For a little adventure in a beautiful part of the world try Gore Bay, on Manitoulin Island.
The airport features a recently paved 5,500-foot runway, avgas and Jet-A and a crew car for the short trip to town, which is on Gore Bay.
Gore Bay also has one of the newest COPA flights (201) and every report we’ve heard is that GA is most welcome at the airport.
August 5, Tillsonburg, ON (CYTB): Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association Fly Day/Open House. Come hear the ROAR of the Harvards as they take to the skies! 0900 to 1600 hrs Admission by donation. For more info, please contact Pat Hanna at p_hanna@harvards.com (519-212-6021) or visit our website at www.harvards.com
August 5-6, Winnipeg-Lyncrest, MB, (CJL5): Springfield Flying Club is moving their Annual mid-August BBQ to Sun Aug 6 to coincide with visit of Vimy Flight to Winnipeg. Those flying in early can camp out on field Sat Aug 5. Will have a campfire and singalong. Main event Sun Aug 6 from 1000-1600. Food vendors, antique cars, BCATP aircraft, club members planes, Winnipeg Gliding Club display and of course the Vimy Flight aircraft and crews. Prize draws and 50-50. Special draw for pilots flying in. More info at https://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldFlyingClub/ and www.lyncrest.org.
August 1-25: Governor’s Cup Cross Canada Air Rally: Celebrate Canada’s 150th Anniversary with a group of International Flyers ! 10 provinces ! 1 Territory ! Join us for 1 day, 2 days, one section or the entire Air Rally. This event will help finance the Aeronautical Training program in 2 Canadian schools. www.airrally.com or info@airrally.com 450-969-2247
August 6, Killarney Manitoba (CJS5): Killarney Flying Club Annual Fly-In Breakfast. 0800 – 1200. Bob buys breakfast for any pilot flying in that mentions they saw this ad in “On The Horizon”. Contact or text Bob 204-523-6316 or bobsair@hotmail.com
Canadian Red Bull Air Race pilot Pete McLeod has been tearing up the circuit in the past few races and is firmly in contention to win the championship this year.
As of late July, McLeod was just two points out of first place in the overall standings after after second and third-place finishes in Kazan, Russia and Budapest. McLeod has consistently been the fastest pilot in recent races and earned the second-place finish at Budapest despite a two-second penalty. If he hadn’t messed up a pylon entry, he would have won the race by 1.3 seconds, an eternity in the razor-thin margins that normally decide the races.
“We’ve got the plane where we want it and we’re not stopping, we’re going to keep moving with it,” he said. “But I’m flying great. I feel good in the raceplane.
McLeod has lagged in the standings for a couple of years because of an underperforming engine. That forced him to fly even more aggressively and resulted in penalties that kept him off the podium in most races.
He said he’s now found the balance between fast and smooth and hopes to convert that into consistently high finishes.
High River Airport Authority (HRAA) President, Steff Stephansson, recently announced that St Albert-based JetPro has been retained to design and implement RNAV (GPS) approaches at the southern Alberta airport.
“With the addition of this new instrument approach capability, High River will continue to gain momentum as an alternative to an increasingly congested Spring Bank airport,” Stephansson told Canadian Aviator. “Approaches on both ends of our 4150 foot runway will benefit our airport’s private and commercial operators alike.”
High River has recently seen a spurt in private hangar construction, reflecting the growing popularity of the field. CEN4 is located 49 km south of Calgary. In addition to self-serve fuel (including Jet A) and on-field maintenance services, High River has recently expanded long-term parking through a newly-paved tie-down area.
COPA President and CEO Bernard Gervais spent much of his time at AirVenture 2017 clearing up some misconceptions about the Canadian experience with privatized air traffic control.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for the creation of a not-for-profit private corporation to manage airspace in the U.S., a system similar but not identical to that which has been in operation under Nav Canada for almost 20 years.
Last week, Nav Canada released a NOTAM that banned VFR arrivals at Vancouver International Airport from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
AOPA has been monitoring the issue in Canada and incorrectly reported that COPA and Canadian pilots in general were upset with the privatized system. They used that sentiment in published news stories to bolster their anti-privatization stance.
“The statement quoted by AOPA does not reflect the position of our organization on this issue, nor was it provided to AOPA by anyone with the authority to speak on behalf of COPA,” Gervais said in a statement. “Unfortunately at no time did AOPA reach out to COPA to provide a comment before their story was published.”
Reporters for AOPA publications were also approaching Canadian pilots looking for negative comments about the Nav Canada system and finding none.
Gervais spoke with senior AOPA officials and the published report was corrected and staff were told to stop pursuing the Canadian angle of the story.
Tuesday night at the Partner Resource Centre on the AirVenture grounds was the place to be for Canadians at Oshkosh. Almost 300 people packed the PRC at COPA’s annual AirVenture reception sponsored by our VIP Insurance program underwriter AIG, our broker The Magnes Group, and adjusters McLarens. COPA members and Canadian friends from coast to coast gathered to swap stories and beat the heat with complimentary cold beer and air conditioning.
Several door prizes were raffled off – the highlight of the evening being the grand prize draw of a ride in EAA’s vintage Ford Trimotor.
The event built on the excitement and enthusiasm stemming from our Convention and Tradeshow in Kelowna and we are pleased to say that plans for COPA’s Oshkosh party are already in the works for next year. If you’re thinking of making the trek to general aviation’s hallowed ground, be sure to make our event one of the must-attend items on your AirVenture agenda.
This year at Oshkosh as of Thursday afternoon, over 400 Canadian delegates registered at the international tent, with our Australian cousins coming in second with over 200.
COPA has been in contact with Nav Canada officials over an unprecedented flight restriction imposed on VFR traffic at Vancouver International Airport.
A NOTAM that went into effect July 20 bans VFR arrivals, other than seaplane and helicopters, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. daily until Sept. 1.
Temporary VFR bans have been imposed at airports around the country over the past few years as Nav Canada deals with staff shortages, particularly in summer when staff take holidays and other staff are already doing a lot to cover this vacation time, or on week-ends.
“The Vancouver NOTAM is a special concern because its long continuous duration is unprecedented,” said COPA President and CEO Bernard Gervais. “COPA has been in contact with Nav Canada about the NOTAM and we’ve been assured that measures are being taken to correct the situation.”
Gervais, who sits on Nav Canada’s advisory committee, said the corporation has been grappling with a staff shortage for several years but he said an all-of-sudden six-week interruption of VFR arrivals, even if it is just for two hours a day, means a change in level of service that ought to go through some consultation process.
He said he expects the NOTAM to be modified over the next few days to allow VFR traffic at YVR. He also said Transport Canada is kept aware and monitoring the situation.
An earlier version of this story failed to note that the times listed in the NOTAM were Zulu times.
PDF of NOTAM below.
Nav Canada RestrictionsAtlantic Canada’s newest airport is now complete and Hillaton, Kings County (CHL2) is ready for full operation. The airport is now in the Canadian Flight Supplement but prior permission is required for access.
“It has been a very exciting few weeks and now we have hard surface, lights, hangar rentals, ready to build hangar pads and on-site AME maintenance. Coming soon will be weather station that is web accessible,” said Airport Manager Doug Kaizer.
Pembroke and Area Airport is hosting a fly-in Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Organizers are hoping for 150 aircraft to fly in to the event. There will be a chili lunch and proceeds will go to a fund for runway repaving.”We will have kids activities and three Canadian Forces aircraft on display,” said organizers.
We’re looking for the right person to arrange COPA’s special events. Click through for the job description.
Job Description - Event Coordinator