Lord Bessborough, the Governor General in 1931, laid the commemorative cornerstone of the airbase, which had the motto, "Per Ardua ad Rem," or "Through Adversity to the Good".

3 Army Cooperation Flights, flying Siskin and Tiger Moth aircraft, were the first air elements to be hosted at Trenton.

[citation needed] Trenton was home to RCAF 102 KU Flt - Central Air Command (CAC) Composite during the war.

[citation needed] On February 2, 1959, RCAF Station Trenton became the destination for CF-105 Arrow 25204, flying from the Avro Canada manufacturing facility at Malton Airport.

A Trans-Canada Air Lines Vickers Viscount had crash landed during 25204's flight, temporarily closing the runways at Malton.

Canada upgraded its transport and search and rescue fleets during the 1960s when the RCAF purchased the CC-137 Husky, CC-130 Hercules, CH-113 Labrador and CC-115 Buffalo aircraft.

[14] On February 21, a chartered flight of 131 Canadians who were quarantined on the Diamond Princess after an outbreak on the cruise ship in Japan, and who all tested negative for the virus, were brought to CFB Trenton for additional screening before being transported by bus to NAV Centre in Cornwall, Ontario, to be quarantined.

[15] On March 10, a chartered flight of 228 Canadians who were on the Grand Princess after an outbreak on the cruise ship in California, and who all did not test positive for the virus, were brought to CFB Trenton for a 14-day quarantine period.

[22] The Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre is housed in a new building named after Air Marshal Clare Annis.

[24] A 17,500 m2 (188,400 sq ft) Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) and transportation garage valued at $75 million was completed in 2012.

The RCAF also operates the Canadian Mission Control Centre (CMCC) from the base, which is tasked with monitoring the Cospas-Sarsat system that detects transmissions from emergency locating beacons on aircraft or marine vessels in distress through Canada's search and rescue area of responsibility.

[34] In 2016, the former base commander, Colonel Colin Keiver and Chief Warrant Officer Darcy Elder, had recreated the Quinte International Air Show which had not been held since 2003.

Mark Goulden, the commander at the time of the cancellation, stated "Operations at 8 Wing Trenton is our priority, whether it be helping Canadians during disasters such as the British Columbia wildfires, delivering humanitarian aid internationally, or supplying Canadian Armed Forces missions around the world.

It is with these operational commitments in mind that 8 Wing Trenton has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2018 Quinte International Air Show.

"[36] Throughout 2020, it was unclear whether or not there would be an air show any time in the future due to CFB Trenton being at the forefront of Canada's efforts to gain control over the COVID-19 virus.

[37] In connection with the Royal Canadian Air Force's 100th anniversary the 2024 show is ran at CFB Trenton through the Canada Day weekend.

This portion of the base, located on the south side of the airbase, has multiple buildings for cadets to reside in during their summer training.

[44] CFB Trenton, based on statistical data from the Fiscal Year 2004–2005, had an annual population impact (Regular Force members & dependants) of 8,185.