On November 14, 1940, the Canadian-American Permanent Joint Board of Defence set out a need for a number of new northwest airports, including Prince George, for the support of a new Northwest Staging Route. This new staging route would provide protection, permit aircraft to be deployed rapidly to northwestern Canada and Alaska in time of emergency and allow men and supplies to be moved into the region by air. In late 1940, Canada's Department of National Defence contracted to build a new (third) Prince George airport on a bench at the top of the hill about south-east of the city on the old Cariboo Highway, across from the Federal Government's Experimental Farm. This location is now the site of today's airport. The Department of Transport built single family homes, an unmarried staff residence, a diesel electric power plant and vehicle maintenance garage. A small administration building and radio range station was built by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and a few years later (1944) this was replaced by a new, larger DOT administration/radio range terminal and a large hangar was built (it burned down in 2009) about the same time. The resident DOT staff were housed on the airport and the Pan Am staff were accommodated in houses built on the east side of the old Cariboo highway, across from the airport. In 1942, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) started construction of a number of buildings for their people and for Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) staff. The buildings included troop dormitories, a medical clinic, a gymnasium and a cafeteria. The latter was also used for USO shows and movies for airport staff. The US staff component included an Army Airways Communication Station, an Eleventh Air Force detachment (1452nd AAF Base Unit - detached from Edmonton Municipal) and a small detachment of United States Navy staff. The US Navy had a contract with Pan Am to fly men, equipment and everything else from Seattle to Juneau and Fairbanks via Prince George and on to Kodiak (Naval Air Station Kodiak), Dutch Harbor (Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base), Adak (Naval Air Facility Adak)and back in periods when coastal weather conditions were poor. The Eleventh Air Force's 1452nd Base Unit at Prince George airport were Air Transport Command, charged with facilitating aircraft and supply shipments from the contiguous United States to Alaska on the Northwest Staging Route.