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North Bay Jack Garland Airport (CYYB) sits at Hornell Heights, a few miles north-northeast of North Bay, Ontario, on a site it shares with Canadian Forces Base North Bay, the NORAD control centre for Canadian air defence. Its long runway and ILS approach, together with a mix of airline, cargo, military and flight-training traffic, make it an interesting and well-equipped destination for the visiting VFR pilot. The field carries a strong aviation heritage, from wartime RCAF origins to decades as the final assembly point for the Bombardier CL-415 water bomber.
North Bay Jack Garland Airport, known locally as YYB, is a certified public airport owned by the Municipality of North Bay and operated by the North Bay Jack Garland Airport Corporation. It stands immediately alongside Canadian Forces Base North Bay, home to the operational control centre for Canadian NORAD operations, giving the field a distinctive mixed civil-military character. For a visiting pilot it offers a long, ILS-equipped main runway, two further paved cross runways, and a variety of based operations including airline services, cargo flights and the Canadore College aviation training campus.
The airport lies at Hornell Heights, about four nautical miles north-northeast of the city of North Bay, Ontario, and is classified by Nav Canada as an airport of entry, with Canada Border Services Agency officers on hand for general aviation aircraft carrying no more than fifteen passengers. It sits adjacent to Canadian Forces Base North Bay. Overlying air traffic control is provided by Toronto Area Control Centre.
The airfield has three paved, lit physical runways. Runway 08/26 is the main runway at 9,982 feet, hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with an ILS on runway 08. Runway 13/31 is 5,827 feet, hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 18/36 is 4,434 feet, hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 1,181 feet.
North Bay is a mandatory frequency (MF) aerodrome. The A/G frequency, North Bay Radio/Traffic, is 118.3 MHz, which also serves as the remote radio outlet frequency. ATIS is broadcast on 124.9 MHz. Overlying Toronto Center is on 121.225 MHz, and a PMSV weather service is available on 34.46 MHz. Navigation aids include the YELLEK non-directional beacon (ZYB, 404 kHz), located 3.8 nautical miles on a bearing of 077 degrees from the airport, and a VOR/DME (YYB) on 115.4 MHz/Channel 101 sited at the airport. An ILS serves runway 08 on 110.9 MHz.
As a mandatory frequency aerodrome, pilots must establish two-way communication with North Bay Radio/Traffic on 118.3 MHz before entering the MF area and remain on frequency throughout their arrival, departure or transit. There is no stated curfew on the main runway.
The airport is located at Hornell Heights, north-northeast of North Bay, and sits immediately beside Canadian Forces Base North Bay, whose facilities form a prominent landmark for pilots approaching from the city side.
The airport takes its name from Jack Garland, a long-serving Member of Parliament for North Bay's Nipissing riding. Its first terminal was built in 1938, with a small waiting area and control tower, and the field grew substantially through its association with the adjacent air base, operational since 1951 as RCAF Station North Bay until being renamed Canadian Forces Base North Bay in 1966; the base became the operational control centre for Canadian NORAD air defence operations. A second terminal followed in 1963, later becoming the airport's administration building, and the current passenger terminal was built in 2001 and renovated by 2010. From 1998 until 2015 the airport was the final assembly site for the Bombardier CL-415 water bomber. The field also hosted an annual air show with a large military component during North Bay's Heritage Festival until 2004. Ownership passed from Transport Canada to the Municipality of North Bay in 1998, with the North Bay Jack Garland Airport Corporation taking over operation in 2003.
The airport today handles scheduled airline services, including Bearskin Airlines and Propair, seasonal WestJet flights, and cargo operations by FedEx Express and SkyLink Express. It is home to Canadore College's aviation campus, housing its flight training programs, and hosts a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire management facility supporting aerial firefighting deployment. Fuel is available on the field, with avgas (100LL) and Jet-A offered through based fixed-base operators.
