Tony's airport comments

I wanted to land here and hike to the lookout, but the winds were high and gusty at the canyon rim, so I limited myself to a touch&go and a flight along the rim of the canyon. I couldn't see a windsock after circling twice, so I suspect it was wrapped around the pole somewhere. The winds are always shifting along the canyon rim and I would recommend only landing early in the AM or at dusk, when it is calm and cooler.

I landed here at 8PM for fuel and a place to overnight. The FBO was closed, I could access the terminal but the TSA guy and the cleaners in the terminal had no idea where I could leave the aircraft. I tied down beside a Citation in front of the FBO, grabbed my stuff and used the terminal wifi to find a hotel. The Holiday Inn Express sent a car to pick me up. All of the local hotels advertised shuttle service and offer "corporate" pilot rates. The hotels and chain restaurants are all clustered in one section of town, I had no problems finding a restaurant that still served beer and a burger at 10PM. The hotel also provided a car to take me to the airport in the morning, something that a Holiday Inn Express doesn't normally do.

The next morning, the FBO staff were very friendly and quick. They moved my plane so the Citation could depart, but tied it down again just like I would do. I would go back there again if I return to explore the Snake River Canyon airstrips.

I can't find any info about this strip - is it still private or PPR? I have done low approaches numerous times, it seems there are some terrain gradient challenges at the East end of the strip. I'd be willing to take the Husky in for a visit and offer an unbiased opinion on the runway conditions.

One of the nicest places to land and camp at. The approach is a little unorthodox, a curved base/final to stay clear of the terrain. If you drag it in, you might lose sight of the runway, but if you like to slip you can come in very steeply from the East side.

Lots of wildlife on and around the strip, deer wander through your campsite at all times of the day. The Ranger at the station is very helpful with ideas of where to hike, what to see. They are always ready for a visit, the historic ranger station is right at mid-field.

Don't go here to practice your touch & goes, you will just piss off the numerous hikers and campers who are in the protected wilderness area. And the Ranger takes note.

The Fly Montana guidebook describes this strip as a good place to practice on, the field is outside of the protected wilderness area and a road runs right alongside it. Practice your backcountry approaches and higher altitude takeoffs and landings here before venturing into the more pristine (and protected) backcountry strips.

State campground on both sides and a road passes close by. Not as quiet as it looks; you can camp on the field but there are walking trails crisscrossing the runway between the campgrounds and a steady stream of mountain bikers cross the runway. Despite being a state campground, there are no facilities, no restaurants, no stores close by.

When I was there in Aug 2009, there was a Forest Service firefighting team with two helicopters and a fuel truck operating from the airstrip. Approach from the South, along the lake. Runway rises to the North, then ends abruptly. There was a Warrior in the overrun with wiped landing gear, he floated and touched down late, ground-looping just before the steep drop-off at the North end.

Refueled here at the municipal self-serve pump (West end of the ramp). There are pumps at the FBO on the East end of the ramp but their avgas was much more expensive. Aug 2009.

Although it does not look like there are any other facilities, there is a curious blue Quonsot-style structure outside the fence that is actually the airport manager's office. There is a toilet, phone and internet in his building. He also has wifi that you can access.

Did a C-172 checkout at Redcliffe with GOANA in 2002 before spending a week flying around the East Coast of Australia. Was issued an Australian Day VFR license on the basis of my Canadian license and a check flight with the GOANA chief pilot.

This strip is at the bottom of the canyon, parallel to the river. The lower portions are prone to flooding and the mud is very heavy - your wheels will get bogged down. If it looks wet, do NOT land here! Otherwise, it is a spectacular setting and a wonderful place to hike and take photos.

Very quaint old-style country airstrip. Self serve fuel, friendly people. There is a Husky dealer (Wayne Clements) on the field. You can buy a nice house on the property close to the hangars or the strip.

There is a full-service FBO here. The airport is at the north edge of town, away from the complicated airspace around the other (12+?) airports at Wichita. Fuel is expensive, but they have lots of hangars in case of thunderstorms during an overnight stop. Lots of hotels with shuttles to pick you up.

During the summer, the density altitude is over 10,000 ft and the runways are extra long - I made the mistake of landing on 17 and had to taxi two miles to the FBO.

Lots of executive jets and charters fly in here during the ski season. During the summer, there is less traffic and rates are better at the FBO.

Landed here in the Husky just to take a break and stretch my legs. Didn't buy fuel or souvenirs, but the staff made me feel welcome. Lent me the courtesy car to have a look at the downtown. The FBO manager and I sat on the porch and discussed flying and life in general.

There is a crosswind runway here, it is grass/gravel and hard to see. Actually, it is easier to see here on Google Earth than in the afternoon sunlight.

North America's highest airport - land here, buy the Tee shirt, get the certificate. Check the weather before you proceed, the mountains on both sides of the valley here exceed 14,000 Ft.

There is a small self-serve fuel stand at the western end of the ramp. I needed to get a car, hotel, washrooms, etc so I taxied to the Flowers FBO. It was late and they were a little disorganized because of an airshow that weekend, but they came and towed my taildragger to a better spot after I unloaded my gear. They gave me their well-published 40 cent discount on the fuel, so it was competitive with the self-serve fuel.

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.

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.

Diverted here due to weather in 2004. My spouse said this was the nicest FBO, cleanest bathrooms she had ever seen.

Diverted here due to weather in 2004. Friendly place. It is a long drive into town, they have a courtesy car and they let us keep it overnight. If you like trains, it is a great place, the freight trains pass through town every five minutes all night long. Several large stores specialize in cowboy/horse/western gear. You can buy anything here for your horse, or get some good deals on cowboy boots. We had a lot of fun here, and bought some really neat (tacky) stuff too. Fuel was relatively inexpensive.

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.

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!

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?

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.

The flight school at Cornwall has two twins (Seminoles) and can help you get your multi and IFR ratings, and has an examiner on staff for efficient, no-nonsense IFR renewals. There are two non-precision approaches to this airport.

This airport is listed in the CFS and commonly known as "Westport". I have been here during the week and seen vehicles drive in, wander around and drive out. Perhaps the signs off the road are inadequate? This gets tricky if you are slipping in over the trees to Rwy 07, as I was.

It is a nice walk into the town of Westport for treats or lunch. There is a winter fly-in here, on the lake for skis and at the airstrip if conditions allow.

Call first and check the conditions, especially early in the season. Lots of ultralights here, especially Challengers!

A nice grass strip close to Ottawa to practise soft and short field landings. Have a look at photos of this strip before going there, the power lines may not be visible depending on your direction of approach and the angle of the sun. There are low power lines at both ends, with some higher Hydro towers and cellular towers nearby. Watch for hang glider activity nearby too.

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.

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.)

A convenient pit stop if you are flying between Ontario and the Maritimes. A nice airport restaurant, fuel and maintenance services available if required.

A very popular fall fly-in destination - the scenary is beautiful. There can be lots of traffic on fly-in days. The approach is over the lake, with terrain rising to the runway - and the runway is narrow, so you might be high the first time you attempt this airport.

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.

I flew here several times while doing my IFR rating to practise the NDB approach to runway 35. It is an interesting IFR flight from Ottawa, culminating with the classic "NDB astern of you" approach and missed approach back to the beacon. I think I might actually get to land here one day. :-)

I had two close encounters (that I know of) with float planes within 5 nm of Elliot Lake airport. They seem to transit the zone but are not on the frequency. This is a good pit stop or a place to wait things out while the afternoon thunderstorms over Algonquin Park dissipate (BTDT). I understand there is a golf course near the airport that encourages fly-in golfers, but I don't golf so I can't comment on the quality of the golfing.

A good place to clear US Customs flying into the USA. The customs agent drives over from the nearby road border crossing station. Lots of floatplane traffic in the area, but the airport is relatively quiet.

Get a good weather briefing if you are flying into or out of Billings. The airport sits on top of a hill and the weather can change rapidly. There is much higher terrrain nearby on all sides and there can be unexpected turbulence.

If you are heading West into the mountains, stop here to get a weather update and suggestions from the FSS briefer on what route is best for low level VFR flight. If the forecast winds or cloud base make you uncomfortable, stay in Billings until conditions improve.

Afton Wyoming, home of the Aviat Aircraft factory. Ask for a tour of the factory and see how Aviat can rebuild a damaged aircraft or update an older model to "better than new".

There is a new FBO here, managed by the former Aviat factory test pilot. I hope to visit on my next trip West and will comment on the service.

A great fuel stop - self serve fuel at a good price, and a nice pilots lounge with a courtesy vehicle. Everything is on the honour system - please don't abuse it!

Bob Hoff (Idaho Falls Aeromark FBO and Aviat Husky dealer) family farm and private grass strip. If you are invited to visit, ask to see inside the hangar - Bob and his family have an amazing collection of classic aircraft, automobiles and motorcycles stored here. Not a static museum, most of their collection is in flying condition or is being restored to flying condition.

A nice grass strip between Montreal and Ottawa. Tune and listen for para drop announcements - there is an active parachuting club here.

All the old runways are here - a complete British Commonwealth Air Training Programme field from the 1940's. Some hangars are intact, but they are being used for other purposes now. A popular breakfast fly-in every second Sunday during the summer. Lots of ultralights in the area, and watch for gliders from Mountainview. No fuel at Picton, you will have to go to Tyendinaga (Mohawk) CPU6 for fuel.

Lots of gliders here - but you can fly your powered aircraft in here with prior permission - check your CFS for the phone number. Go early in the morning, before the gliders get busy. Sit and watch the glider action, or join in for some dual instruction with the Rideau Valley Soaring Club http://www.rideauvalleysoaring.com/

I stayed at the Holiday Inn 22 July 06, however there was NO airport pick up available and the taxi fare was $22 each way! Landing fees too!

There is a COPA discount for fuel, but remember to bring your membership card.

Marathon has self-serve fuel and is a convenient place to stop for fuel when flying around the top of Superior. I stopped here travelling both East and West in 2006, didn't see anyone else around. The fuel pump is fussy, you may have to restart it a couple of times before it pumps at a good rate. There is a phone in the terminal for flight planning, but no internet (summer 06).

Flown into, out of and over Marathon several times - there is usually fog in the bay which can move over the airport just after you land. Be prepared to spend several days there if you get fogged in.

Stopped here several times for fuel travelling East or West around the top of Superior. In July and August there can be numerous firefighting fixed wing and helos transitting the area to pickup crews or fuel. Listen closely on 126.7 for updates.

I bought a Cardinal here in 2000 with the help of Roy Sobchuk. Roy Sobchuk is the designer of speed mods and fairings for the beautiful Cessna 177 Cardinal and other Cessnas. There were 6 other Cardinals in the hangar in Brandon, all very nicely equipped and maintained aircraft. Maple Leaf Aviation at Brandon Airport is a Transport Canada approved manufacturer for replacement parts and modifications for Cessna aircraft. Fiberglass and metal components are manufactured in-house. Maple Leaf Aviation Limited holds over 40 STC’s in Canada (TC) and the United States (FAA). Maple Leaf Aviation Limited also provides services for the importation of aircraft.

Flew to Winnipeg with Paul Williams to pick up my Cardinal in May 2000. Paid my first fuel bill as an owner at the Shell FBO at CYWG. Had a great time (two inexperienced pilots) flying back to Ottawa via Thunder Bay, Wawa and North Bay.

McCall Mountain and Canyon Flying School is at McCall Idaho.

See http://www.mountaincanyonflying.com/index.html

Operating an aircraft in mountain and canyon areas is not a do-it yourself project. This course specifically addresses flight into the heart of the Idaho back country, but the knowledge and techniques you study can be applied to any type of flying that you may do "off the beaten path".

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!