SASKATCHEWAN AVIATION COUNCIL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS

REGION 1 - SWIFT CURRENT

Swift Current Airport (CYYN)

Century Flight Club launched their Maritimes 2013 tour from Swift Current Airport in July. The group is

comprised of aviators from across Canada that assemble to complete a large journey each year. The

group started in Swift Current and stopped in Brandon, Dryden, Elliot Lake, Gatineau and eventually

Charlottetown, PEI. The group is led by John Lovelace, former host of the TV series Wings Over

Canada. The Southwest Flying Club assisted with refueling and provided a delicious steak dinner,

complete with entertainment.

Two new private hangars have been constructed this year and a third is underway.

An additional mile of wildlife fence was completed along the north perimeter. The final mile should be

completed next year.

The concrete apron adjacent to the fuel pumps was re-surfaced with asphalt. Other asphalt maintenance

included line painting and completion of a Pavement Load Rating study.

A back-up power generator will be installed this fall to provide redundancy to the ARCAL system. PAPI

lights on Runway 30 will be installed this fall.

Submitted by Todd Schultz

Shaunavon

Shaunavon continues to be a busy airport. There have been inquiries into building hangers at the

Shaunavon airport but does not have any more room for hangers. Possibly if the runway way extended

this would open up some land for hangers.

There have been some problems with the AWOS calibration, showing wind being variable when it isn’t

and direction being out by as much as 90 degrees to the right, hopefully this is now resolved.

Submitted by Ted Anderson

REGION 2 - MOOSE JAW/ASSINIBOIA

No report submitted.

REGION 3 - ESTEVAN/WEYBURN

CARLYLE:

Carlyle airport and aviation in general continue to thrive in SE Sask.

Our fuel sales hit record volumes in the past year.

At last count, there were 23 aircraft based at the Carlyle airport.

We saw rain for the first time in many years for our annual fly in breakfast held on June 23 but still fed

about 100 people. There were still a few planes come through the rain but most of the traffic was drive

in.

Next year our fly in breakfast will be June 29th.

Submitted by Duncan Brown

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Two

REGION 3 - ESTEVAN/WEYBURN (continued)

ESTEVAN:

2013 has been an exciting year for the Estevan Regional Airport; the following are some highlights for the

year:

Traffic volumes have been steady this year and we continue to offer complete flight training and aircraft

maintenance here at the Estevan Regional Airport. This year we hosted our annual fly in breakfast in July,

and also our COPA for kid’s day in September.

We have been getting more requests for hangar lots and to prepare for more aircraft and hangars in the

future we have completed a new groundside master plan that will lay the foundation for future groundside

development. To facilitate the groundside master plan, we also started work on an airside master plan

with hopes of completing it in the near future.

Starting January 1st, the Estevan Regional Airport was happy to welcome a new business to the airport!

Sharp-Tail Air is Saskatchewan’s newest charter company and operates a King Air 200. We wish them

well and look forward to the new service based in the south east.

Like the rest of Saskatchewan, this was a tough winter! It started early and went late into the year. This

cost extra time and money, but with the addition of several key pieces of equipment over the last few

years, we were well equipped to handle it.

We started the year with big plans for construction at the airport. This was a long process that took a

number of studies and several engineering firms were consulted before final approval was given. As a

result of some hard work by many people working for both the City of Estevan and the Province, we were

approved through a partnership between the City of Estevan and the provincial disaster assistance

program (PDAP) to repair several areas of the airport that were damaged by flooding in 2011. The first

and most critical area we addressed this year was the asphalt on the main apron. The existing surface had

been in desperate need of repair. We set a start date of July 15th and even though we were slowed by rain

and other challenges the construction was completed on August 20th. We were able to completely grind

up the old surface; we installed subsurface drainage under the apron, and then rebuilt the surface

including using geo-grid and geo-textile to give more strength. We also added more granular material to

improve both strength and to improve water drainage of the area. We are very pleased with the results of

the new apron knowing that it will give us another 20 plus years of service. We also did some major work

to the runway and taxiway lighting by replacing all the sub-surface electrical transformers. This again will

continue to provide reliable runway lighting for years to come. We are looking forward to continuing

construction next year as we hope to start work on the runways and taxiways in 2014 as long as we can

qualify for funding from both the city and the province.

One of the other exciting items that have taken place this year is the design of a G.P.S. W.A.A.S.

approaches for the airport. We had applied for a grant to install the approach which unfortunately we did

not receive. As a result we gave some of the local businesses that have aircraft at the airport the

opportunity to invest into the airport and community by funding the approach installation. Three of the

businessmen immediately came forward and have 100% funded the project. Many thanks to them! We

expect the new approach to be published the first quarter of 2014.

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Three

REGION 3 - ESTEVAN/WEYBURN (continued)

ESTEVAN (continued):

Other items of development at the airport are the construction of a new airport equipment storage shed.

We have out grown the existing building that we keep the snow equipment in and we are very excited

about the new building going up to keep the investment of equipment we have here out of the weather.

This fall we purchased from Tradewind Scientific a TRACR 2. This will give improved real time airfield

condition reporting to both local and itinerant traffic. Southeast Aviation has purchased a jet refuelling

truck that we are looking forward to having at the airport soon. This will give the airport more jet fuel

capacity and flexibility in the future. It has been an exciting year for the Estevan Regional Airport and we

are continuing to work toward our goal of having schedule flights into and out of Estevan in the future.

We are excited by what he future has in store for southeastern Saskatchewan!

Submitted by Richard & Doug Reetz

REGION 4 - REGINA

ROLAND GROOME (REGINA) CHAPTER OF THE CANADIAN AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The chapter has begun its 2013-2014 season of monthly meetings. Each month from September until

June, we hold a public meeting with a guest speaker, usually on the second Thursday of each month.

This past year we combined our December meetings with the RCAFA 600 Wing. Our speakers

included Terry Yarrow, a former RAF fighter pilot, Dr. Howard Leyton-Brown, a distinguished

Regina musician and former bomber pilot, lawyer Garret Wilson speaking on Walter Johnston from

Carrot River Airways. The joint December dinner meeting hosted Chief Warrant Officer Alan

Blakney from 431 Squadron, the Snowbirds. In 2013 our speakers included Robert Watson flying for

the RCMP, Todd Lemieux, Chairman of the Board at Vintage Wings of Canada, Linda Kort with a

presentation of her father’s experiences in the RCAF, Bill Cameron and his long years of service with

Canadian Pacific, and finally in June, Doug Reetz, the regional representative or advocate for the

Mission Aviation Fellowship. We continue to hold our meetings at the Royal United Services

Institute next to the Regina Armories. We have had a great line up of speakers for the remainder of

this year and are confirming speakers for the 2014 monthly meetings.

In September of 2013, three of our members traveled to Ottawa, Ontario for the Society's 50th annual

AGM and convention, The BIG FIVE O. This year the convention was held in conjunction with the

Vintage Wings of Canada Air Show and the Ottawa recognition of the Battle of Britain Parade at the

Canadian Air & Space Museum at the Rockcliffe Airport. This included a fly past of the CWH

Mynarski Memorial Lancaster and three of the vintage fighter aircraft from Vintage Wings. I was re-

elected to serve as the National President of the CAHS for the next year. Our 2014, 51st anniversary

convention will be held in Regina in early June of 2014.

The chapter participated in the open house at the Regina Flying Club in June 2013. We also continue

to help organize the historical displays at the Regina Airport throughout 2013.

Submitted by Gary Williams

President, Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter

National President, Canadian Aviation Historical Society

REGINA AIRPORT REPORT

See next two pages for report submitted

Air service remains strong from YQR, reflecting the ongoing demand for air connectivity in Southern Saskatchewan: • WestJet – will be introducing a third weekly non-stop flight

to Las Vegas (late October) and Phoenix (late October) along with service to Mexico for the 2013/2014 sun destination season. Domestic service increase via Encore beginning in January including service to Winnipeg.

• Air Canada – continues to operate a direct flight to Ottawa in the summer, as well as maintaining its domestic schedule.

• United – continues to operate twice daily service to Denver and once daily service to Chicago.

• Delta – continues to operate twice daily service to Minneapolis.

• 2013/2014 Sun Destination Season – overall this winter we will have another strong year with a total of over 280 seasonal flights via Sunwing, WestJet and Air Transat. Cayo Coco has also been added as a holiday destination.

Regina International Airport (YQR) had another record year in 2012, once again realizing a historic high in passenger traffic of 1,185,715 passengers – a growth of 3.9% over 2011. Passenger numbers in 2013 also continue to remain positive, exceeding the 2% growth prediction (up 3.7% year-to-date as of August 31, 2013). Saskatchewan’s economy continues to remain strong and is supportive of the increased flight services out of YQR. As a result, YQR expects a ninth straight year in terms of passenger growth in 2013.

It’s Your Airport w w w. y q r. c a

Photo: Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport), Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament, members of Canadian Air

Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and Regina Airport Authority.

Regina International Airport began accepting the NEXUS card in January 2013. The NEXUS card is aimed at making air travel a little easier by allowing a more convenient and faster security process.

Regina International Airport’s renovated check-in hall

This report was authorized and submitted by: Kari Dean I Director of Communications, Customer Service and Marketing I Regina Airport Authority Inc. 306.761.7497 I kdean@yqr.ca

It’s Your Airport w w w. y q r. c a

Some of the highlights from RAA’s 2013 community initiatives: • 34 Roland J. Groome Air Cadet Squadron - $3,500 annual

sponsorship • Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children - $2,366 donation from

our BBQ fundraiser (proceeds matched by RAA) • Regina Flying Club - $2,000 Flight Scholarship Award (recipient

Kurtis Schindel) for use towards flight training • Saskatchewan Aviation Council - $2,000 toward the

Saskatchewan Aviation Council annual conference • Teddy Bears Anonymous - $6,744 sponsorship from our RAA

Annual Golf Tournament (proceeds matched by RAA) In addition to the monetary commitment we make to our community we also provide: • Advertising in support of charitable organizations • Support to Air Cadet Squadrons throughout Saskatchewan • In-kind donations and support to various golf tournaments and

charitable events • Assistance and support within our facility to community and

charitable organizations

With the success of our major terminal building infrastructure upgrade in 2012 and the impressive passenger numbers achieved during this time 2013 has been a year of relatively lessened activity with regards to capital projects at YQR. The focus and emphasis for Regina Airport Authority has been on our Terminal Reserve Plan implications and planning. With the significant growth we continue to experience we also realize our currently enhanced facility will serve us only for the next five to six years but beyond that major improvements and capacity expansion are required. Currently a rehabilitation of our main apron (2014) and expansion of our hold baggage screening system (2015) is currently being designed.

101st Grey Cup Festival, Regina, Saskatchewan November 2013

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Six

REGION 5 - YORKTON

Yorkton Airport Authority continues to discuss scheduled service viability and options with Perimeter

Airlines.

CAP recipient again.

Canadian Infrastructure and Improvement Fund (CIIF) recipient with matching dollars from city being

spent at the airport.

Second phase of security fence installation starting this fall.

Second phase of ramp expansion in the works.

Airport businesses have had a successful year with indications of growth.

Yorkton Airport Open House weekend in conjunction with the static display of the B-17 (Sentimental

Journey), a vintage Cornell and many other Industry aircraft on display made the event a huge success.

Activities also included B-17 rides and tours, Hangar dance (40’s theme) etc.

Due to continual commercial development and growth the airport is experiencing a steady increase in

corporate traffic.

Submitted by Don Ingham

REGION 6 - SASKATOON

In December 2012 we welcomed new President & CEO Stephen Maybury to the

Saskatoon Airport Authority following the retirement of Bill Restall. It has been a very

busy year at the Airport for Steve with continued record growth and multiple projects

underway.

Saskatoon Airport Terminal Expansion Update “Pardon Our

Progress”

To say it has been a busy year at the YXE Airport is a bit of an understatement! At the time of this

conference we will have just transitioned from Phase1 to Phase 2. While the project is still 14 months

from completion, travelers are enjoying the comfort of expanded waiting areas, comfortable seating and

great views from the vast expanse of windows. 5 of the 8 bridges will be operational by end of 2013.

Stephen Maybury,

President & CEO

Saskatoon Airport

Authority

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Seven

REGION 6 – SASKATOON (continued)

A new food and beverage program has been announced, with

Compass Canada as the master concessionaire. Food services post

security are scheduled for completion end of December and will

include three venues including Tim Horton’s coffee service, a fast

service/healthy choice venue called ‘On the Go’ and John D’s Bar

& Grill with seating for just under 200 patrons. In the interim,

temporary food and beverage service is available post security.

The new retail program will be announced at year end and open for

business at project completion in November of 2014.

We also welcome ICE (International Currency Exchange) to our terminal. This is the first location of ICE

in the province. Located pre-security, they have temporary kiosk in the check-in area of the terminal and

will move to a permanent location in late spring of 2014 once space becomes available.

Passenger traffic:

Our positive passenger growth continues its record breaking trend with 2013 traffic on track to exceed

1.35 million passengers by year end. Year to date we are 4.2 % over 2012 traffic.

Down the Hangarline:

Mitchinson’s under New Ownership:

Yes, it’s true, after over 30 years of owning/operating Mitchinson’s, Janet Keim has handed over the keys

to five very excited Saskatchewan pilots: Dan Glass, Jim Guenther, Jon Kirzinger, Jayson Thompson and

Dale Tiedeman. These five pilots have strong aviation roots in Saskatchewan. They learned to fly in

Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Yorkton, beginning their careers in Northern Saskatchewan before moving

on to the major airlines. The new owners look forward to working with the Saskatchewan Aviation

Council and helping to promote and enhance aviation in Saskatchewan.

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Eight

REGION 6 – SASKATOON (continued)

Aerologistics (Hangar 6):

Hangar 6 is still going through exciting renovations to improve the building image, functionality and

its overall services.

As you may have noticed in 2012 the roof was repaired and the exterior appearance of the building

was improved. This 2013 summer the parking lot was next and even three of the old F28's were

removed from the fire training center field.

Hangar 6 will continue to work in the extensive renovation project they launched in May 2012 and its

management is confident that the end result will impress our Saskatoon airport visitors and the

community.

PCS Hangar is progressing well, with targeted completion later this fall. The impressive hangar will be

the home for the STARS operation in YXE.

Apron 6: While it has been busy in the terminal, it has been equally busy down the hangarline. Apron 6

expansion project is underway and we are hoping for completion before the end of October. Demand for

space on the hangarline has been strong with virtually all available space spoken for. Plans for Apron 7

expansion are underway.

REGION 7 - ROSETOWN/KINDERSLEY

Activity at the Rosetown airport seems to be picking up a bit, more than just another busy season of

spraying. There has been more local traffic as well as business and government use.

Provincial Airways has taken over West Central Air and are working hard at re-organizing the ramp area.

The runway was capped with a very thin layer and painted - I've been told that it helps identify the bumps

better! The taxi and ramp areas are bordering on unusable. Hopefully there will be an effort to access

some CAP funding as a catalyst for the town to address this urgent situation.

Submitted by Lloyd Good

REGION 8 - NORTH BATTLEFORD/LLOYDMINSTER

No report submitted.

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Nine

REGION 9 - PRINCE ALBERT

Prince Albert Airport (Glass Field)

The CATSA screening equipment was removed earlier this year from the Prince Albert Terminal

Building. With the additional space the City went ahead and received approval for additional funds

for renovations. These renovations will help the airlines operate more efficiently with extra room for

the airline passengers, and additional cargo space.

The 70 year old B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey Bomber arrived at the Prince Albert airport

on August 26th for an exciting week of tours and rides for the public. Approximately 3500 people

came out to the Transwest Hangar and toured the plane, while 80 spectators got to fly in it. By far it

was the most exciting plane that had visited the airport since the airshow in 2012.

The Prince Albert Airport has completed Phase IV of SMS and is in the final stages of being audited

by the Consulting firm Genivar. This will complete the mandatory requirements for the SMS.

There was a slight delay in painting of the aircraft parking stands and passenger walkways on Apron

1. The weather in October 2012 was cold and we had our first snowfall on Oct. 26/12 which stayed.

Painting of the aircraft parking stands and passenger walkways was delayed till June of this year and

so far everything is running smoothly. Seems to be less congestion and the passenger walkways keep

the passenger’s safe while on route to the plane.

Reference: Gayle Sommerfelt, Airport Manager, Prince Albert

Birch Hills Airport

The Birch Hills airport continues to be quite busy with private operators, aerial applicators, and

general aviation, with both itinerant and fixed base operations.

Aircraft maintenance services are provided by a fixed base operator.

The Prince Albert Gliding and Soaring Club is very active and continues to fly out of the Birch Hills

airport.

A new aircraft hangar was constructed this summer.

Reference: Tara Gariepy, Town Administrator, Birch Hills

Shellbrook Airport

The power utility services at the airport were upgraded for future development of hangar lots.

The Town has received requests from industry to upgrade the runway to accommodate larger

aircraft. A design was completed last year to upgrade the runway from turf to a sealed granular

structure. The Town received funding through the Community Airport Partnership (CAP) program

this year for Phase I of the runway improvement project. A contract for the supply and delivery of

sub-base sand will be tendered shortly, and consultations are ongoing with the neighboring land

owner for the construction of a drainage system. It was an extremely wet summer which caused the

eastern third of the runway to be unusable all summer, and which delayed the runway improvement

project until the drainage issues could be corrected..

The Town, the RM, and the Ministry of Highways have been dealing with some issues of

obstructions in the vicinity of the airport.

Reference: George Tomporowski, Mayor, Shellbrook

Submitted by Peter Heal

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Ten

REGION 10 – MELFORT/TISDALE

Melfort

Melfort Airport – Miller Field continues to make improvements to the facilities.

One major development has been an area for aerial spray operation to operate out of. This was

done so water and fuel trucks wouldn’t damage the apron as has been the case in the past. We now

have an area on the tarmac for at least five spray aircraft. Outside but adjacent to them, we have an

area for their water tanks and trucks, chemical supplies and fuel trucks and tanks. The operators

were very opposed to this arrangement when it was suggested but, once in operation, they are

pleased with how well it worked out. They must use fuel through the airport fuel system with an

arrangement for them to have their fuel tanks filled through the supplier with a through-put charge

paid to the airport.

The City has installed a tank and meter system for Jet A1 fuel. Sales are greater than expected.

The NDB tower was accidentally knocked down and therefore is out of commission. There is no

plan to reinstall the tower. The GPS system installed in late June of 2012 is not yet in operation –

waiting for Nav Canada to test and certify it.

Melfort has installed a very good camera surveillance system. Two cameras are fixed and one is

remote controlled and it can scan a wide area. With this system, we can record aircraft movements.

The image is sharp enough to read A/C registration or an auto license plate. The system is very

useful in observing activities on airport property. It is so useful that plans are in the works to install

a fourth camera next year.

We have had an Airport Advisory Board for many years. The members, a few years ago, were

appointed without any plan as to the structure. Now this is structured as defined in the City bylaws

relating to the airport. There are representatives from the flying club, pilot at large, Chamber of

Commerce, and surrounding R.M. The chair person is a City council member and members of the

City administration also sit in. The Airport Board is a good addition to the administration of the

Airport as many good suggestions come from this group.

The MRAA continue to be active in promoting aviation. We held a successful COPA for Kids day

with about 60 young people taken for short flights.

We have plans to install a small shed to house a pressure pump connected to a water tank to be used

to wash aircraft. The shed will also be used to store a lawn mower and snow blower or any other

small equipment needed by hangar owners.

We continue to negotiate with the local R.M. seeking fairer taxation and airport support. This has

been ongoing for 4 to 5 years with negligible results. A lower assessment has helped lower the tax

burden. We also made a presentation to the Honourable Don McMorris, Minister of Highways &

Infrastructure, suggesting a means of rural residents making some contribution to the airport since

they also benefit from the service provide. Examples of service being Air Ambulance, STARS,

agriculture aerial spraying, business and personal travel.

David Lamb and I schedule an Airport Seminar and Workshop on October 9th in Melfort. We have

tentatively rescheduled it now for January 15, 2014 since people were unable to attend at present

due to other commitments.

Submitted by Walter Dupin

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Eleven

REGION 10 – MELFORT/TISDALE (continued)

Tisdale

Tisdale Airport, with the assistance of a CAP Grant, has completed the preliminary work for the

installation of GPS approaches on both ends of the primary runway. Nav Canada approval is

pending and the approaches are planned to be published this winter.

Tisdale lost a major asset this spring when the local AME, Ralph Petersen of Tisdale Aero retired.

West Wind Airspray of Lethbridge, AB has leased the big maintenance hangar.

The summer saw extensive agricultural spray plane operations out of Tisdale with operators from

Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta operating out of the airport.

There are currently 10 aircraft based on the airport.

On Father’s Day June 19th Tisdale Aviation Association/COPA Flight #93 held their annual “Fly-

In, Drive-In Hungry Person’s Breakfast”. The weather was less than cooperative but there were still

over 90 people served and the day was considered a success.

The airport apron now has a 24-hour security camera monitoring the area.

Tisdale Aviation Association/COPA Flight #93 in cooperation with Melfort hosted a COPA for

Kids Junior Aviator day. 35 kids were flown.

Tisdale Aviation Association/COPA Flight #93 holds their regular meetings on the 3rd Monday of

the month in the Airport Terminal Building.

Submitted by David Lamb

REGION 11 - NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

No report submitted.

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Twelve

NORTHERN AIR OPERATIONS 2013 Fire Season overview:

Although the number of wildfires was higher than 2012, it was below the average fire season. This

allowed us the opportunity to export aircraft due times of low hazard.

Canadian exports included missions to NWT (CL-215Ts), Quebec (CL-215Ts), Manitoba (CL-215s) and

NWT (1 Air Attack Officer).

Out-of-Country export of 1 Group consisting of 2 Convairs and 1 Bird Dog exported to Idaho, for the US

Forest Service. The group fought 78 wildfires on federal lands.

10 Quickstrikes - 7 to Manitoba; 1 to the NWT and 2 were in province (PANP/RM).

Other information:

Anticipate taking delivery of our fourth approved CL 215T conversions in November 2013, being Tanker

217.

The last three DeHavilland Trackers were retired from service effective September 10, 2013. This

aircraft type came on-line in 1976 and was expected to last 25 years, but instead we attained 37 years use.

In the past few years we are seeing the A26’s, Avengers, DC4’s, DC6’s, Firecats, the Martin Mars, CL

215’s and many other radial piston gas engine tankers being replaced by more technologically advanced

aircraft powered by turbine or jet engines.

The DeHavilland Tracker, like so many other retired aircraft, is destined for museums, static display or

salvaged for parts. The Province is presently reviewing proposals presented by various groups in regards

to the non-airworthy aircraft, parts and tooling.

The Tanker Fleet for the 2014 fire season will consist of 7 Bird Dogs, 4 CV 580A’s Landbased Tankers, 4

CL 215T amphibious tankers and 2 CL 215 amphibious tankers working in a 6 group configuration.

Submitted by Denis Renaud

SIAST\SAC COMMERCIAL PILOT PROGRAM

Fall (second) semester saw 20 out of the original 21 students returning to class. There was also one returning

to complete the semester from a previous intake which makes for a total of 21.

Demand continues to remain strong for the program but there is a growing trend of students not having

completed their PPL prior to the program start date. Today’s student concept of timelines and deadlines has

been changing everywhere and this is not unique to the CPP.

The progression of past graduates moving to national airlines from the local operators continues and this

provides great motivation for our current students.

Fall is a busy time for student recruitement at the high school level so they can start considering career paths

before they graduate.

It appears that enrollment for 2014 will remain about the same as 2013 and students are encouraged to

complete their PPL before classes start in January.

Current students are encouraged to complete their CPL and Multi-engine IFR as soon as possible as many

opportunities exist for employment within the local industry.

Thanks to the many stakeholders of the CPP, local industry, the instructors, SIAST, SAC and of course most

important of all, the students.

Submitted by Randall Muzyka, Program Head

SIAST Commercial Pilot Program

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Thirteen

ATAC REPORT FOR SAC AGM – OCTOBER 2013

The Air Transport Association of Canada has many ongoing issues to deal with.

The most upsetting issue that has the potential to affect many operators in Sask. and the rest of Canada is the

Fatigue Risk Management Working Group Report. Letters of dissention were sent in by all the interest groups

that were involved in this working group. Air Canada, Jazz and Westjet are the only companies that are in favour

of the report because their representatives wrote it to conform to their union agreements they already have in

place. They want everyone else to conform to their rules. With all the opposition to this report, it is going to be

some time before any decisions are made and we hope the powers that be will consider everyone’s opinion not

just the majors.

The Deicing Issue in Edmonton and several other Canadian airports still may affect operators from Sask. that visit

these airports. The Airlines Council of Canada, controlled by Air Canada and Westjet, are charging excessively

for deicing service. ATAC is working on this file and hoping a change is made soon, with more of the icing

season arriving.

The Citizen Immigration Canada new set of rules regarding the flight training of foreign students seems to be

developing fairly here. Janet Keim is communicating with the groups in Sask. that control what schools may

participate with foreign students. We are fortunate in Sask. not to have the issues with government agencies like

they have in Ontario. Each province is deciding who will be approved from their own province whether it be

career colleges, flight schools or beauty schools. The problem in Ontario is that they don’t realize the amount of

federal regulations we are already governed by. Several flight schools who deal with many foreign students in

other provinces are quite concerned that they may not keep the privilege of training foreign students. Some of

them, 45% of their flight students are foreign.

No decision has yet been made on the Runway End Safety Area. This continues on the radar for ATAC. I know

this concerns several of the smaller airports in Sask.

Safety Management Systems are still on the horizon for 703 and 704 operators. Transport Canada is currently

doing a risk assessment regarding SMS. Their concerns are that operators are not ready nor are the TC staff and

inspectors. The report should be out sometime this fall.

ATAC has many issues they are dealing with. Some certainly affect Sask. operators more than others. If any

provincial issues arise and you think ATAC would be able to help don’t hesitate to talk to me or Heather

McGonigal as board members. Heather, from Transwest, is a board member in the regional category,

representing helicopter companies. Also, if you are an ATAC member, don’t hesitate to contact the VP’s. Les

Aalders, Wayne Gouveia and Mike Scrobica are very knowledgeable people and are happy to help you.

ATAC will be presenting the first Jim Glass Humanitarian Award at their AGM in Montreal in Nov. This award

was formed in memory of the late Jim Glass, celebrating his life, values and extraordinary community

involvement. Heather McGonigal, ATAC board member and Transwest employee will be presenting the Award.

Submitted by Tom Ray

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Fourteen

REPORT FOR GENERAL AVIATION (SASKATOON AREA)

This year GA in and around Saskatoon has maintained its presence at the Saskatoon International airport, Richter

Field, Martensville and Corman Aero Park.

Hangarage in Saskatoon has not seen any new hangars in the GA area on the east side of the field, but several

have changed owners this past year. There are now a total of thirty (30) individual hangars, ten (10) T style and

twenty (20) rectangular. We have everything from homebuilts and floatplanes to a couple of Cirrus’s and

everything in between being kept inside out of the weather.

Fuel this year has remained fairly constant at right around the $1.90/liter mark in Saskatoon while surrounding

airports are typically several cents less. Avgas and its availability is still going to be an item of concern for all GA

aircraft in the future. There are some replacement fuels which are in the testing phase and could go into

production providing they meet the requirements to replace the current 100LL fuel. This not only affects GA

aircraft but a good portion of the commercial aircraft fleet as well. Lycoming has approved a number of its

engines to use ASTM D7547 UL 91 unleaded avgas in Europe. Additional approvals will be required by airframe

manufacturers in the US before we will see this fuel. There are currently no suppliers or distributers of UL 91 fuel

in the US or Canada. For more info: http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/10927394/next-series-of-astm-d7547-ul-91-unleaded-avgas-approvals-announced-by-lycoming

Flying into the United States has not changed in respect to the rules and procedures which were implemented after

911. However the US has implemented budget cuts which started in the spring of this year and as of late shutting

down of government spending and the process of sequestration at the border crossings. These changes which in

effect are a downsizing are in some cases inconveniencing flyers who are waiting to clear customs at the

designated ports of entry. See: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/advisories/info_seq_cbpops/seq_faq.xml

for more information.

The $100.00 (actually likely closer to $150) hamburger is still alive and well in Saskatchewan however there

seem to be fewer and fewer flying clubs participating. The local clubs which sponsored some type of flyin

breakfast etc. were; Prairie Partners Aero Club, Corman Aero Park, Fast b’fast, Spiritwood, Halsall Hill b’fast,

Mont Nebo, Guliker field b’fast, Hague, Norbert Glatt lunch, Tramping Lake, Moose Jaw flying Club b’fast,

Disley b’fast, Assinaboia flying Club b’fast, Lemberg Flying Club b’fast, Yorkton Flying club b’fast, Kindersley

Airport b’fast.

Introducing young aviators into General Aviation continues to be a prime focus of Canadian Pilots Association

(COPA) members with its “COPA for Kids” program. COPA has had over 10,000 kids get their first airplane ride.

These are kids between the ages of 7-17 . For more information please see the following link,

http://www.copaforkids.org/. Locally this past summer we had two COPA for Kids events held at YXE where

more than two dozen kids received their first airplane ride.

I am traveling through Italy as I write this and while we have some issues to deal with in Canada I can honestly

say that our General Aviation community is in much better shape than GA here. There has been only a couple of

times when I looked up to see what kind of airplane was flying overhead. Flying for the average European is not

even on their radar. Trains on the other hand is a different story…..we could take notes !

Having and maintaining a healthy General Aviation community in Saskatchewan towns and cities should be a

continuing goal for all General Aviation pilots and their organizations as well as the communities in which they

operate from. After all, most corporate and professional pilot(s) started out in the GA community.

GA is where the “seed is planted”, flying Cessna 150’s. ~General Aviation…..where the fun begins~

Submitted by Marc DeGirolamo,

Private pilot, flying an amateur built RV-4

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Fifteen

MINISTRY OF HIGHWAYS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS – 2013

Stony Rapids – spot seal improvements were completed on the runway and apron to repair minor surface

failures. Similar work was planned for Fond du Lac, but the barge transportation system was not operational

until much later this summer so these repairs had to be postponed until next year.

Stony Rapids – the Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) runway surfacing rehab application is still

under review by Transport Canada. Included in the application will be drainage improvements, rehabilitation

of the lighting systems, installing a new field electrical centre and back –up generator. If the application is

approved by Transport Canada the project is expected to be completed in two phases with material production

occurring in 2014/2015 with the actual construction taking place during the summer of 2015.

Fond du Lac – Av gas tank relocated from east to west side of the apron this past winter which not only

allows better passenger and aircraft access to the air terminal building, but also makes better use of available

apron space.

Buffalo Narrows – winter brushing/mulching was completed on the approach to runway 24.

Wollaston Lake – Incident Command System training and SMS Audit completed this past summer.

Meadow Lake – airfield electrical upgrades were completed around the Tanker Base as well as Taxiways B

and B1. This involved the replacement of 18 old wooden pullpits with new polyethylene pullpits with

galvanized lids as well as replacement of poor sections of the underground lighting cable and edge light

transformers as required.

Meadow Lake – NavCanada installed a new wind tower this past summer.

Emergency Response Plans – table top exercises to test the plans will take place at our certified airports that

did not have an onsite emergency in the past year.

SMS Audits to be completed yet this fall at Uranium City, Fond-du Lac, Stony Rapids, Buffalo Narrows &

Meadow Lake.

Transport Canada completed SMS reviews and PVIs at Stony Rapids and Fond du Lac in February and had

scheduled the same for Wollaston Lake in August, but it had to be postponed – no new date scheduled yet.

California Bearing Ratio (CBR) testing was completed at Patuanak in August.

Airport Wildlife Management Plans updated for our certified airports.

Reference: Bob Goertzen, Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, Prince Albert

Submitted by Peter Heal

2012-2013 AREA REPORTS Page Sixteen

MINISTRY OF HIGHWAYS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

HEAD OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS – 2013

The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure followed hearings of the Standing Senate Committee on

Transport and Communications that dealt with emerging issues related to the Canadian airline industry. Two

reports were released by the Standing Senate Committee and the Ministry is encouraged by the

recommendations included in both reports (the first entitled “The Future of Canadian Air Travel: Toll Booth

or Sparkplug?” and the second being “One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Future Growth and Competitiveness of

Canadian Air Travel”).

The Ministry continues to oppose Transport Canada’s (TC) proposed Notice of Proposed Amendment on

Runway End Safety Areas, which recommends that airports with code 3 (1,200 to 1,799 metres) and code 4

runways (1,800 metres or greater in length) be expanded by an additional

90 metres. A letter of dissent is on file with the Chief of Regulatory Affairs since November 2011.

The province participated in the semi-annual and annual Aviation Standing Committee meetings which are

made up of federal, provincial and territorial members that deal with aviation issues.

The Ministry works with our western counterparts (British Columbia and Alberta) in support of the New West

Partnership. Of the many opportunities for further discussion, the Ministry continues to discuss the air

competitiveness initiative that deals with common issues such as airport rents, fees, and passenger leakage to

United States airports. The air competitiveness initiative is led by British Columbia.

The Ministry continues to work with aviation stakeholders in the province and, in conjunction with the

Saskatchewan Aviation Council, prepared a Terms of Reference under which a newly-created Saskatchewan

Airport Advisory Committee (AAC) was established. The AAC will serve a number of purposes, one of

which is to have continuous discussion on aviation issues in Saskatchewan and provide an

advisory/supportive role to the aviation sector that may include the following:

o Fostering a culture of partnership and collaboration in support of the aviation sector in

Saskatchewan;

o Actions to improve aviation competitiveness and expand air access to Saskatchewan ;

o Strengthen engagement between Saskatchewan and federal agencies; and

o Provide input to the Ministry in developing an appropriate response towards recommendations

advanced by the federal government, other provincial jurisdictions, and aviation groups.

The Ministry responded to a number of inquiries throughout the year regarding aviation issues, one example

being the Notice of Revised Service Charges proposed by NAV CANADA – which proposes to eliminate an

exemption of certain flights from the Enroute charge. The Ministry consulted with air carriers in the province

on this issue before responding to NAV CANADA.

The Ministry participated in TCs roundtable sessions to discuss key issues facing the air transportation sector

in Canada. The Ministry attended the June 2013 roundtable in Calgary, Alberta along with other western

provincial counterparts and airport authorities. Discussion focused on steps that could maximize the sector’s

contributions to Canada’s economic prosperity and the travel and business needs of Canadians. In follow-up

to the roundtable meeting, TC asked roundtable participants that they could submit a written submission

regarding what a National Aviation Strategy should entail. Upon consulting with the provincial Ministries of

the Economy and Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as Tourism Saskatchewan, the Ministry presented a

written response to issues that affect aviation in Saskatchewan.

Submitted by Ken Kowalko