OurAirports: Comments on airports in New Brunswick, Canada

[CYQM] "cancelled flights" by Anonymous Flier

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:35:03 -0500

Comment by an Anonymous Flier on Greater Moncton International Airport, Canada:

On Jan. 23, 2012, the 3:20pm flight to Toronto was cancelled. A passenger was given another flight at the same time on the next day. He was not given transportation from and back to the airport, a hotel room, or meals. I'm very disappointed in Air Canada.

[CCN2] "deer and birds on strip" by Anonymous Flier

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:17:51 -0400

Comment by an Anonymous Flier on Grand Manan Airport, Canada:

pilots should keep a sharp lookout for deer and birds on the strip

[CYFC] "Early History" by Anonymous Flier

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:44:57 -0400

Comment by an Anonymous Flier on Fredericton Airport, Canada:

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 .

[CYFC] "Autorotations" by AwakeAndUnafraid

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:11:31 -0400

Comment by @AwakeAndUnafraid on Fredericton Airport, Canada:

Once upon a time this is where helicopters from nearby CFB Gagetown practised touchdown autorotations. We used grass/packed snow areas alongside the runways. Is this still what folks do, or do you still use the "new" autorotation area at the Gagetown heliport?

[CCJ3] "Boston Brook airstrip" by Anonymous Flier

Fri, 14 May 2010 16:50:23 -0400

Comment by an Anonymous Flier on Boston Brook Airport, Canada:

Nice private strip built in 1952 for aerial spray against spruce budworm. In the 1970's, the place was home for over 200 people from May to July and aircrafts ranging from Gruman TBM avengers to Ayres Turbo Thrushes. Great to fly in and out off!

[CYFC] "Control tower coming in December 2009" by david

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:51:05 -0400

Comment by @david on Fredericton Airport, Canada:

Fredericton is currently a mandatory-frequency (MF) airport with a flight services station. It's the busiest non-towered airport in Canada, and Nav Canada has announced that the airport will be getting a control tower (presumably class D) in December 2009 with 12 full-time controllers:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/07/09/air-traffic.html

[CA-0013] "Trans Canada Airlines at YYP" by Anonymous Flier

Fri, 29 May 2009 16:59:16 -0400

Comment by an Anonymous Flier on RCAF Pennfield Ridge, Canada:

In 1947, the Dept of Transport had taken over the operation of the Pennfield Airport, as the RCAF moved out. TCA realized that this airport, on a main highway from Saint John would serve the city much better than the long dirt roads up to Blissville and on Apr 1 1947 , Blissville was closed and the Pennfield Ridge Airport (YYP) was opened for scheduled service with all DC3 service.

A new route from Halifax/Yarmouth/Saint John/Boston also began on Apr 1 1947 and the Halifax Montreal flight now stopped in Pennfield . By 1951, Pennfield would see up to 10 flights a day through the Airport, including the transborder flights to/from Boston.

With the opening of the new airport in Saint John (YSJ), TCA moved its operation over there on Dec 31/51

[CYQM] "CYQM" by flybob

Mon, 18 May 2009 20:16:39 -0400

Comment by @flybob on Greater Moncton International Airport, Canada:

CYQM is the home of Moncton Flight College where hundreds of students get the best of flight training.

[CA-0053] "Blissville and Trans Canada Airlines" by twin

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:48:26 -0500

Comment by @twin on Blissville Airport, Canada:

Here's an edited version of an article that I wrote about Blissville.

The Blissville Airport was built in the late 1930s as part of the Trans Canada Airways system. Airports and navigation systems were built approximately 100 miles (160kms) apart, covering Canada coast to coast, to facilitate air mail and eventually passenger traffic. It was located about 30 miles (50km) SW of Fredericton on a dusty gravel road and didn’t see the first scheduled TCA flight until May 10, 1941 a stop on the Montreal to Halifax route. Evidently it wasn’t too successful as the trial ended six weeks later on June 15.

On July 1, 1944 Blissville was again added to the TCA route, becoming a regional airport for SW New Brunswick, and this time it was promoted with direct cab service both to Fredericton and Saint John. The distance to Saint John was about 35-40 miles (50-60km) SE, halfway being on dirt roads. TCA pulled out of Blissville when the Airport at Pennfield Ridge was opened up to serve Saint John on April 1, 1947. The terminal/operations building was later disassembled and moved in sections to serve the same purpose at the new Fredericton Airport (YFC) until a new terminal was built there in 1963.

Over the last several decades, the Blissville Airport has been used by Forest Protection Ltd. as a base for fighting forest fires and conducting spraying operations. It is now located just inside the boundary of CFB Gagetown with a 4000 foot (1200m) paved runway and a Military Airport code – CCH3.

(adapted from article by George Brien that appeared in the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum Newsletter, Fall 2007)

If anyone interested, I have lots of info on TCA people that worked there in the mid 40's.

gnbrien@eastlink.ca

[CA-0053] "RV81" by ptomblin

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:36:40 -0500

Comment by @ptomblin on Blissville Airport, Canada:

It seems like such a tiny airport to have that amount of traffic with no ramp space to park them all, but I guess helicopters don't need much runway, so you could just park them on the runway?

[CA-0053] "Blissville, on CFB Gagetown" by 32Aret

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:41:09 -0500

Comment by @32Aret on Blissville Airport, Canada:

In 1981, CFB Gagetown was the location of the largest deployment of canadian troops since the Korean war, for an exercise calle Rendez Vous 81. About 10,000 troops took part in the exercise. Blissville was the centre of most helicopter activities for the duration of the exercise. At the height of RV81, 73 helicopters were based at Blissville (Kiowas, Twin Hueys, Chinooks from Canada; and Cobras and Chinooks from the US Army). A transportable approach radar (PAR) was installed to serve temporarily as the only approach aid (pre-GPS times!), with precision limits (200 - 1/2). The airport was temporarily given the ident CH3. I was flying the first aircraft (a CH-135 Twin Huey) to flight plan into CH3 under actual IMC, coming from YOY. Shortly after we changed from Boston Center to Moncton Centre, over the Maine-New Brunswick border, the controlled gave us a clearance to Chatham beacon (ident CH), which we promptly refused... I guess that the message about the temporary ident was not distributed to all controlllers.

[CYCH] "YCH" by 32Aret

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:50:14 -0500

Comment by @32Aret on Miramichi Airport, Canada:

This used to be Canadian Forces Base Chatham (hence the CH in the identifier), where a squadron of CF-101 Voodoo used to fly. The base was closed and the airport became a civilian one around the time the CF-18 was adopted as the fighter for the CF. Chatham was the name of one of the towns that were amalgamated into what is now Miramichi.

[CYSJ] "Home airport" by Valantir86

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:49:57 -0400

Comment by @Valantir86 on Saint John Airport, Canada:

Home airport, great FSS people