway remains on the airfield from its military days and is used locally for glider operations, though it is not available to powered traffic.
Pilots should use Moncton Centre on 123.7 MHz for en-route and control services, and the aerodrome traffic frequency (ATF)/UNICOM of 122.7 MHz for calls in the Miramichi circuit and on the ground. There is no ILS at the field, so arrivals should plan for a visual or non-precision approach.
Miramichi Airport occupies the former site of CFB Chatham, a Royal Canadian Air Force base that closed in 1996 when its military units were relocated elsewhere. The main runway, originally built to 10,006 ft, was at one point shortened to 5,899 ft before being re-extended back to its full 10,006 ft length in 2012, reflecting the field's continuing importance for both cargo and forestry firefighting operations. A disused runway from the base's military era survives within the airfield boundary and is still used for local glider flying.
The airport is maintained year-round and has a pavement overlay dating from 1998 along with approach lighting and a taxiway added since the base's military days. It serves as the home base for New Brunswick's Department of Natural Resources and Energy Air Tanker Operations and for Forest Protection Limited, which owns and operates the air tanker fleet, and it also hosts a General Electric J85 engine test facility. The field has hosted a COPA fly-in event, and local flying activity includes gliding from the airfield's disused runway.
