Impromptu Fly-In Held at Morrisburg

Here is some good news about pilots making use of Morrisburg Airport, which owned by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission

Mr. Darren Dalgleish
GM and CEO
St. Lawrence Parks Commission
13740 County Rd. 2
Morrisburg, ON K0C 1X0

Dear Sir,

I would like to refer back to a meeting at your facility last summer between local aviators and yourself arranged by COPA VP of Operations Patrick Gilligan. As a group we discussed the potential of the aerodrome at Upper Canada Village.

Attached are a few photos taken yesterday at the Upper Canada Village airstrip.

This was an impromptu fly-in started by some pilot emailing a friend to "let's do lunch".

The result was that 15 aircraft carrying about 25 people flew in to your airstrip and dined at the restaurant at the golf course. Everyone enjoyed themselves and expressed a wish to do this again.

Food & service was terrific! Staff even transported us back to the aircraft via golf carts.

More photos can be seen at our website in the "Gallery" section.

Small planes fly in regularly during the season that you are open and both the golf course restaurant and the Village are favourite attractions. The planes in the photos came from the St. Lazare Flying Club and the Cornwall Flying Club/COPA Flt. 59.

I remember that in the past, fly-ins to visit Upper Canada Village were planned by different flying clubs, COPA Flights and even the International Flying Farmers. Hopefully this will continue in the years to come.

Thanks again for the hospitality of your facilities.

Cheers,

Barry Franklin
President
Cornwall Flying Club/COPA Flt 59

Kevin Psutka, CEO of COPA added the following:

Barry:

Thank you for bringing the fly-in to Mr. Dalgleish's attention. I would like to add my comments in support of this aerodrome, which continues to support area tourism, making aviation a mode of transport to both Upper Canada Village and the golf course and bringing revenue into the local economy. I viewed the additional photos on the COPA Flight web site and would like to emphasize that this sort of activity occurs frequently during the summer flying season. With some minor upkeep, such as removing vegetation from the cracks in the pavement, this aerodrome can continue to serve as a tourism destination for years to come. And if Mr. Dalgleish needs some statistics to show that our sector of aviation is alive and well, and consequently demand for this aerodrome will continue for years to come, I have attached a series of PowerPoint slides derived from Transport Canada statistics, which clearly show that the number of aircraft in Canada continues to grow and that the growth is primarily due to small, privately registered aircraft like those depicted in the photos.

I am aware of the discussions that have occurred concerning retention of the aerodrome. I strongly support its retention and hope that the recent demonstration of its use as well as the statistics I have provided will help in Mr. Dalgleish's efforts to ensure that the aerodrome remains available for many years to come.

Kevin Psutka
President and CEO
Canadian Owners and Pilots Association

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