McBride Airport - Charlie Leake Field

Private aircraft: McBride has an 830m air strip, Charlie Leake Field, CAV4, to accommodate small aircraft, operated by the Village of McBride, phone 1-250-569-2229. After hours phone 1-250-569-7773 Coordinates: N53°18.90' / W120°10.23'. More details at skyvector.com.

Automatic Weather Observation System

The field is named after Colonel Charles “Snarly” Leake who was born and raised in McBride prior to joining the air force. He served with distinction until his retirement. Snarly's achievements include, the first air to air refueling in Canadian airspace, Commander in Charge of Air Security for the 1976 Montreal Olympics and training the Argentinian Airforce on the F5. Charlie retired after commanding the 408 Helicopter Squadron.

Images courtesy Matthew G. Wheeler/Kelly Mortensen