From Muskoka Region & Gravenhurst Banner – link to source story
Airport master plan approved earlier this year
Sarah Law, Gravenhurst Banner, Sunday, March 7, 2021
The Muskoka Airport’s new 20-year master plan was approved by district council earlier this year — but some local pilots say the plan is flawed.
Earle Robinson is a local pilot with decades of experience in meteorology and professional engineering.
“What I’ve been doing over many years is trying to inform council on the scientific facts and merits of this airport, and the need for a second runway for large aircraft,” said Robinson. “There’s been a lot of effort over the years to construct buildings on the runway and it’s a difficult thing to change their mind on because the focus is on infrastructure and business opportunities and not on aviation issues.”
The airport currently has two runways: a grass runway, which spans over 2,200 feet that is only used for smaller airplanes, and the main runway, which spans 6,000 feet and is used by larger aircraft.
“If it was extended and paved, (the grass runway) would be your primary runway because of the prevailing wind,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said the main runway is perpendicular to the prevailing wind, which is the “worst possible orientation.”
His major concern is the grass runway, which has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the safety risks that come with putting up buildings there — namely, a 20,000 square foot hangar that is expected to be delivered mid-March.
Before the master plan was approved, there was a moratorium on that runway to prevent development on it.
Safety is a major concern for Robinson, among other local pilots such as John Whitty, who says the proximity of buildings to the runways is dangerous.
“The grass runway is very important for safety. There have already been two crashes in 2020 because it was closed due to the pandemic,” said Whitty.
“The prevailing wind grass runway is a ‘seatbelt’ for pilots that council has decided to remove, with adverse results already,” he told this newspaper. “The crashes and close call were due to pilots forced to land in a strong crosswind on the north-south runway when the wind was out of the west (aligned with the grass runway).”
Len O’Connor has been the CEO of the Muskoka Airport since February 2019.
He said the master plan reflects the airport’s vision for future growth, and he is excited about the opportunities on the horizon.
There has been a lot of misinformation spread about the plan and the grass runway — which is not being closed, but rather being relocated, said O’Connor.
“One of the things that came out of this master plan is a new grass strip for the recreational pilots, so relocating the present grass strip into another area, and it opens up development,” he said.
The district is spending $600,000 on the new grass runway, which is expected to be operational in 2022, he said.
As far as safety, O’Connor said “they shouldn’t have safety concerns because we’re compliant (with) Transport Canada regulations 100 per cent. We go through audits every year and then Transport Canada sporadically will come in and do their audit.”
But in Robinson’s eyes, relocating the grass runway does not solve the problem.
“It does not mitigate the serious building turbulence hazard that is at this airport for large aircraft,” said Robinson.
However, O’Connor says he feels confident in the direction the airport is heading.
“I can tell you that we have a very, very good plan for the airport, for the development of the airport, using the existing land’s highest and best use, fiscal responsibility. The main runway remains, the grass runway has been relocated,” said O’Connor. “We kind of satisfy everybody that could be satisfied with this master plan.”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Several citizens have reached out to this newspaper expressing their thoughts about the Muskoka Airport’s new master plan, so we reached out to share people’s thoughts on both sides to spread awareness about this important entity in Muskoka.