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FRSpooky Places to Fly
As the spooky season arrives, your mind may be turning to pumpkins, ghosts and of course, flying! COPA has a few suggestions for how you may get some thrills and see some incredible scenery—in the air and on the ground.
If you’ve been looking for a fly-in with a spooky theme that will entertain the younger passengers in your life, look no further than COPA Flight 137, the Camrose Flying Club’s “Fly-in Trick-or-Treating” event. Jadene Mah, President of COPA Flight 137, says the idea for this event came to her as she “looked around the Club’s meeting and realized she was the youngest member at the table” at almost 40.
The intent of the event is to counterbalance the club’s aging membership by engaging new, younger aviation enthusiasts. More than just costumes and a fly-in, the event is also designed to involve young members in aviation in meaningful ways and help them learn new skills. Having grown up around GA, Mah envisioned bringing together youth and older pilots, primarily men, who fly to various locations for coffee with empty passenger seats. It struck her as a fun way to start bridging the age and gender gaps.
“I saw an opportunity for the kids to take on the responsibility of organizing and hosting the event, and for COPA 137 to embrace a new fly-in,” Mah explained. “My dad’s philosophy was ‘no empty back seat,’ and I can see that this event has become a great way to encourage family fly-ins as well as our youngest flying club members. What is really rewarding is that it is managed by kids for kids. They buy the candy, they make the coffee for the pilots in the morning, and we encourage everyone to dress up. It’s a terrific time for all.”
The Trick-or-Treat Fly-In’s success is no accident. The Camrose Flying Club already hosts Canada’s largest and longest-running fly-in breakfast, which lends additional “street cred” to the event. This year’s spooky fly-in, to be held on October 26, will be the club’s fifth.
Even More Spooky
Do you have something more chilling in mind? Canada has many eerie places to visit, including abandoned towns, historic sites and castles boasting various levels of decay and paranormal activity. You may have seen the ghost of Sam McAuley, one of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel’s head bellmen, if you’ve visited there. Or perhaps you encountered the ghost of Joan Dunsmuir, wife of Robert Dunsmuir, at Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, BC. Or maybe you’ve visited Val-Jalbert, Québec, with its pulp mill at the base of the strikingly beautiful Ouiatchouan Falls. Balaclava, Ontario, was once home to approximately 70 people – now abandoned and in a fragile state, it may not last much longer.
For an eerie and intriguing adventure, consider flying into Uranium City, Saskatchewan (CYBE). A town born of the Cold War [1], located on the northern shore of Lake Athabasca, it has a unique and rich history. While the town is not entirely abandoned, it is awash in disused and boarded-up buildings, including Candu High School. Now with a population of less than 70 people calling the town home, the main street is a hauntingly vacant ghost town.[2]
The 1950s were Uranium City’s heyday. At one point, more than 4,000 people lived in the bustling town, enjoying various amenities typically found in larger cities, just 50 km south of the border with the North West Territories. According to a CBC Saskatchewan documentary by Felipe Gomez [3], only a couple of dozen people remain, but the surrounding community includes indigenous settlements too. Aptly named, it was built to support the Eldorado Uranium mine at nearby Beaverlodge, just a few kilometres east of the town.
The 1970s were a time of increased exploration and discovery, but in 1981, the mine abruptly shut down, which caused an exodus. Beaverlodge’s 70 mining sites, which were decommissioned between 1982 and 1985, are now being monitored as they are returned back to a more natural state, while the Government of Saskatchewan and Cameco one of the world’s largest uranium producers ensure the lands remain safe and secure for the surrounding communities.
Uranium City has both a public airport and a water aerodrome operated by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure. Rise Air offers flights to and from the town.
Spooky Destinations to Try:
Uranium City – Uranium City Airport (CYBE) 7.4 km east of the town proper
Accommodations: Indian Head Fishing Lodge / Ena Lake Lodge / Aurora Lodge
Val Jalbert, QC: Roberval Airport (YRJ/CYRJ) - 10 km; a deserted company town abandoned in the 1920s. Amenities: Camping and high-end accommodations on site, restaurant, tours.
Balaclava, ON: Arnprior Airport (CNP3) - 60 km, an abandoned “frozen in time” town with lots of backdrops for spooky pictures! Accommodations and other services in Arnprior and vicinity
Craigdarroch Castle, BC: – an authentic haunted mansion experience accessible through Victoria International (CYYJ) – 28 km; Hotels and Bed and Breakfasts, and other services nearby
3. Trek to Uranium City finds abandoned buildings and diehard residents.4