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Goose Bay Airport (CYYR/YYR) sits on the shore of Lake Melville in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, sharing its huge runways with Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay and 5 Wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Its two hard-surfaced runways, one over 11,000 feet long and fitted with an ILS, make it one of the longest and most striking fields a visiting VFR pilot will encounter in eastern Canada. Today it combines scheduled civil services with continuing military flying, giving the field an unusually full and varied radio environment for its size.
Goose Bay Airport is a joint civil-military aerodrome at Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, co-located with Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, home to 5 Wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The airport's own operator describes it as the hub connecting Labrador and the North to the rest of Canada, and for a visiting pilot the combination of exceptionally long paired runways, an active military presence and scheduled airline traffic makes it a distinctive and busy northern destination.
The field lies at Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, at 53.3192 N, 60.4258 W, elevation 151 feet. It is a controlled aerodrome, with a tower (119.1 MHz), ground control (121.9 MHz) and a terminal control frequency (119.5 MHz, Goose Bay Terminal), and it sits within the airspace overseen by Gander Centre (120.4 MHz), with Halifax Radio providing flight information service on 123.475 MHz. A military radar/precision approach radar frequency (119.9 MHz) and dedicated military operations frequencies are also active, reflecting the shared civil and Canadian Armed Forces use of the airspace.
Goose Bay has two physical runways, both hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 08/26 is 11,002 feet long, with an instrument landing system serving runway 08. Runway 15/33 is approximately 9,575 feet long. Field elevation is 151 feet.
Published frequencies include ATIS on 128.1 MHz, Tower on 119.1 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz, Clearance Delivery on 118.1 MHz, and Goose Bay Terminal on 119.5 MHz. Gander Centre provides area control on 120.4 MHz, which also carries the PAL (pilot activated lighting or similar) service on the same frequency. Halifax Radio provides flight information service on a remote communications outlet at 123.475 MHz. Military users have a dedicated frequency of 129.3 MHz (Ranger Base) and Wing Operations on 129.85 MHz, with a precision approach radar/PAR facility on 119.9 MHz. A PMSV (pilot-to-metro service) frequency of 344.6 MHz is also listed. Woodward Aviation, operating as the Esso FBO, can be reached on 122.9 MHz. Runway 08 is equipped with an ILS for instrument approaches.
Goose Bay Airport shares its site and runways with Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, commonly known as CFB Goose Bay, which is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force with 5 Wing Goose Bay as its primary lodger unit. The base's long, wide runways reflect its military heritage and its role in supporting large military and transport aircraft.
The airport continues to serve as a key transport hub for Labrador, with scheduled services including daily non-stop flights to Halifax connecting into Air Canada's Star Alliance network. Woodward Aviation operates as the field's FBO under the Esso brand, and avgas and customs facilities are available on site. Seasonally, from June to September, Air Borealis operates float plane services from the adjacent Otter Creek Seaplane Base, adding another dimension of local flying activity for pilots visiting the area.
