Whatever Happened to Saltspring's Airport?

[RFlyer]

Really, I'm just curious about this, not planning to fly into it, but I was wondering whether anyone knows the history of Saltspring's grass strip and why it closed (over 20 years ago). In the early 80's, driving by, you could usually see one or two planes tied down there, but then it was shut down. Strangely, a glance at google maps shows there is still a strip there, complete with an X at the western end of the runway:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=48.7 ... 4&t=h&z=16

For something that's been gone so many years, someone is clearly keeping the grass mowed. Perhaps it's now a private strip, but then why the X?

Just curious.

RF

[FL050]

N.I.M.B.Y.

[2R]

Try Cranfield by the lake on the north end
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll= ... 19205&z=16


Although i would prefer a helicopter for this one

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll= ... 38409&z=15

[privateer]

I remember flying over the airport and seeing those X's on the rwy back in 2003. I think my flight instructor told at the time that somebody bought the land and then shut down the field to the public. But I never knew one existed on the NE end of the Island. Does anybody have a picture of the old field?

[RFlyer]

Try Cranfield by the lake on the north end
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll= ... 19205&z=16

Didn't know about Cranfield. I've flown into this one also near the lake in 1986:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll= ... 12853&z=16

It was/is on someone's private property and previous permission is needed before you can go into it.

It's a private strip as I suspect Cranfield is too? As for the comment about NIMBY, perhaps. But that Cranfield strip and this other one are in much more heavily populated parts of the island.

The one near Fulford was public and after posting above I checked an old VTA from 2001. Sure enough, there it is and no "X" through the circle. From VTA 25th Edition:

Salt Spring Island
70 21A123.2

[MichaelP]

I last flew in there in 2002 with another instructor whose school was one of those that didn't permit such things...
It was a welcoming place with an easy walk to Fulford Harbour.
But it was bought by people who were not aeroplane friendly and closed to everyone. I am surprised that they did not do anything to disguise the strip as something else but left it invitingly there.
From there we flew to North Pender which would have been an even worse sin at my friend's school!
North Pender is still a nice place to go.

There's a strip near Ganges as well as the Cranfield strip...
For all strips you need to be competent and have the permission of the owner.

[beaverbob]

How about this curvy little number?



Oops, link went bad

[rese.archer]

I just visited Saltspring Island this weekend - fun little day trip.
I too wondered if there was an airstrip there, so I googled it - found this old thread, as well as this article from 1972 about its opening.
Looks like it was mired in controversy from the get go: http://saltspringarchives.com/driftwood ... 1-1972.pdf

[pilotidentity]

I just visited Saltspring Island this weekend - fun little day trip.
I too wondered if there was an airstrip there, so I googled it - found this old thread, as well as this article from 1972 about its opening.
Looks like it was mired in controversy from the get go: http://saltspringarchives.com/driftwood ... 1-1972.pdf

Thanks for that, loved the rest of the paper too .

[CpnCrunch]

There's a new grass strip on Saltspring at Long Harbour (CLH3), details in the CFS.

[rnobson]

My friend just landed there last week and released 2 bald eagles

[86583]

I'm flying the 172 in the picture from the newspaper.. Cudmore thought the strip would be a good thing for the island.. the rest of the island (or at least the majority of the island) didn't agree with him..

windsocks were constantly being torn down and damage was being done to the strip surface.. he finally gave up and X'd the strip to appease the majority