Comments 151 to 200 of 212
VERY DIVERIFIED AIRPORT
single and twin engines, on wheels, ski and floats, vintage, trikes, motorgliders, ultralite, helicos fly together in harmony..............
Floatplane fuel available here
The lake just east of the runway makes it possible to land a floatplane here to refuel. The airport operator has a 400 litre tank on a cart that they bring to the shore.
Updated: fuel very expensive
A recent visit showed that they hiked the price of their avgas to an unreasonable 2.50 - more than twice the rate at my home base. Given that this base is not all the way into the boonies, this is rather excessive.
Lac Eon
Former weather reporting station. 4000' sand/gravel strip.
Photo
Photo of the airstrip looking NNE. http://www.santoy.ca/i/photos/otish/IMG_1974.jpg
re: Ottawa's mystery airport
Hi everyone,
I was curious to see if my website was on the web yet so I did a research on Pontiac Airpark and found your site. I guess I was more surprise to find your post than David earing about an airport East of Arnprior. You are right there is and airport (airpark) 10 miles north-east of Arnprior. The east-west runway will be 3400 feet long with asphalt and lights. 59 residential lots are for sale and it is on the Ottawa river. Floats, wheels and skis are welcome. Check my website in a few days. André. 819-568-2359.
Hard airport to love
This is a hard airport to love, which is sad, since it serves one of North America's nicest cities. Everything seems to be badly organized: when you transfer from an international flight to a domestic one, you have to exit and reenter security, which is non-trivial when you might have to line up for an hour. In customs, they keep opening and reopening dividers to make new lines, so people who've just gotten off a plane might be let through ahead of people who have been waiting 20 minutes. The whole airport seems a bit dingy and run-down, there's not much good food (in *Montreal's* airport!!!), and nothing's particularly well organized.
I wouldn't use YUL as a connector airport if I had the choice, but if you're visiting Montreal itself, it's worth putting up with the hassle to visit such a great city. If you're coming from Toronto, though, take the train instead.
re: Accueil
Sounds great! I've flown over this airport a few times on trips from Ottawa to the Gulf or the Maritimes, but never thought of landing. Riding a rented bicycle around a quiet island in the summer sounds very relaxing.
Accueil
Très bel accueil, location de vélo en été
Great little airport
just off the island of montreal, used more as a flight training school, but lots of private owners use it as well.
if you are looking to refuel fly 20mins west to cornwall regional, gas prices are cheaper because of less tax.
Cap-de-la-Madeleine BCATP airport
One of the BCATP airports that does not exist anymore. No trace of the runways remains; one or two hangars were still in use in the late 1970s, but barely recognisable. The position given is approximate. The Wikipedia article mentions its existence, but does not give its location. I know the approximate location because I come from the area and one of the old hangars was used as a huge disco night club in the late 1970s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan_facilities_in_Canada
Construction in summer 2008
Gatineau is having its runway resurfaced during the summer of 2008. It's going to be shut down completely overnight from 00z (8:00 pm local) until 10z (6:00 am local) starting on Tuesday 19 August 2008, and has only about 2,700 ft available during the rest of the day.
Ottawa's mystery airport
This has been a mystery airport for me for a while. I heard it mentioned on the radio a few months ago (a pilot said he was landing at "Pontiac Airpark" east of Arnprior). A search on the web turned up almost nothing, aside from a mention in some town council minutes for Pontiac, Quebec:
http://www.munpontiac.com/documents%20pdf/rapp-mtgs/angl-reg/MN070911.pdf
The only information in that document is the fact is that the airport is by Chemin River (River Road). Nothing shows up in the Google Maps satellite view, but I flew along River Road on Wednesday 6 August 2008 at 1,000 ft above ground level and found what looked like a large dirt runway (with no planes) at this location -- it was the only possible candidate. Maybe the airpark is still under construction.
Customs fee dispute
The airport currently pays the government $1,000 per visit for customs services. It owes $95,000 to the federal government in back fees and is unable or unwilling to pay:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/05/15/qc-tremblantairport0515.html
re: Floatplanes welcome as well
The float plane base is a separate entry in this site - id "CSA7".
Floatplanes welcome as well
Drummondville airport is also a float base - there is a dock on the river with a fuel pump just across the road near the treshold of runway 20.
re: Landing Fee ($8.67)
Les Cedres would be faster (but further) than St. Hubert, and Mascouche would more difficult than both to get into downtown. If you're cabbing, I suppose the St. Hubert landing fee would be justified, but be sure to check fuel prices too!
re: Landing Fee ($8.67)
Lommer: thanks for the comment on YHU -- I haven't been there since they brought in the landing fee. How are Mascouche and Ceders for getting into downtown Montreal compared to St-Hubert? It would be pretty easy to burn more than $8.67 in extra round-trip transportation costs.
Good place to land in an emergency
This is an abandoned former cold war military runway which is still in better shape than some places where I've had to pay landing fees. It's right by highway 117 if you need to be rescued.
Only public fuel stop in the Saguenay region
Popular fuel stop on your way up north.
Only fuel in Quebec city area
The only seaplane base that has public fuel in the Quebec city area. Lac St-Augustin is closer to downtown but they don't take visitors anymore.
Good fuel stop
Ste-Véronique is one of the few places in the Laurentians where there is public fuel available. Lots of room, quick service.
Marina Venise
Marina Venise is also close to downtown, but no easy public transit connexion to Montreal. 100LL available but no maintenance. There is also a helipad.
Boisvert & fils
Probably the closest seaplane base to downtown Montreal. 100LL and maintenance available. Dock for about 3 planes, and a ramp an tractor. They take your plane in and out of the water if you stay longer than a few hours. About 100 yards from a bus stop; 15 minutes drive from downtown. It's just outside of the CYUL tower control zone; if you arrive via the VFR corridor to the north (over the Riviere des Prairies) below 1300 you don't need a transponder code or prior ATC clearance. Local frequency is 123.2 (uncontrolled airport).
Beware of traffic from nearby Mascouche airport (CKS3) to the north. It's advisable to monitor 122.65.
Also there is a private strip and seaplane docks between Boisvert and Masouche called Contant/Laval Aviation.
Fees and alternative airport
I don't remember all the fees and fuel prices from my visit in the summer of 2006 -- they weren't onerous, but they were enough to annoy. On the other hand, it's a well-maintained, all-weather airport with easy access into the town of Gaspé as well as the Gaspesie region. For a less expensive alternative, there's Du Rocher-Percé (Pabok), which is slightly closer to the tourist town of Percé:
Closer to Chandler
This airport is actually closer to Chandler (a much larger community) than to Percé. It's a small rural strip that's not always attended, but doesn't have the landing fees, etc., of the larger Gaspé airport to the north:
Great place for practice.
We use this airport quite a bit for practice work. No landing fees for single engine, easy MF to help with radio work. Very quiet area and is just about 3-5 minutes from Rockliffe. Nice long runway and a decent place to park and eat.
No food
There is no food available at Baie-Comeau except for some junk-food vending machines and a coffee machine. There is a room that used to be a cafeteria -- it still has tables and a microwave -- but there's nothing served there any more. Staff told me that the nearest food is in town, about 18 km away (I think).
Fees
Baie-Comeau has both a landing fee and a terminal fee. The security guard collects it, before she or he lets you back onto the field through the locked door. I think that they're around $15 each, but they were waived for my Hope Air flight. You pay for gas from the FBO inside the terminal near the checkin desks, so you can't just stay outside to avoid the fees.
Using the mandatory frequency
Baie-Comeau is a mandatory-frequency airport, with a remote transmitter run by Mont-Joli; however, unlike other MF fields, Mont-Joli does *not* want you to make any traffic calls on the MF (they chastized me over the radio when I announced that I was taking the runway for departure) except what they ask for.
FBO Notes
The Petro-T FBO also offers free parking if you fill up with them. The 100LL is 10 cents cheaper if you self-serve. Nice lounge. First ramp off Twy D.
Home of Canadair
Cartierville was the site of the Canadair (now Bombardier) factory. There is still a major Bombardier plant here, but the airfield is now a golf course and residential development. Hundreds of aircraft were built here to be ferried to England in World War II.
There is at least one known case of an airliner bound for Dorval (now Trudeau) which landed here by mistake in the 1960s.
A STOL experiment
This was the site of a experimental airport set up as a federally funded research project in the 1970s to research the economic feasibility of short take-off and landing air service in downtown airports. Air Transit was an an airline operating shuttle flights from downtown Montreal to downtown Ottawa (at Rockliffe, CYRO) using specially modified de Havilland Twin Otters (series 300) that had improved spoilers and sophisticated avionics. The approach and take-off path were quite steep, as they had to clear the Victoria Bridge to the east and the power lines to the west. The crews were provided by Air Canada.
I flew once from here to Ottawa. The arriving terminal in Ottawa was the building which is now the entrance hall of the museum. I guess the economics didn't work out, as the STOLport concept didn't catch on.
It's too bad that this airport wasn't kept as a downtown GA field, as it conveniently located and isolated from residential areas by freeways, factories, and the St-Lawrence river. It's now the site of movie studios and a technology park.
Birthplace of bush aviation in Canada
This airport (actually, the co-located hydrobase) was where Canadian bush flying started... in 1919! It is still a busy field for small GA aircraft.
Two runways, one of which has an approach over the lake which is used as a hydrobase. There is a restaurant at the treshold of this runway, which also is the docking area for floatplanes. Fuel is available. Excellent aircraft maintenance facilities, including a good engine overhaul shop.
True grass roots aviation
This little airport is one of the nicest, and friendliest places to fly in/out of in the country. An active COPA wing operates here and there is always an interesting mix of ultralights, homebuilts and general aviation machines of all types - some real classics.
There is a certified ROTAX service center located here, and the Jabiru Canada agent is based here too (or was until recently - has Gord moved to his Lancaster home airport now?) ...
Nice little airport
Beloeil is a fly-in community where people live in the second story of hangars, and park their planes and cars on the ground floor. It's very easy to spot from the air as all the hangars have red roofs. There's not much in the way of publicly available tie downs, but there is room to park, and theres a TON of GA aircraft that are permanently based here to avoid the CYHU landing fee.
Landing Fee ($8.67)
Beware the landing fee! If you need the runway room then by all means use St. Hubert, but in my opinion, Maschouche and Les Cedres are preferable if you're going to Montreal.
Air Montmagny
This airport, a bit over 30 nautical miles west of Quebec City, is the home of Air Montmagny, which must have one of the shortest regular air routes in the world -- during the winter, when the ferry to the island isn't operating, they fly passengers back and forth to ÃŽle-aux-Grues Airport (CSH2), less than 4 nautical miles (7 kilometers) away. I made an unscheduled stop here for fuel in summer 2006 after a long diversion around a thunderstorm, and if I remember correctly, Air Montmagny also operated the FBO.
Approach over the Water
I did a Hope Air flight from Montreal to Baie Comeau. We filed IFR and the passengers got a little restless when we flew the DME Arc out over the water to approach from the East. They could see lots of water below us and ahead of us, and the aircraft seemed quite low. After we turned inbound, they saw the runway and relaxed a little. I was just glad they waited until we were on the ground before telling me that the approach over the water made them very nervous.
Shopping
There is a very large shopping centre (mall) a short taxi ride away. I used to take an aircraft here for an annual inspection and my significant other would take advantage of the time in Montreal for some serious clothes shopping, the kind of shopping that you cannot do in Eastern Ontario. (This sounds wierd, but an ex-Montrealer would understand what I meant.)
Restaurant
A convenient pit stop if you are flying between Ontario and the Maritimes. A nice airport restaurant, fuel and maintenance services available if required.
Nice Restaurant
There is a very nice restaurant here - but lots of traffic on the weekend. It gets busy with departures waiting to backtrack, cadets trying to launch gliders, inbound traffic joining the circuit, and lots of radio traffic in both official languages.
Training Airport
I did some IFR training at Mirabel. It's almost a shame that such a large, sprawling airport is largely closed (many taxiways, one runway, no passenger service, etc). At least it provides the local flight schools with a great place to train for ILS approaches and not worry about all sorts of commercial flights coming and going.
Right IN Mont-Tremblant
When visiting Mont-Tremblant in the summer months this grass field only minutes away should be your preferred strip. There are modest landing fees and no night flying.
No More Restaurant
When I went in 2006 the restaurant in the a/p bldg. was closed. Short car ride (call taxi) to "La Crémaillère", an excellent French Restaurant/Inn in neaby village of Messines (3 or 4 km SW of a/p), with adjacent bike/ski trail.
Good Place for Lunch
Whoops, scrub the last comment, it was meant for Lachute, not Mont Laurier. Mont Laurier has a nice little snack bar/restaurant right beside the ramp, great for breakfast or lunch. Look for the Piper on a post. It is alot nicer to eat there now that there is a no smoking law in Quebec!
Good Place for Lunch
A great little airport, close to Montreal and Ottawa, run by nice people. The restaurant is great, or you can borrow a bicycle to ride into town.
Permission required
I came in here in 2005 for a Hope Air flight. There is a civilian terminal, but because it's a military airport, you need prior permission to land. I called the operations and got a special authorization code to provide on first contact with ATC (they never asked for it, because they were expecting me).
Chicoutimi airport is nearby for regular civilian traffic, along with several other, smaller airports in the Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean area.
Fuel prices 2009-07-06
🔗 Mon, 06 Jul 2009
— @david at Rivière-du-Loup Airport, Canada
(By phone 2009-07-06)
100LL AvGas: CA $1.42/litre + tax = CA $1.60/litre (CA $6.04/US gallon)
No landing, ramp, or similar fees.