CFB Bagotville

Canadian Forces Base Bagotville, commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, is a Canadian Forces Base located 4.5NM west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay, Quebec. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is one of two bases in the country using the CF-18 Hornet fighter/interceptor, the other being CFB Cold Lake. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 3 Wing, commonly referred to as 3 Wing Bagotville.CFB Bagotville's airfield is also used by civilian aircraft, with civilian operations at the base referring to the facility as Bagotville Airport. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport can handle aircraft with no more than 30 passengers between 0800-1630 on weekdays.RCAF Station BagotvilleAt the height of the Second World War, the RCAF selected a relatively level farming area at the head of navigable waters in the Saguenay Fjord to be the site of several aerodromes during 1941. This area was considered useful for RCAF purposes, given the amount of cleared land in the region, its relative geographic isolation and proximity to the deepwater port of Port-Alfred, as well as access to the adjacent railway network. Construction began that summer and continued through the winter and following spring on RCAF Station St-Honoré near Chicoutimi and RCAF Station Bagotville in La Baie.