Comments 826 to 875 of 908
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.
Great Airport
My plane is hangared here :) !
C-FAKQ a 1976 Cessna Cardinal RG
Caution - Lots of Fire Fighting Helo Traffic Here in the Sum
Stopped here several times for fuel travelling East or West around the top of Superior. In July and August there can be numerous firefighting fixed wing and helos transitting the area to pickup crews or fuel. Listen closely on 126.7 for updates.
Birds
There is a bird sanctuary near the airport, so be sure to keep a good lookout for birds.
No. 6 RCAF Dunnville Museum
A great little gem of a museum. This airport has a great community around it that has brought a BCATP airfield back to life. Well worth a visit.
Marathon
Nice airport. Got weathered in here while on a trip to the West. Self serve pumps work well. Eat at Marino's just down the road.
Crosswind Strip
There is a shorter crosswind turf strip at Smiths Falls that is not depicted in the CFS (visible on the map above). A flying club member recently told me to feel free to use the grass if there was a good crosswind on my arrival on a cross country flight. I would guess it is about 1500' long.
Missed my chance
I skipped the restaurant since it was a refuelling stop in the morning, but it sounds like I missed some good food. The FBO staff were very friendly as well.
re: Bushplane Museum
Fun for home *builders*, that is.
re: Bushplane Museum
I can second Flying Celt's recommendation of the Bushplane Museum. It's downtown, near the Station Mall and the bridge to the U.S., and has a small but very nicely chosen collection of planes. They're not too crowded, and there's a lot to do, including climbing into some of them. They have a Taylor Cub that was found on Baffin Island many years after it disappeared. There's a special focus on forest fire fighting, and a good selection of kids' activities. Restoration is going on right on the museum floor, and a sign welcomes you to visit the work area, so it would probably be especially fun for home buildings.
Butter tarts
Butter tarts yes. Also - there are go carts next to the field. It's a back track runway - though so don't be too tight on the plane in front of you.
Bushplane Museum
I flew into Sault Ste. Marie in late June. It's a nice airport. Car rental was only $35 for a day - which is cheaper than the cab or limo. If you go there be sure to visit the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Museum http://www.bushplane.com/. It's a must see for aviation enthusiasts. Lunch at Muio's Restaurant - 685 Queen St E can't go wrong.
Buttertarts
Famous for the best buttertarts anywhere!
Home of the famous fish and chips
About a 25 minute walk from the airport is the famous Herberts Fisheries where you'll get probably the freshest fish and chips you'll ever have. People come from far and wide. But be ready to wait up to an hour for your food. Well worth a visit.
Head for the south
This is the southern most point in Canada. There's a Caribbean theme restaurant about a 10 minute cab ride from the airport with great seafood. Honestly comparable to the very famous Herbert's fisheries in Killarney. Worth a visit.
Katana Cafe
Amazing, gourmet-class cuisine overlooking runway 33. Highly recommended.
Food
Cafeteria at Upper Canada Village entrance & restaurant at golf club.
Flight School with Twin
Radio svc is good for an a/p this size. Great stop while heading down the scenic St. Lawrence.
Great View
Great view of Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence when departing to the South. Taxicab svc to downtown for good restaurants is fast & not too expensive.
Light rail
I live in Orleans but my hangar is at Carp. Light rail would solve lots of problems. I think Carp and Arnprior are the only local airports to permit the building of private hangars at reasonable cost.
First GPS Approach to Minimums
I flew my Baron into Kap for a Hope Air mission in 2004. I took Simon Garrett from Rockliffe along for the company and some Multi-IFR experience. We filed IFR which was a good thing since it was IMC from North Bay to Kap. We flew the GPS Approach to minimums and taxied to the terminal in heavy rain. Then we had to wake up our passenger who fell asleep departing Ottawa. At least he had confidence in our abilities.
Light rail
Thanks for the fuel info, Tony.
There's talk at Ottawa city council about building a light rail line as far as the village of Carp. If that ever happens (and it would be years away), CYRP could become a fairly important Ontario GA airport.
The North Field vs. The International Airport
Runway 04 - 22 at the North end of the Ottawa Airport is for General Aviation - the flying clubs and local avionics shop are there. The Ottawa Flying Club has a restaurant open for breakfast and lunch. The same landing fees apply at the North Field.
There is an Esso Avitat and a Shell FBO just East of the main International terminal, just beside Runway 07-25 for business travellers and charters.
Self-serve fuel
Yes, they have 24-hour self-serve, and their regular customers can sign up for their loyalty program for another discount! See John at West Capital in the FBO building.
Breakfast every Sunday
The Brockville Flying Club has a fly-in breakfast every Sunday. It's hard to find official info, but I think it's 8:30-11:30 am. I hope to try it out tomorrow.
Special landing/takeoff procedures
Because there's a high ridge just east of the airport, the normal procedure for landing on runway 12 is to do a wide left downwind, then follow the river valley through the town on a slant left base. Because of a hill SE of the airport, you won't see the runway until you're almost lined up on final. For departure from runway 30, just reverse the procedure (unless your plane has a very good climb angle) -- instead of trying to outclimb the ridge, make a gentle right turn after takeoff and follow the river valley southeastwards until you're high enough to get over the hills. Note also that there are trees off both ends of the runway. If you're in a low-powered plane like a Cherokee or Cessna 172, it might be a good idea to take off when the air is cool (e.g. not midafternoon on a summer day), and to be a fair bit under maximum gross weight (you can top up your fuel at Pembroke [YTA] and Peterborough [YPQ], which are both only 62 nm away and have long paved runways), though the gravel runway is a good length at 2,200 ft. It's a fun airport for a pilot, but note the previous comment for a passenger's perspective.
Fall Colours
🔗 Mon, 23 Jul 2007
— @Tony at Stanhope Municipal Airport, Canada
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.