General aviation event aims to boost rural airports
The skies of south Pelham were dotted with small planes last Thursday, as pilots from across the province filed flight plans for the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport (NCDRA), one of the destinations of this year’s Inter-Provincial Air Tour (IPAT).
Adrian Verburg, a pilot and aviation enthusiast at NCDRA, told the Voice on Thursday afternoon that 45 planes were expected, although “a few are stuck in weather…but they're trickling in at this point.”
IPAT was formed in January 2008 at a meeting of like-minded pilots in North Bay. The event follows a consistent format, spanning a Thursday to Sunday each June. Verburg said that participants enjoy touring the province by air, plus great camaraderie, and interesting local activities and food.
Some one hundred fliers stayed at the Best Western Plus Rose City Suites in Welland on Thursday night, and enjoyed supper at Calamus Winery in Jordan Station. They were treated to lunch upon their arrival at NCDRA, and their ground transportation was provided by the airport commission. The planes continued on their journey to Grand Bend on Friday.
Bob and Diana Barrett, from Coburg, Ontario, arrived at NCDRA around noon on Thursday, and strapped their aircraft to the ground anchors on the outer apron of the runway.
Bob has been flying for 25 years, with his wife in the navigator’s seat. His gleaming white, six-cylinder Cessna 170B has been completely refurbished, and projects an age which is a fraction of its 54 years.
“The plane has led a sheltered life, always hanger-stored,” said Bob.
He tries to fly weekly when the weather is cooperative, and attempts to log 100 hours annually, the maintenance interval for the aircraft. In earlier days, the Barretts would cruise to places like Summerside, PEI, with their kids in the two back seats.
Since 2017, Lee Arsenault and his wife Marilyn have organized the annual tour program, which has included participants from Michigan, since many IPAT members fly in the annual air tour in that state each September. Strong friendships have developed, and at each airport a plaque is presented to local dignitaries or airport management, acknowledging the importance of their airport to the community.
Arsenault is from Pickering, but flies out of the Oshawa airport. Like many of the participants, he is retired. IPAT clearly represents an older slice of the demographic pie, as one surveys the arrival of white-haired pilots.
They provide emergency services, commercial business ventures, flying schools, all kinds of opportunities
“The purpose of IPAT is to promote general aviation, and demonstrate the value of municipal airports to the community,” said Arsenault. “These air tours support the local economies in a small way, but in a bigger way our small airports are valuable community assets. They provide emergency services, commercial business ventures, flying schools, all kinds of opportunities.”
He acknowledges that many small airports are suffering economically, which is true in the case of NCDRA, located at Pelham’s southern border, on River Road.
It is managed by a commission whose seven members are elected councillors from each of the four funding municipalities—three members from Welland, two from Port Colborne, one from Wainfleet, and one from Pelham.
Pelham council gave its support last year to the construction of ten hangars at the airport, which would be funded by a $600,000 loan from the City of Welland, to be repaid over 15 years. The intention of adding the hangars was to increase revenue for the airport through rental agreements.
To date, no announcement from the commission has been made with regard to progress on the hangars, and requests for information have gone unanswered. The Voice understands that the business case for the project was significantly flawed.
Some view the airport as a potentially huge cash drain, citing a report prepared by Niagara Region that predicted $15 million in capital being required between now and 2040, with about $7.5 million necessary for airport improvements over the next three years. Pelham’s share of the capital would be $2.7 million to 2040, with just under $1 million for the first three years.
Pelham’s municipal contribution to NCDRA in 2020 was just under $28,000, with the same amount being budgeted for 2021. Welland contributes $86,000 annually, while Port Colborne pays $29,000, and Wainfleet chips in with $11,000.
Unlike Niagara Regional Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is classified as an international airport, NCDRA has “aerodrome” status. Its total annual budget is approximately $340,000, with about 45 percent of this amount contributed by the four sub-municipalities.
The 416-acre airport’s roots date back 80 years. The main hanger is an original structure, erected in the early 1940s, when WWII pilot training was conducted. The field has two paved runways, a turf runway, and also has seaplane landing access on the Welland River. NCDRA can accommodate glider training and parachuting for its user groups, which include the 87 Eagle Squadron Air Cadets, Niagara Skydive Centre, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Flight 149, and the St. Catharines Flying Club.
