Comments 801 to 850 of 908
Gas pumps
The last time I was there, the pumps at Brampton were set up like an automobile gas station -- they were on an island, with a little booth in the middle for the attendant. You taxi to either side of the pumps, get a fill up, then taxi on. The Brampton Flying Club (one of Canada's biggest) is the FBO, and has a slick operation running inside.
Great War Flying Museum
The Great War Flying Museum (http://www.greatwarflyingmuseum.com/) is at this airport. On nice weekends, you can often share the circuit with a Fokker, Sopwith Camel, etc. in WWI markings.
Student pilots
This airport is a frequent destination for student pilots cross-countries from other parts of Ontario and Quebec. It's easy to find by the lake, there are no landing or parking fees, and it has an onsite FSS to give the students a hand, fuel, a long runway, and an ILS for the IFR students. The three major flight schools in Ottawa (the Ottawa Flying Club, Ottawa Aviation Services, and the Rockcliffe Flying Club) send all of their student pilots to YGK for their first solo cross-country flights, and there will sometimes be two or three Ottawa-based training planes parked there at the same time.
re: Landing Fee
I think Tony's right -- the landing fee is keeping away GA traffic. I've always chosen North Bay (YYB) instead of Sudbury (YSB) as a fuel stop, since it has no landing fee, and no ramp fee for a short stop. YYB is also a very short drive from downtown North Bay, while YSB is a long way out of town.
Cleared Canadian Customs Here
Landed here after dark in Oct 04 to clear customs. Taxiways were very rough and ramp lighting was not very effective. The ramp attendant heard us fly in and drove over to let the Customs agent in the back gate and let us out after we were cleared. He drove us to our hotel afterward fuelling us - great service after a long day of flying.
Private Grass Strip
Flew my Husky here from Buttonville the day the importation process was completed - great grass strip. Did several touch & goes, then landed and had coffee with one of the residents, a retired Air Canada pilot.
home sweet home
home sweet home
Gliders
Lots of glider activity here. This airport east of Ottawa is great for diversions and forced approach practises, but only on days when the gliders are not around. The middle of winter is a good time!
Landing Fee
Was charged a landing fee for a short stop when flying a Hope Air mission. It was a very quiet airport, I wonder if the fees were a reason?
Star Encounter
Met the star of Wings Over Canada here. It was a fluke but it was pretty neat
College
Attended Aviation Flight Management @ Confederation. Many good times spent here!
Nice Gem
Beautiful airport keep it alive! Received my Multi here.
Flight Training
Received my MIFR here
Private & Night
This is where I learnt to fly!
Correct
As David mentioned the breakfast is every Sunday starting around 7am for those early risers...
It's a 5 dollar donation for bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, coffee and orange juice. The great company and conversations are free :)
www.brockvilleflyingclub.com
Friendly Staff at Porter
I have frequented the Porter (City Center Aviation previously) for the past year and a half and would say that the staff here really make the difference. I know of the cost issue with ramp fees and expensive fuel but go to any major US city (Boston loves to give it to GA) and it is not as bad you might think.
One of the nicest spots to stop into within walking distance to Starbucks, Sushi restaurant, Tim Hortons, Quiznos, Subway and a few hotels. I walk rather quickly so take that with a grain of salt :)
Compared to Pearson or Buttonville this is where I would rather land then no matter were I was going in Toronto.
Holland Landing
Cool little airport perched on the top of a hill.
Good Flight School
The flight school at Cornwall has two twins (Seminoles) and can help you get your multi and IFR ratings, and has an examiner on staff for efficient, no-nonsense IFR renewals. There are two non-precision approaches to this airport.
Not all grass - lots of gravel
This airport is listed in the CFS and commonly known as "Westport". I have been here during the week and seen vehicles drive in, wander around and drive out. Perhaps the signs off the road are inadequate? This gets tricky if you are slipping in over the trees to Rwy 07, as I was.
It is a nice walk into the town of Westport for treats or lunch. There is a winter fly-in here, on the lake for skis and at the airstrip if conditions allow.
PPR and the low spots can be wet
Call first and check the conditions, especially early in the season. Lots of ultralights here, especially Challengers!
Spectrum Aiways
Great flight school. If you come in early on the weekends, you can get breakfast in the flight school building. That lady makes the best omelets in town!
Power Lines
A nice grass strip close to Ottawa to practise soft and short field landings. Have a look at photos of this strip before going there, the power lines may not be visible depending on your direction of approach and the angle of the sun. There are low power lines at both ends, with some higher Hydro towers and cellular towers nearby. Watch for hang glider activity nearby too.
My favourite x/c
This airport is great to fly into at night, beautiful view of the city.
runway
good but subject to crosswinds
also seasonal
variations re dumping of alot of
gravel in may thru july to build base to prevent errosion
Fall Colours
A very popular fall fly-in destination - the scenary is beautiful. There can be lots of traffic on fly-in days. The approach is over the lake, with terrain rising to the runway - and the runway is narrow, so you might be high the first time you attempt this airport.
NDB Approach
I flew here several times while doing my IFR rating to practise the NDB approach to runway 35. It is an interesting IFR flight from Ottawa, culminating with the classic "NDB astern of you" approach and missed approach back to the beacon. I think I might actually get to land here one day. :-)
Watch for Float Planes
I had two close encounters (that I know of) with float planes within 5 nm of Elliot Lake airport. They seem to transit the zone but are not on the frequency. This is a good pit stop or a place to wait things out while the afternoon thunderstorms over Algonquin Park dissipate (BTDT). I understand there is a golf course near the airport that encourages fly-in golfers, but I don't golf so I can't comment on the quality of the golfing.
Parachuting Club
A nice grass strip between Montreal and Ottawa. Tune and listen for para drop announcements - there is an active parachuting club here.
BCATP Airfield
All the old runways are here - a complete British Commonwealth Air Training Programme field from the 1940's. Some hangars are intact, but they are being used for other purposes now. A popular breakfast fly-in every second Sunday during the summer. Lots of ultralights in the area, and watch for gliders from Mountainview. No fuel at Picton, you will have to go to Tyendinaga (Mohawk) CPU6 for fuel.
a.k.a. KARS - A Nice Grass Strip
Lots of gliders here - but you can fly your powered aircraft in here with prior permission - check your CFS for the phone number. Go early in the morning, before the gliders get busy. Sit and watch the glider action, or join in for some dual instruction with the Rideau Valley Soaring Club http://www.rideauvalleysoaring.com/
Thunder Bay Shell
The service here was great... quick and friendly service. Thanks for your help!
YKF
Very nice field, excellent and friendly controllers.
FEX Base
Main FEX base....good company brings back good memories and some great trips.
re: I hope it stays
Brantford makes a big deal out of being the one-time home of Alexander Graham Bell -- in addition to his work on the phone, Bell was one of Canada's earliest and most important aviation pioneers and advocates, so it would be especially sad if Brantford's airport closed. How about renaming it to Brantford/Alexander Graham Bell Airport?
International Falls
Even if no on is making calls or intending to land at Fort Frances, keep a good eye out for traffic flying in to International Falls just across the border. There is also the floatplane traffic flying from the town to keep an eye out for.
I hope it stays
There is a petition circulating to put down efforts by the city to close the airport. I hope the city develops some long-range thinking about their short-sighted problems.
Great strip
Great grass strip, and there is also a floatbase just north of the field on the Kaministiqua River.
Home base on the island
We built a waterfront home on Manitoulin, and it was so beautiful we decided we wanted to spend more time up there. This was the reason my wife and I took up flying. Robbie Colwell is the airport manager, and a wonderful guy. Laura works the radio, and the fuel. We were able to lease a hangar on a yearly basis, but a few people tie down off the ramp.
Gravel
Parts of the runway are used by vehicles. When I landed there earlier this year the centre of the runway looked fine, but not far from it the gravel looked to be several inches deep and loose. The worst area was the turn around at the west end, where the gravel was very loose and had some ruts from vehicles. As long as you watch for and avoid the worst looking areas the runway should be fine when taxiing. On take off and landing be sure to stay on the centreline where the gravel isn't as loose. My opinions may also be due to my limited experience flying from gravel strips.
Great place to learn to fly.
A busy airport with lots of new things happening given the change in ownership. Good improvements.
Wow!
Greenbank looked to be very well maintained when I stopped in this spring.
Runway Info
The main runway has a very noticeable upslope to the north. If the wind favours a northward take off don't forget to consider the slope. I would estimate (taking off to the north) the first 700-1000' is slightly downhill or level, followed by the upslope for about 1000' before it levels off again and makes a slight bend to the right.
When I landed here the wind was from the north. I was comfortable with and knew the performance of the aircraft I was flying. I chose to take off uphill into the wind, with a plan to abort and take off downhill if not airborne and climbing halfway up the hill (it would also make backtracking to the far end quicker if I had to take of downhill and downwind). The first part of the runway that was relatively flat made all the difference and I was airborne just after the upslope began. Aircraft type and power effects whether you should take off downhill/downwind or uphill/upwind. Consider your aircraft's performance and definitely have a go/no-go point in this situation.
Additionally, the buildings at the southwest corner are 30-50' above the runway, and some gravel looked to have been put/shifted onto the crosswind strip. I only took a quick look while taxiing, but I recall that the runway looked fairly unusable. Hopefully a local pilot can correct me if I am wrong. If you are planning to use the crosswind strip I would call the operator to ensure it is usable or make a low pass or two to check the runway condition.
Approach
A house with a yard full of trees is right at the south end of the runway. There are a couple large trees (80' AGL from the CFS) on the centreline. Rather than approach over the trees, I flew my approach just west of the runway and slipped over to the runway once past the trees. This worked very well and I am fairly certain I landed much earlier than I would have if I had flown over the trees. If taking off to the south I would definitely turn slightly right once airborne to avoid the trees and the home.
Great Service
The airport staff were very friendly and helpful. The grass strip was well-maintained and the terminal was very nice - full of expertly crafted models. There is also a small museum covering the airport's contribution to flight training in the Second World War.
General Info
This was a nice grass strip at a farm, quite literally with a barn/silo/farmhouse at the north end of the runway. Trees at the south end should not pose any problem for take off or landing. There is a small pond at the south end that the CFS advises geese roost in. When I visited this airfield there was a smudge pot or similar by the pond, presumably to keep the geese away from the runway.
General Info
The windsock is quite small, and mounted on top of the small building north of the runway. The field looked like it was well maintained despite the countless dandelions when I landed here. There is a very slight downslope towards the east end and the trees that should not be a problem for most any aircraft.
Expensive Ride into Town
I stayed at the Holiday Inn 22 July 06, however there was NO airport pick up available and the taxi fare was $22 each way! Landing fees too!
There is a COPA discount for fuel, but remember to bring your membership card.
Good Fuel Stop
Marathon has self-serve fuel and is a convenient place to stop for fuel when flying around the top of Superior. I stopped here travelling both East and West in 2006, didn't see anyone else around. The fuel pump is fussy, you may have to restart it a couple of times before it pumps at a good rate. There is a phone in the terminal for flight planning, but no internet (summer 06).
You May Get Held Up Here By Fog
Flown into, out of and over Marathon several times - there is usually fog in the bay which can move over the airport just after you land. Be prepared to spend several days there if you get fogged in.
Car rental
🔗 Sat, 28 Jul 2007
— @david at Brampton-Caledon Airport, Canada
Car rentals are available through the Brampton Flying Club (http://www.bramfly.com/). You have to prearrange them, and a local agency (not one of the big chains) will leave the car in the parking lot for you. You drop off at the airport as well, and someone comes out from Brampton to pick up the car.