Comments 1,176 to 1,225 of 1,851
Best Grass Roots Airport in GTA
I hereby award Greenbank a Best Grass Roots Airport in GTA diploma. :-)
Seriously, this is a great little airport. Two grass runways, both sloped, marked with flags and very well cared of. There is a "secret" flying school there, using a 172, and a 24/7 gas pumps for the local grasshoppers community. No worries if you'll see the birds on the runway - they know this whole GA thing and will let you land or take off without any problems.
Nice and clean FBO, very scenic surroundings (especially in the Autumn), great place to fly in with friends. Such a pity that accident happened to the original airport owner, but an excellent conditions of the airport afterwards are a testament to the great job done.
If ever in doubt which grass strip to fly to East of Toronto, go Greenbank!
Good Airport
Oshawa is a Good Airport. Free from that Pearson control cloak covering almost everything around Toronto, you can take off from Oshawa and get a training area right in front of you. Fast and convenient. Rental prices are the lowest in the whole GTA, though condition of the planes is... let's say, they are very well used.
Oshawa has a useful NDB and a friendly tower, which won't punish you for inadvertently intruding their airspace (from the said training area) right away, and will be helpful and cooperating providing a flight following within their control zone when you go cross-country following the shoreline to Kingston or back.
I would suggest this airport (or actually a Durham Flight Centre) as a choice for those who want to practice the instruments flying in GTA without bogging into the airliners dodging and violent radio chat almost inevitable East of Toronto.
A Bigger Small Airport
You can't get in or out from this airport without a rental car, even though it looks like sitting in the middle of the city. Oh well, there is a bus stop next to a funerals home in front, but in winter they don't clean the snow there so you'll have to wait in a pile of snow.
Toronto Airways has one of the least interested instructors I've seen in the whole Toronto area! Like, really, if you are a potential customer (renter, student pilot, whatever), paying a hefty price, you may expect certain level of positive attitude towards you. FBO folks were nice, though.
Seneca College airplanes are also based there, and those guys are setting standards in competence and quality of flight training.
From the pilot prospective, runways are huge and comfortable. Tower is generally friendly, though if you are flying from CYKZ to CYTZ and vice versa they tend to be... a bit picky sometimes. Not really bad, just picky. Won't release you from the frequency until the last second, etc.
They have this funny little Markham airport plugged into their airspace - I'd suggest going through the CYKZ control zone instead! Markham people can pop up in front of you in a glider without warning (yeah, they have their own separate frequency for gliders, I know, but better - just fly with Buttonville radar keeping an eye on you and throwing advisories if needed).
Love and Hate Airport
Brampton is super-cute, with its nicely painted buildings, nice little restaurant and a smallish pilot shop. You can actually see some bunnies eating flowers in front of the Caledon office early in the morning.
Brampton is a mess, with its packet parking, piles of airplanes moving in all directions, super-lame unicom and traffic chat, people doing circuits of all sizes and cutting in front of each other.
Brampton flying center is all about making money. Big money with lots of international students. Membership fee, enrollment fee, fee for this and fee for that... Noticeable overload over the already not-so-cheap prices. Not good for renters.
FBO work appears like being organized back in time, and hugely deteriorated afterwards. Things like forms, flight documents, internet access and such look like they were thought out, but then dropped into "no one cares, just take it as it is" mode.
Brampton is one of the two locations in all GTA where you can actually rent a SuperCub! Checkout will cost you just about two thousand dollars to go solo (keeping in mind all the fees and taxes).
Ultralight and Skydivers base
Baldwin is a home for Toronto Aerosports ultralight flying group (http://www.torontoaerosport.com/) Airport community mostly operates Challengers (like a dozen of those), but there are also Savannah, two Merlins, and a bunch of other interesting machines on tie-downs - even a Piper twin. Ultralight people are sharing the airport with skydivers, please check the NOTAMs! Skydivers are currently using a Shorts Skywan - if it's not on the ground, it might be dropping people right over the field...
No flying over the Eastern side of the airport - there is a trailer park which habitants are not at all happy with any aircraft passing above them. So runway 01 is a RH circuit, and if you need to join a left downwind for 19 - you may have to do that from south, looking for the traffic. Always stay on the frequency and look out for NORDO aircrafts in the area.
In any case, if unfamiliar with the area, I strongly suggest calling Toronto Aerosport people on the phone and ask for advisory before attempting to land or closely overfly Baldwin. They are good people and will help.
re: Airport closed
Thanks for the update. Wikipedia agrees, so marked as closed pending any new information.
Airport closed
The town of Grimshaw decided to close this airport in 2009. The Runway is marked as closed and has several post driven into the center line at mid field.
re: Does Kaslo Airport have a call sign, like Victoria's YY
Reply to @ptomblin: Sorry, CBR2 isn't an ICAO code, it's just a Canadian code.
re: Does Kaslo Airport have a call sign, like Victoria's YY
CBR2 is its ICAO code. It doesn't have an IATA code.
Does Kaslo Airport have a call sign, like Victoria's YYJ
Does Kaslo Airport have a call sign, like Victoria's YYJ
Great food!
Flew three friends here from Rockcliffe CYRO for lunch. It was a Friday, about 1:30, when I arrived.
Very busy - there were helicopter arrivals and departures, as well as lots of movements of SE fixed wing. The flying club / restaurant is at the east end of the runway (no taxiway), and there were several overshoots due to traffic not having yet cleared the runway (CSE4 uses R28 whenever possible, which results in less backtracking that R10).
No issues with language - lots of english in the circuit, with some french.
And the food!!! I had a simple club sandwich, and it was tasty beyond belief. With a ton of well-cooked frend fries. Those that had the smoked meat sandwich also raved about the food.
landing at stirling
very active strip with a large membership with welcoming members .Gas is availible when members are around. landing on 09 needs your attention on days if wind is strong from the west. land a bit long, as down drafts are present if you try to "land on the numbers" also if its a hot day,and winds are light and you are close to gross in a150 or a 140 piper you may want to take of down wind as trees are 35 feet tall right at threshold of 09 and there is a slight uphill grade when taking off towards the east, were as 27 , the land drops away over the cliff [comments from a fellow flyer how has flown out of here for many years}
airport condition
this airport has excellent approaches from east or west with no wires or trees, runway is grass but smooth ,two mooney,s flight off here as well as twins and other 4 place aircraft. The airport is own by jim marker . Members of the flying club currently do the grass cutting. David Byrd has been doing the bulk of the
work along with Mike Fox. the field is prior permission only at this time.
CNF-9 Niagara South Airport
there are two runways one gravel 4400 feet ditch to ditch as shown and the other is 01 - 19 3300 feet ditch to ditch grass field no services PRIOR PREMISSION REQUIRED
SEE CFS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Innotech (Shell) contact info
514-636-5870
10175 Ryan Ave-Dorval Intl
Dorval, QC, CANADA H9P 1A2
re: Whitewater Lake Sudbury Aviation
John and Pearl McMahon were my aunt and uncle. My name is Ronda Mackwood nee Makela. My mothers father was also part owner of Sudbury Aviation with his brother John. My father owns Lauzon Aviation on Lake Lauzon in Algoma Mills.
re: Kingston Ultralight Club
Reply to @david:
Homebuilt flow from Guelph Airport to Goderich in October 20
I am trying to locate Brian Harrington who flew a homebuilt aircraft from Guelph to Goderich. I believe Brian knew my father many years ago. Does anyone know him? If so please contact me at maryeoneil52@yahoo.com. Thanks
re: Kingston Ultralight Club
Sounds great. I'd love to drop by in my Warrior for a visit, but a 1,200 ft grass strip doesn't leave a lot of safety margin (it's doable, especially when I'm lightly loaded, but closer than I like). Maybe I'll drive in some Sunday.
Kingston Ultralight Club
Camden East airport is the home station of the Kingston Ultralight club, the group flies, powered chutes, trikes and fixed wing. Club meets 1st Sunday of each month at the strip 0900 hrs. The club is both a COPA flight and a UPAC Squadron.
re: Sparwood NDB
I confirmed this also via the latest CFS and updated the entry.
Sparwood NDB
Sparwood NDB is on 200 kHz, not 400 kHz.
wardair
gone 1989 . bin on it TWICE (there, back)
maple airport i think i was there twice(leaving/arriving/the
buttonville 4 times ( leaving/arriving/leaving/arriving). toronto centre island billy bishop ( not SEATON HOUSE centre island and not OWEN SOUND billy bishop airport that i know of and billy bishop big flap hero/not hero never . Owen sound billy bishop NEVER . they were hiring 'dispatchers' air traffic controllers porter airlines larry tanenbaum paul 'god' godfrey's (grandfather changed name from greenberg or something) friend. the 'maple syrup'=baloney.
MAPLE airport.
gone in 87 (wikipedia) .
oshawa and markham airports.
next. or ALREADY .
BUTTONVILLE airport.
cadillac-fairview (as in EATON centre for example) got it .
Quiet and friendly to ultralights
The field is nicely maintained by EAA chapter 65. If you fly there regularly, they ask you join them ($50/year or so).
Friendly owner
The field's owner, Newton Little, is an aviation enthusiast that is too old to fly but maintains the strip and welcomes guest pilots. He lives in the house next to the field - please ask him for permission or inquire about hangaring your plane there. There is also an RC field on the premises. Great scenery to the NW.
Looks like the airport is closing
Cadillac Fairview will be developing the airport lands.
http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2010/10/buttonville-airport-to-close.html
Contact info
Operator: +1 867 979-5224 (Nunavut government)
Fuel (Jet-A, 100LL by prior arrangement): +1 867 979-1620 or +1 867 979-2855
Contact info
Operator: +1 867 645-8200 (Nunavut government)
Fuel (100LL, Jet-A): +1 867 645-3150, +1 867 645-6920, +1 867 645-6922
Contact info
Operator: +1 867 983-4002 (Nunavut government)
Community Aerodrome Radio Service (CARS): +1 867 983-2501
Fuel (100LL, Jet-A): +1 867 983-2501
Contact info
Airport operator: +1 867 645-8200 (Nunavut government)
Community Aerodrome Radio Station (CARS): +1 867 793-2931
Fuel (100LL, Jet-A, Jet-B): +1 867 793-2234 or +1 867 793-2928
Sea plane base is closed
Lake is drying fast , and not really enough depth to land on water here ( water is a loose term, for mud and sludge )
Vending machines
The flying school is the only (sort-of) public building at the airport. It has washrooms, a restaurant that operates only on weekends, and vending machines available the rest of the week.
Fuel
Burlington has both 100LL and Jet-A. The fuel pumps are operated by the airport, not the Spectrum Airways flight school.
Expensive airport
I just called Glanford Aviation (Shell), the only FBO that appears to offer 100LL, and they charge a $25 facility fee for a single-engine piston plane (not waived with a fill-up) on top of the airport's $18.50 minimum landing fee. That means that you're out $43.50 + HST = $48.72 the second your wheels hit the Shell apron, before you even start to put fuel in your tank. Would you fill up your car at a gas station that charged almost $50 to just to enter their lot and park in front of the pump?
Even big-city airports are usually much cheaper than this (Pearson is, of course, an exception). I don't know what the city of Hamilton (and Shell) are thinking, except that they want to scare as many visitors as possible away from Hamilton, and make sure no one spends any money in the local economy.
re: Restaurant?
Reply to @bcrosby:
As of a year ago ,No, but the people at the airport are more than happy to accomodate you if you want to go to town for lunch or ?(we ate at the Beanery GREAT place)
Gilles
re: re: project not approved
Reply to @AndreVenture:
Yesterday, at 9h45 the Supreme Court of Canada said that Aviation is under Federal juridiction ONLY!!!! The provincial and municipal governments have nothing to say about where and how to built an airport!!!
Fast food within walking distance
There's a McD's and a Subway just northeast of the field, there might be some other places too...
Very scenic but was a bit bumpy when I visited (lots of hills around).
No real food on location
Despite what the CFS says, the only food available at the airport is vending machine stuff (not real food IMHO)
Early History
First Airline service was as early as Apr. 1951. Maritime Central Airways (MCA) flying Lockheed10's on the mail run
YQM/YFC/YSJ.
Trans Canada Airlines (TCA) started its first flight into YFC on Feb 1 1952, when Capt CM Harper and crew landed their DC3 .
Nice Airport, Mediocre Service
While the flying club members are friendly, the terminal staff are less than pleasant to deal with. Next time, I'll take my money elsewhere.
Airport sold
The airport has been sold to developers, who plan to continue to operate it and to build a residential airpark around it:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/06/ottawa-carp-airport.html
ARCAL runway lighting issues
The antenna for the ARCAL type J (5 clicks) runway lighting is on the west side of the museum building. Because the huge museum building is in the way, it is difficult or impossible to activate the lighting on the ground in the east half of the field (including holding short for runway 27), so you may have to taxi to midfield to activate the lights first, then taxi back if you're departing from 27.
When approaching from the east in the air, you may also have trouble activating the lighting (unless you wait until mid-downwind). Approaching from the west, it should be much easier, since you have the antenna in line-of-sight.
That said, the ARCAL is very picky, and may take several attempts even when you have it in line of site. The flying club experimented with a lot of sensitivity settings last summer in an attempt to improve it, but with no luck. Just be patient and keep trying, or call UNICOM to see if anyone's still in the club to activate the lights for you.
nice airport
make sure you visit the nice people at Cardinal aviation
re: re: project not approved
Now, I am a member of 'Our airports' and now I know who is ''the anonymous flyer''. David Megginson, the brave, who started this very interesting website explained me that anybody who writes a comment will be call '' anonymous fyer'' if he/she is not a member of this site!
I thought this could help others to understand the comments.
André Durocher.
Crazy Runway
🔗 Tue, 07 Dec 2010
— @dazuppa at Calgary / Okotoks Air Park, Canada
Okotoks has a challenging runway - narrow and sloped. When you arrive from the "higher" end of it (16), you will feel like dragging the plane so low you'll scratch the roofs of the cars dodging you on the road right next to the threshold! Intense.
There is also a pilots' community around the airport - they have their planes parked on one side of the house, and their cars on the other! Like a pilots' village, very cool...
Sky Wings Okotoks provides a flight training, and the guys here were nice - but renting anything in summer was next to impossible. Man, they had every weekend booked all the months to come!
Nevertheless, if you'll ever make it to Okotoks, you'll love that crazy little runway.