Boundary Bay Airport (YDT, CZBB)

Home of the Pacific Flying Club

🔗 Sun, 09 Jan 2022
— @david at Boundary Bay Airport, Canada Reply

https://pacificflying.com/

Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB)

🔗 Tue, 04 Jun 2013
— Anonymous Flyer at Boundary Bay Airport, Canada Reply

Most of the information below is now out of date. For current information consult the CFS (Canadian flight supplement) the latest terminal chart plus.

czbb.com

Bounday Bay Airport (CZBB)

🔗 Thu, 22 Oct 2009
— Anonymous Flyer at Boundary Bay Airport, Canada Reply

Boundary Bay is a Canadian training airport located in southwest British Columbia, about 15 miles south of the city of Vancouver. There is no FBO, just a small terminal with minimal services. Renting a car to drive to Vancouver would probably be cheaper than taking a taxi. Public transit isn't very frequent, only during business hours, but is inexpensive. For schedule information, call 604.953.3333

There are two rivers, about seven miles east of the airport, the Nicomeckl and the Serpentine, not the Nickel as a previous poster suggested. The best resouces a pilot can have for flying into or out of any Class C airspace like ZBB are a current Canada Flight Supplement and the Vancouver terminal area map (VTA). The latter is printed on both sides, showing arrival and departure routes and reporting points. All airspace is clearly marked. "Unfamiliar with the area" should get the attention of ATC. Both maps may be purchased from Pacific Flying Club, Professional IFR or several other flight schools. Pay careful attention while joining the circuit (Canada's terminology for the pattern). Scan for aircraft that are on the crosswind leg, turning to downwind. RWY 25 circuits are right hand, as are circuits on rwy 30, for noise abatement. It is important to realize that Vancxouver is a busy airport and it is possible to inadventently stumble into the wrong airspace. The aaispace east of CYVR is the primary departure route for a multitude of heavy transport aircraft.

VFR traffic from the south will probably make initial contact at Point Roberts, either as first contact or after being passed of by the terminal area controller. Traffic from the southeast will probably use the Whatcom VORTAC (113.000), then report to Outer Tower at the railway trestle, near the east end of Boundary Bay, for landings on rwy 25. Northbound traffic will probably use Point Roberts for initial contact, also on outer tower. From the southeast, be cognizant of a small airspace corridor near near the Whatcom Vortac and the White Rock NDB, which serves as the inital approach fix for the approach to Abbotsford airport, about 20 miles east of ZBB. VFR traffic MUST be below 1500 feet in that area. Aircraft arriving from the east will also use the Trestle as their first reporting point. The floor of the terminal area is just 1500 ASL soget low early to avoid extra frequency changes. A smaller airport, Delta airpark is about four miles east of the airfield. Stay at or above 1000 feet until west of that airport.

Key frequencies: ATIS-125.5; Terminal-125.2; Outer Tower-127.6; Inner Tower 118.1 Ground-124.3. ARCAL is 118.1, type K. Not sure whether it requires 5 or 7 clicks to operate it.

The IFR runway is 07, with a DME arc approach, using the Vancouver Vortac (115.9). Approach/departure are with Vancouver Approach, on 132.2. Runway 07-25 is 5000 feet long; rwy 12-30 is 3755 feet. This airport has basic approach lighting and has no PAPI or VASI on any of the four runways.

-AV8R

Arriving at CZBB

🔗 Sat, 14 Jun 2008
— @randallg at Boundary Bay Airport, Canada Reply

While knowing the procedures at CZBB is a great thing, if you are coming from elsewhere and don't have the CFS or terminal chart, you will be OK. Get the ATIS well outside the CZ and call up with your position (I am assuming you have the VNC). Say you are unfamiliar and the tower will treat you well. From the south it's best to approach via Pt Roberts.

Just make sure you stay out of Terminal Class C, if you weren't already in it that is. If you were you will be handed off appropriately.

The one other thing is - if you approach from the east, stay 1000' or higher to avoid Delta Airpark. Ask for descent instructions.

My Home Base

🔗 Wed, 18 Jul 2007
— @Intheclag at Boundary Bay Airport, Canada Reply

Boundary Bay is home base to my little Piper Archer. It's a very busy GA airport about a 30 minute drive south of Downtown Vancouver.

Runway 07-25 was recently restored back to it's original 5000' length. There is no proper FBO here, just a managment company that runs the field and sells the fuel and acts as landlord to the many flying schools and other aviation related businesses. Services are minimal and the fuel price tends to be one of the highest in the region, no self serve, truck only.

Still, this is a reasonable option if you are flying yourself in to Vancouver. No landing fees and it's the closest airport to downtown other than YVR itself. It's a Canpass airport if you are coming from the US, but note that the Canpass hours are limited, typically 10:00PM is the latest you can arrive.

Transit here is poor, a few buses a day, so plan on arranging a rental car to be delivered or take a taxi. Be warned the taxi fare will be well over $50 and in rush hour there can be significant traffic.

There's a Nav Canada PIK (pilot information kiosk) in the main terminal building, and if you hang out near the Pacific Flying Club building you can usually log in to their WiFi.

Because of the intense flight school traffic and the proximity of this field in and under the airspace for Vancouver International, you need to study arrival and departure procedures in the CFS with great care, and if possible enter the VFR reporting points in to your GPS. The tower expects you to know these procedures and fly them accurately. Pay special attention to the various airspace ceiling heights, they are a bit unusual.