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A shining
showcase examples of successful airport operations
is: Langley
Township Regional Airport - CYNJ - Tower
119.0
Location
On 216
street & the Fraser Highway
6 km from
the United States border
45 minutes
by road from Vancouver
Businesses
on Site
There are
upwards of 38 enterprises situated within the
airport perimeter covering nearly all facets of the
aviation industry, twenty four of which are
helicopter related. Also included are three fixed
wing flying schools, an R/C Model fabrication
business and a very impressive Canadian
Museum of Flight
located in Hanger 3 which boasts a collection of 23
displayed aircraft. This General Aviation airport
is home to some 300 aircraft, commercial and
recreational including many pristine antiques and
classics. Airport businesses currently employ 160
full time and 40 part-time workers generating in
the area of 31 million dollars of commercial income
annually. Furthermore, Langley is an approved
CanPass Permit airport.
History
The Township
of Langley leased the airport (initially a relief
airfield under the British Commonwealth Air
Training Plan) from the federal government in 1945,
received it's permanent license in 1946, and
purchased the airport in 1967 to operate it as a
municipal airport. A restrictive covenant in the
sales agreement stated that the land could revert
back to federal ownership if the Township ceased
operating the property as an airport. In 1978, the
Township adopted a new policy to operate the
airport until 2001. In February 1990, Council
extended operation to 2015.
Langley
Regional Airport is built on 120 acres with a
2,100' north-south paved runway and a 2,300'
east-west grass strip. Only the paved runway has
night-time lighting. Runways are supported by a
taxiway system and paved parking area. The airport
is certified for public day and night VFR
operations with hours, 0800 to 2200, Monday to
Sunday. As of late there are two fresh new
Helipads, giving recognition that the Langley
Regional Airport is the largest helicopter airport
in Canada.
Community
Pride
Residents of
the Langley area not only have a thriving
successful airport to crow about, their Canada Day
celebrations are second to none. 2002 is the sixth
consecutive year for the festive affair which has
grown to be one of the largest Canada Day
Celebrations in the Province, having attracted
upwards of 60,000 people annually. The family
oriented two day event includes special flying
activities, aircraft static displays, a continuous
stage show, live musical entertainment, plenty of
children's rides, races, games, a petting zoo,
clowns, community exhibits by cadets, gymnasts,
firefighters, merchants and of course lots of
vendors. There has also been a Swearing-in Ceremony
of new Canadians each year. The highlight of the
July 1st activities is the fireworks display,
considered to be one of the best seen anywhere in
British Columbia.
Most
recently, Langley Regional Airport has become
homebase to a new addition to the world of
airshows, fly-in's and local community pride. We
are speaking of the "Fraser Blues," a now certified
formation air demonstration team of six aircraft -
a Mooney and five Nations, flown by:
Team Lead -
George Miller, Airport Manager, in the M20C
Mooney,
Right Wing - Willie Paterson, Cassidy, B.C.
Left Wing - Ray Roussy, Surrey, B.C.
#4 - Ed Stacey, Langley, B.C.
#5 - Ken Morely, WA, U.S.A.
#6 - Gord Ball, Abbotsford, B.C.
This team,
unlike most others are not in it for the dollars,
but rather for the pleasure of performing, the
enjoyment of accomplishment as a team, blended with
the satisfaction of knowing the spectators were
impressed and thrilled by the display of their
flying skills. Moreover, I have it on good
authority that the primary focus of the Fraser
Blues is to appear, not so much at the larger
airshows, but instead at community events and
fly-ins. 'Keep your ears on, they may be appearing
at an airport near you.'
Like any
solid family, the communities that work together
and play together, most often succeed
together.
Story and
Photos
by Ed
Anderson
Vancouver
International Airport - YVR
'Jewel of
the Pacific Rim, Gateway to the World'
Story in
progress to be printed soon - see
Airports.
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The
question that begs to be asked since it has been
much discussed is, do the business communities and
indeed the population at large, recognize and
appreciate the significance of airports?
Furthermore, is there an acceptance of their
importance and positive impact on the daily lives
of people, combined with the contributions those
airports make to existing business connections and
the generation of new business opportunities? One
would like to think so. But, on the other hand,
continuing negatives spun by questionable media
coverages, brought on, sometimes, by well intended
but misguided "NIMBY's" and political forays,
invariably affect the positives which the network
of more than 150 land based airports, water based
facilities, and heliports can indeed generate for
all of British Columbia. The potentials for
employment and prosperity are tremendous and we all
should be open to the rewards and benefits of
progress initiated by airports.