Comments 1,651 to 1,700 of 1,845
Best airport for Blue Jays baseball
This airport is a short walk from Skydome (now the Rogers Centre), where the Toronto Blue Jays play -- you could probably watch a bit of a game from your plane on short final when the roof's open (check out the satellite picture).
re: Car rental
Don't worry about the car rental hours (see my previous comment). National was happy to leave the keys and contract for me at the Flite Line FBO, so my arrival time didn't matter. Flite Line itself rents Hertz, but they'll handle keys for the other companies as well.
Busy
This is a busy GA airport. Arriving on Saturday morning on a nice VFR day, tower sent me several miles on a downwind -- all the way over the city -- and then turned me number 4 for landing. Be ready to get off the runway quickly so that you don't hold up other traffic. My past two visits were during the week, when it wasn't quite so busy.
Car rental
Hertz rents out of Buttonville, and the rates are reasonable (make sure you use your COPA or AOPA discount if you have one). After hours is no problem -- I called earlier then arrived Sunday night long after the desk was closed, and my contract and keys were waiting for me at the FBO with no fuss. Renting a car is the only realistic way into Toronto from Buttonville, but it's easy since the airport is right beside the 404, which turns into the Don Valley Parkway and leads straight into downtown Toronto. Outside of rush hour, you can expect to be downtown in about 25 minutes. I still prefer City Centre (YTZ) for downtown, since it's in walking distance, but Buttonville is better for the 905 area code or anywhere else you might need to drive.
Effectively a 1-way strip
100 mile house's runway has a favourable gradient for landing eastbound and taking off westbound. This combined with a big hill to the east makes it effectively a 1-way strip. Watch out for your density altitude as the hot summer days can reach > 30 degrees C regularly. If your runway length is tight, you can begin your takeoff roll on the ramp as only a very slight turn is required from there to line up with the runway. The airport itself is quite scenic, and it's close to the town - either a medium-length walk or a very short cab ride.
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.
Nice little airport
Nice little strip. There's a fairly large grass parking area just north of the field that's coned off. It's close to the road, but I didn't see any tie-downs. There's also private hangars off the west end of the runway. The runway is in decent shape, but there's often lots of gulls sitting (and crapping!) on it.
Normally closed
This airport is PPR, and as a military aerodrome is normally closed to civilian traffic. The Air Cadets do sometimes run glider ops out of here though.
Airport info
I'd recommend calling ahead to COPA flight 53 which is based here for the latest update on conditions. When I was there the Air Cadets were running glider ops off of runway 17/35, which is still in very good shape. The other two runways have deteriorated significantly with lots of cracks and grass, and small loose rocks scattered over the surface. Most of the ramp is much worse, with many areas that have loose nails, broken glass and gravel lying around. The flying club is located at the N-W corner of the field, tie downs are available there, and the ramp is cleaner there too. Also remember that the closest fuel is at Tyendinaga, or Kingston if you want it for cheaper. Picton is an extremely scenic airport though, and thoroughly underused so you'll have no problems parking or anything.
Challenging Approach/Landing
This was the first time landing at an aiport with a "shorter" runway (~2500'). The worst landing I've ever done (almost a 90 degree crosswind). Obsticals on both end of the runways (trees) so be careful on those hot/humid days.
Approach for 27 flies right over my friends cottage.
Landing Fee
It is a small world - I stopped in Rockliffe today for a burger and started talking to someone. It turned out that Roland is the President & CFI of Eagle Flight Centre in Sudbury. He told me that what I was charged in Sudbury was the terminal parking fee, but there is no landing fee. He said that if we visit, we should park at his Flight Centre, he does not charge a parking fee. He welcomes visitors, his 100LL is cheaper than the main FBO and he will sell fuel to transients.
Finally, if you know of any flight instructors looking for work, he needs instructors at his schools in Sudbury and Timmons for both wheels and floats.
Radio Comms
This is a message to the instructors at Cooking Lake: Teach your students how to use the radio properly! Quit yammering on the ATF all damn day. Other people use that frequency, you know!
Nice grass
Seasonal Air Cadet Glider Ops here. Nice place and great people.
Fuel Thumbs Up
Swan Aero=goodness
RIP
RIP PEACE AIR
Nice Scenery
Lot's of hot women in Calgary. Most of them are married, but that's okay! I'm cool with that. I can keep a secret.
The jet fuel tastes funny in Calgary.
Car rental
National and Avis rent through the public terminal, while Hertz rents through the Flite Line FBO. It was hard to get a car on the August Civic Holiday weekend -- Hertz and Avis had nothing available, and I had to guarantee a car (which is unusual) through National.
For an economy car, National charged $40/day before taxes+fees including the COPA discount. It's worth noting that the opening hours are unusual, so plan your arrival carefully (for example, National is closed from 12pm-2pm on Saturday).
FBOs
There are two FBOs on the field:
Flite Line: http://www.fliteline.ca/ (off taxiway B, if I recall correctly)
Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre: http://www.wwflightcentre.com/ (end of taxiway C)
Flite Line usually has the cheaper gas.
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.
Short and interesting
The runway here is quite short (1520ft) and has ravines at both ends, plus downdrafts. I went there with an instructor from Victoria and he told me nobody got it right on the first approach. I didn't either. Backtracking to take off, he showed be tire skid marks that went to the edge of the pavement, then disappeared in the bushes down the ravine...
Tim Horton's at north field
To add to Tony's comment, there's also a Tim Horton's (like Dunkin Donuts in the U.S.) about a 5-minute walk from the Ottawa Flying Club, so it's easy to walk over and grab a coffee or a bagel.
Great little airport
Really, really nice terminal. Leather comfey love seats for you to relax on. Cute little cafe to grab some food.
Spent some time talking to the Unicom lady (didn't catch her name) and she mentioned that it usually gets busy around lunch time on the weekends.
Really nice place.
Airport closes at night
The airport closes some time around 11:00 pm (no takeoffs or landings allowed except medevac) and the ferry across the channel stops, so unless you can track down a water taxi you're stuck for the night. A few years ago I talked to one pilot who landed late, didn't get away in time, and ended up sleeping in his plane.
Just driving by!
That was my comment above. More photos of Chilko Lake and vicinity can be found on my Virtual Tourist pages for this area. (Darby2)
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/3bd31/de3dc/
~Darbs
Just driving by!
I made a trip by road this summer to Tsuniah Lake via the back road from Chilko Lake as I have done several times in the past. The fishing in Tsuniah was fabulous as usual.
There were two planes parked on the turf nearby.
YVR
Possibly the world's nicest city, and a very efficient airport.
Car rental
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.
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.
Home away from home
Instructed for 4 years at GFC now at Waterville
Home Base
great airport.learned to fly here.wintertime can be bad
Maybe it doesn't count
I've done the PAR and the missed but not actually landed.
Friendly FBO
During a fuel stop en route from Calgary to Brampton the FBO staffer offered his car so we could go down the street and grab a bite to eat. I wouldn't EXPECT this from the FBO but it goes to show the friendliness of the people there. Parking the 206 next to a fighter jet was kind of neat too!
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.
trees
big trees at north end. Most jets cannot make climb gradient departing 33!
They paved it.
That's it. They paved it. It used to be grass. I guess there were people who said that when they paved what is now Pearson.
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 Île-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.
Good Fuel Stop
Dease Lake is a good fuel stop along the Cassiar Hwy with cheaper fuel than Whitehorse, Watson Lake or Smithers. Jim and Sharon of Pacific Western Helicopters run the only fuel concession at the northeast end of the field. They can help you get a room nearby, too.
deaselakebase@pwh.ca
250-771-5911
ASOS 128.7
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!
Home airport
Home airport, great FSS people
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?
Avoid the Best Western hotel here
I spent a night at the Regina Best Western in Jul 06. Not a pleasant experience, the hotel was hosting a sports tournament and there were children (and adults) running down the hallways all night. The non-smoking rooms and the hallway smelled of smoke, but they had nothing better to offer. There are panhandlers outside the hotel who will follow you if you go outside at night. There were no nice restaurants or stores in the neighbourhood, very rundown area. I requested the shuttle bus for a trip back to the FBO at 0630, but in the morning the shuttle was missing because the driver took it on a personal errand for an hour.
Abbotsford Airport
Did my training here. Great training airport and excellent tower staff that were very facilitating and patient. Good place for IFR training too.
Tipitina's
Best food and friendliest service I have ever found at an airport, it is in the 'A' Hangar, 1st hanger north of the terminal. Get the "D" cups!
Fees and fuel costs
🔗 Wed, 08 Aug 2007
— @david at Region of Waterloo International Airport, Canada
On Saturday 4 August 2007, at Flite Line Services:
Landing fee (airport): CA $7.00 + tax
Parking: CA $8.14/night + tax
100LL: CA $1.47/litre + tax
Tax is 7% GST. Flite Line collects the landing fee on behalf of the airport, so you have to pay it no matter where you park. Flite Line has a ramp fee that it waives when you take fuel, but you still have to pay the first night's parking.