Airport comments for the World
Comments 15,967 to 16,008 of 16,008
No civilian traffic
I called a couple of times when a relative lived in Trenton, and the base does not allow any non-emergency civilian traffic (unless on military business). It's too bad, because Trenton's the only decent-sized airport along the 401 between Kingston and Oshawa, unless you count Peterborough a fair bit to the north.
Good fuel stop
This airport is a very useful fuel stop for flying between Ontario/Quebec and the Maritimes, since it's not far west of the Maine border.
Skydiving
There is a lot of skydiving at Gananoque, so it's important to keep a sharp eye out if you're landing here.
Avoid Heathrow
Tim Bray has a blog entry on why you should avoid Heathrow at all costs:
http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2007/07/03/Avoid-Heathrow
Fuel stop?
I'm thinking of using Killarney as a fuel stop between Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie.
Vehicles on runway
This airport has a long grass runway sloping towards the lake. When I was back-taxiing a few years back, I came face-to-face with a pickup truck using it as a shortcut (luckily, I wasn't in my takeoff roll).
No landing fee
No landing fee, and reasonably-priced fuel.
Dining
This is a nice little Quebec city, with a lot of good restaurants downtown by the Richelieu River -- well worth the cab ride from the airport.
Fort
I've overflown this airport, and the historic fort is clearly visible from the air at 8,000 ft.
Very nice airport
This is a nice airport to visit, though I miss being able to get fuel at TransCapital.
Aircraft parking update
I landed at CYAM today, and two of the (already limited) tie-down spots behind the old firehall are now reserved for Soo Aviation, the new flight school at the airport, leaving only, I think, three for transient aircraft. That means you'll almost certainly have to chock your plane on the apron near Maratech, the FBO.
On the bright side, ATC was as friendly and helpful as usual.
Aircraft parking
There are a few tie-down spots for light aircraft on the far side of the old firehall. Otherwise, you can have the plane chocked on the apron near the FBO.
Car rental
The only car rental companies actually at the airport are Enterprise and Budget -- the others are in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, a long way away.
Fuel
There is a 24-hour, self-service fuel pump, as at CYRP. It was NOTAM'd O/S for a long time, but the NOTAM's gone now, so presumably the pump is back in operation.
Approaches
The NDB approach is to 06, but the GPS approach is to 24 -- watch for the risk of head-on, opposite-direction traffic over the runway when people are practicing simulated approaches.
Runway lighting
Note that the runway lighting ARCAL is *not* on the same frequency as the ATF. Use 122.7 MHz for the ATF, but 122.9 MHz to activate the lights.
Ground Transportation
The FBO will give you a lift to the Long Island Railroad station in Farmingdale (a couple of miles away), and you can take a train right to Penn Station in Manhattan for a few dollars.
Nice FBO
The FBO here is extremely friendly -- they lent me a crew car even though I didn't need gas (I left a donation for the airport anyway).
Poor food
Montreal's a great city for food, but don't bother with the airport -- there's not much there, especially once you're through security. Bring something with you.
Intl/domestic transfers
They make you go out into the public area and then line up for security again when transferring from an international to a domestic flight -- it can be pretty frustrating when the security lineup is long and you have a tight connection.
Landing fees
Unfortunately, CYUL has brought in landing fees for private planes as of 2007. I think it's around $40 or so even for a light single (!!!).
Good fuel stop
This airport is a good fuel stop for private planes -- there's no landing fee, and no ramp fee if you're staying only a short time. There's an ILS and a *very* long runway (an old NORAD runway) for bad weather, and Sudbury is close by as an alternate.
Tie-downs
The tie-downs for private aircraft are behind the old firehall, but there are only a few. You can also chock the plane on the ramp in front of the FBO. There's no landing fee for light aircraft if you buy gas, but they do charge around $13 or so/night for parking no matter where you park.
Good G.A. airport for Boston
This is a good airport for visiting Boston. It's outside of the security zone (no prop locks or security fees), is reasonably inexpensive, and is near two commuter rail lines (the FBO will often give you a lift to the station for free).
Ground Transportation
The best way into Manhattan is just to take a NYC cab. It's a pretty fast and reasonably cheap ride in if traffic permits.
Ground Transportation
You can take the BART (light commuter rail) directly into downtown San Francisco, Oakland, Berkley, etc. for a few dollars. Don't bother renting a car unless you need to drive around the burbs.
RER
The RER (the commuter light rail system) runs directly into Paris, and you can use the same ticket to transfer to the Paris Metro or another RER line. It's very inexpensive (about 8.10 euros, I think).
Ground transportation
The Atlanta subway, MARTA, goes directly from the airport to downtown -- it's fast, cheap (a couple of bucks, I think), and easy.
Free tie-downs for visitors
The last time I was in Kingston, they still weren't charging visitors for overnight tie-down. There are cables you can tie to on the apron in front of the Kingston Flying Club.
Nice airport
This is one of the nicest airports in Canada for flying to a big city, either commercially or in a private plane. It's unbelievably quiet considering how close it is Toronto freeways, and you can actually walk downtown after taking the little ferry across.
Wind turbines
If you're a pilot, watch for the wind turbines on the hills to your right on departure from 30. I've had to refuse a right turn after departure because I wasn't climbing fast enough for obstacle clearance (a left turn towards the U.S. is much easier, if you need to head east).
Cafeteria open again
There is an airport cafeteria operating again. It also sells magazines, including flying pubs.
U.S. Customs
This is a useful airport for clearing U.S. customs flying from Canada on a private aircraft (esp. from Ottawa or Montreal). They require only an hour notice, and if you're delayed, you can always land across the river in Cornwall, Canada, and call them to reschedule. (315) 769-3091. If you book the day before, it's a good idea to call just before you take off and remind them. Customs will usually meet you at the main terminal.
FAX number for the Form 178 is (315) 769-3146. The customs office is open 24/7, but due to staffing limitations, they can't go to the airport to meet planes on their midnight shift (12am-8am local time).
Night landings
When the wind is light, most pilots land on runway 09 at night instead of 27 -- that way, they can land on the lit part, and overrun onto the unlit part if necessary.
BBQ
There's a BBQ going most of the time in the summer with hamburgers (and veggie burgers, I think).
Ground transportation
The OCTranspo 97 bus is a fast bus to downtown, and then on to the Bayshore Shopping Centre in the west end, mostly on a dedicated express Transitway (about a 25 minute ride). The schedule varies from every 9 minutes or so at peak times to every 30 minutes in the wee hours of the morning, and the adult fare is $3.00 cash or $1.90 if you buy tickets. You can transfer to the 95 for the train station.
Landing fees
For private single-engine light aircraft, CAD $15/landing or a flat fee of CAD $30/month. Nav Canada will also introduce a fee for each takeoff, starting in 2008.
Electrical outlets
The new terminal has lots of electrical outlets for laptops, etc. in the waiting areas -- they're on the pillars at the ends of some rows.
U.S. Customs
Customs is pretty easygoing about arrival times (since they're always on the field), but they'll meet you only at Jet or Atlantic, not at the other FBOs.
IFR
CYRP does not have an instrument approach, but some pilots shoot an approach to Gatineau (about 4-5 miles away) then break off and scud run over. I'd want a pretty good ceiling to try that, and wouldn't even consider it at night. Fortunately, CYOW is also close, and has two ILS's.
Self-serve fuel
I have read that they've recently added a 24-hour self-serve AvGas pump, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.
Upper Canada Village
🔗 Thu, 05 Jul 2007
— @david at Morrisburg Airport, Canada
Upper Canada Village, a reenacted 1867 village, is located right across the highway within walking distance. There is also a golf course near the airport. Note that there's no fence or security of any kind, and your plane will be in clear view of the highway.