Comments for Alberta, Canada

Fuel price in Feb 2012 is $1.60

Watch out for the tower to the North West. Comes into play for Left Hand circuits for Runway 07.

Anyone know about the latest runway conditions for Shundra, Nordegg River, or Brazeau Abandoned airstrips?

Thanks

Great Pie in the town of Linden. A place called Country Cousins Bistro and Bakery

AVGAS 100LL Fuel and SAE 65 and 80 Oil. Our fuel system is a self serve Master Card or Visa system and the fuel price as of September 15, 2011 is $1.69 per litre.

The only thing I could find on CanFly Airlines is this promotional video from 2007 on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QY1yDbnAmo Unless you are planning on virtually flying somewhere, I think you might be out of luck.

Can someone please assist me in finding info regarding the new flights out of airdrie on can fly airlines?

Reply to @FortMc: thanks for the link. It looks interesting, though I think the architect who made the 3D model might have been over-optimistic about how many airliners would be on the ramp at once. :)

Reply to @david:

Here are the plans for the new airport http://fortmc.ca/general-discussion/new-fort-mcmurray-airport-ymm-flyby-t42.html

Note: Frequency should be 123.2 Fly safe!

Sept. 24,2011. Rain Date Oct.1

08:00 - Noon

Frequency 123.45

2600 x 100 grass East-West orientation

Pwr line at east end underground.

I just flew into the Springbank airport for the first time about 2 weeks ago while on a cross-country from Abbotsford to Calgary. I agree that the approach process is a little complicated, especially while coming from the South (you end up talking to Calgary Terminal, which then hands you over to Springbank), but nothing terrible - if you've never dealt with a controlled airport before, it might take a bit of getting used to, but otherwise it was fine. Calgary Terminal was very friendly - when they asked me to report over a local point, I just told them I wasn't familiar with the airport, and they gave me vectors all the way in. Wouldn't hesitate to go back. Springbank was also friendly, providing ground directions & advice.

Bad service, rude staff, 1 hour to down town, no thank you. I'll pass through Calgary next time.

I want to drive to the airport from edmonton. Can I park my car there. I dont

Want to have to pay $80 to a cab company, and another 80 when I return. to

A-Town TAXI is available from 3pm until 4am 7 days a week: (780)675-3636 www dot atowntaxi dot ca

Muskeg Creek Taxi is available 6am until 10pm: (780)675-9171.

Magic Wand Cab Co is available Mon to Sat 7am to 9pm and Sun 7am to 6pm: 780-675-0302.

Great place to stop over night. Lots of parking near the Casino/Hotel and fuel service.

My name is Timothy.Daronte Jackson IIIIIIV. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Although I was stationed here in 1956 with the r.c.a.f. I was allways out on projects like Primrose Lake (Cold Lake) Whitehorse, Thule Greenland,Alert . I would like to hear from any one who was there during those times. Catton_darryl@hotmail.com

Darryl Catton

D: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...oooooooooo.

Yeah, I stole your cat, and it's now a coat !

Are you the one who stole my cat ?!?!?!?!?!?! It's been missing for years. I loved that cat, it was my life and I want it back !

Hi, my name is...yep, you guessed it, Arkayla, just like the airport ! I am a girl (duh) and it's pretty awesome that you guys dedicated this airport to me. So that means I'm fly ! :D

But any who, I don't want to waste your time while you read this, but while I'm here; Fabian is a b****.

The next fly in is June 5 2011

My dad, NLHead, flew out of this aerodrome, in 1943 in an Avro Anson, and Cessna Crane as well as the North American Harvard. I would like more pictures, information about this airport at that time. it was an important time in history. I flew out of it too as a 14 year old. very interesting, intensive time of life, which i now treasure as i look back in time.

N. Lawrence head

great little place. the people I met there were friendly, and quite helpful. spent some time there,

snowed in. the ladies at the library were most helpful, and didn't mind us laying out the charts, and flight planning. the fuel guys, and flying club members we talked to were a world of help, and we really appreciate our stay.

nice place, available fuel. windy. stopped in over the new year, crew plowed big berm of snow right up to the tail of my plane. called maintenance, explained I was going to have to leave in a couple days, and was assured it would be cleared. next evening I went out and hand shoveled. wasn't to bad, under 2 hours, -25 degrees, wind 25 knots gusting higher. (didn't check how cold wind chill) just darn cold. still not sure why they would do that, only plane at the tie downs. plenty of room to plow snow, and built berm on up wind side of field. ?????

This is a typical WWII aeroport with its delta-shaped runways, of which only one was used more or less continuously after the war. As per my low and over in June 2010, the 10/28 and 16/34 are not landable, unless you have Tundra tires! "Unregistered" runway (the only one with something that looks like a surface) is used for drag-racing, there are cars and trailers parked near it. Overall the airport does not look as active. I have asked locals, no one even considered it as a usable airport.

This airstrip looked as dead as possible when I've passed low and over it somewhere at June 2010. The runway was only distinguishable for the surroundings by a bit different color of the grass, and buildings next to it looked abandoned.

That was my comment; just realized I wasn't logged in.

Reply to @dazuppa: I'm not sure how long you flew around the Springbank area but as someone who's flown out of CYBW for the past decade I can assure you that your experience with ATC is not the norm. In fact, the controllers at CYBW are as friendly as they come; more so if you are friendly from the start.

CYBW is one of the busiest GA airports and serves both training pilots and training controllers. Inner/outer tower is a both a necessity and a great learning experience at the same time. If you walked away thinking otherwise then it's an opportunity missed. I've flown across the country and found that the Calgary-area airspace is second in complexity only to the GTA. If you can handle CYYC/CYBW you can handle anything.

Finally, having done training and rentals (before purchasing a PA32) at most of the schools located at CYBW, I can also say that your experience at CFC is not typical. I would consider both SATC and CFC to be the same in most respects. The biggest difference between the two is that SATC is a commerical operation whereas CFC is more of a 'club' and therefore offers a richer experience (and cheaper fuel) for all pilots.

Wayne Winters of Blue Younder Aviation owns this airport. For those unfamiliar with Canadian ultralight aviation history, Wayne is a "daddy" of the Merlin EZ and EZ Flyer aircraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Yonder_Aviation) He's a great person and one of the pilots you learn a lot from just chatting next to the hangar door.

Runways are uneven, and you can see a gopher sitting right in the middle of them when you are taking off, but that's all right. For me, flying at Indus was a great experience and a discovery of the whole experimental/homebuilt aviation in Canada. Just stay there at Indus for a couple of hours, and you'll be surprised with a number of great people and interesting aircrafts around!

Cu Nim is a base for the local gliders community. Those guys are serious and proficient, it's a pity that their prices are way too high for the engineless flight. I've made a simple calculation and realized that it will cost me more to fly the gliders there than airplanes out of Springbank. Sorry guys, you are nice, but business is business - even if you hold a monopoly...

Great place to fly, nevertheless, and the whole process of flying is nicely organized there. They also communicate properly, so if you are just flying by - turn on your radio and keep an ear on the frequency.

Bob Kirkby owns this nice little private field, kept in a very decent shape. Approach over the highway feels a bit hairy as you pass just over the moving cars - and you have to be low or on flaps, as the runway is really short for the elevation.

Bob is a really nice guy, do not hesitate to call him and meet in person! Maybe he'll show you some of his flying treasures. ;-)

Look out for antennas when going aroind in circuit, and keep the downwind over the field, not over the Bob's house. The airport looks easier to find on Google Maps than it is in the real life, so keep an eye on the Chestermere lake and your position related to it and the Trans-Canadian highway.

Strategically Springbank is placed in an excellent place - right next to the "entrance" between the mountains which leads directly to Banff, Lake Louise and other natural marvels of the Canadian Rockies.

Unfortunately, control zone for this airport is just messed up. You are getting handed from inner tower to the outer tower to terminal to whatever... all that to just get out of the airport! Not very friendly for non-locals, too. I've got a nasty commentary: "Get a VTA" when asked the tower for a local reporting point, stating that I'm unfamiliar with the area. Best advice - study the freaking place in advance and specifically compare what you see on the map with what you see on the Google Maps! You'll be surprised how different those look.

Calgary Flying Club, a major flight school at Springbank, is one of those indifferent money-drainers which sell you the crappiest planes for the highest price, and never forget to apply funny additional fees. Their instructor didn't even say "hi" to me when he first saw me to go for a checkout! Was like: "That's you? Ok, let's go". Two people at the counter, yet you have to fill a bunch of forms yourself.

Luckily they have a SATC (Springbank Air Training College) there, where people are genuinely friendly and useful, and making you wish to stay. Also much cheaper prices and no membership fee comparing to CFC - at the same airport! How's that? They didn't hesitate a second to show me their planes (CFC guys did not permit me to even touch a plane I'm going to fly without an instructor "supervising" the process). SATC planes were in much better shape than those of CFC and their instructors were positive, fun and knowledgeable. Can only recommend them for both renters and students.

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.

Thanks for the update. Wikipedia agrees, so marked as closed pending any new information.

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.

http://www.barnstormers.com/classified_494953_REGISTERED+AIRSTRIP+%28CGF2%29+.html

Lake is drying fast , and not really enough depth to land on water here ( water is a loose term, for mud and sludge )

Float flyers not on amphibs DON'T LAND HERE!!!! the lake is drying up and I have been told that the estimated water depth is only a couple of feet. ( I know one guy torn a float open on rocks in 2009 )

Nice Airport , I trained here in 2007 ( yes I know how to use the radio!! , Academy now has a company freq.) also 123.2 is a common freq. in this area of AB with many airports sharing the radio!

Edmonton Airports hasn't invested a lot into the Airport for many years, They are focused elsewhere ( International-CYEG and Villeneuve CZVL)

make sure you visit the nice people at Cardinal aviation

A well-laid out airport, acceptable length of security lines, and the prices at the restaurants are basically the same as off-airport. Parking is free for the first 30 minutes - a wonderful bonus when just dropping by to pick up a passenger.

The staff at Swan Aeromotive on two recent flights to CYQU were great. They are open early, have airside access for local passengers and have a nice lounge for waiting around in. They also listen in on the MF and are waiting to guide you to parking upon your arrival at the apron; very efficient. Overall great service. Contact number for Swan is (780) 532-3607.

Since the mainstream newspapers are prone to removing links to articles, here's a similar article on aviation.ca -- http://www.aviation.ca/content/view/9011/117/

Reply to @douglasr: I've updated the pilot info - thanks. Very sad news for the city of Edmonton.

On August 3, 2010 the city barricaded the runway and had a NOTAM issued. More details in this article from the Edmonton Journal: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Edmonton+City+Centre+Airport+closes+runway/3354012/story.html

Red deer has air service Northwestern air and Swanberg air offer flights as well as a few others that arent listed on the Red deer airport homepage.

Rocky is a great little airport,not busy,courtesy car and very scenic to the west!

Fuel is sold on field by Central Air. Sadly, there is a $50 callout fee on weekends now. And someone may not always be around during the week either. So make sure you have enough fuel to get home or make plans to fuel elsewhere.

Spent some time here in autumn 1978 for a helicopter competition. Fun