What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Ottawa area PIREP?

jwyatt

Well Known Member
Hi gang,

The weather looks like it may work for our planned holiday trip to the Ottawa area this week; I have all paperwork, customs sticker, passports etc in order, and I've mostly come to terms with the Canadian charts, airspace/radio, and procedures.

Now seeking any advice on which airport is best for transient visitors -- Gatineau or Rockcliffe? Both look like ground transportation should be straightforward, but I'm interested in comments on ease of arrival/departure, overnight tie-down costs, fuel, etc. Customs shouldn't be an issue as I plan to clear at CYZE on the way in. No firm ground plans yet, will likely hire a ride downtown and stay there for the duration.

If all goes well we will be outbound Tuesday morning on the north side, and make our way home Friday/Saturday along the south side of the great lakes.

Thanks in advance for any experience & insight.
 
Rockcliff is quite a bit closer to Downtown Ottawa. I would suggest a route from customs to Sudbury North Bay Pembrooke, Ottawa. It is a bit farther but there are roads. A direct flight takes you over some desolate area.
Over Sudbury radio you could try for flight following into Ottawa, Call "Toronto Centre 135.5" and ask for flight following. If granted this will just make your flight easier, they will pass you on to the next frequency, etc right to Gatineau. This will help to keep you away from a few restricted areas.
There is a nice aircraft museum right at Rockcliff, check for hours of operation.
Ottawa is a beautiful city, with much to see and do.
If there are any local Ottawa pilots they might pipe in with some more local knowledge.
 
During our tour of Canada we landed and parked at Rockcliffe for a few days. It was an easy taxi ride to town. We used flight following as Tom suggested and they were great to work with.
 
Ottawa visit

Yes the museum at Rockliffe is world class, and well as other museums in the city.
On your way to or from, stop in to Smiths Falls CYSH for gas and a snack. Best fuel prices around, honour fridge upstairs. No traffic, lots of room.
There's usually someone around. :)
Dale
 
Thanks, all. I think we?ll plan for Rockcliffe if the morning weather checks ok. My planned route is pretty much right on what Tom suggested, staying near roads between towns; the airports are a bit sparse through there compared to what I?m used to seeing. I?ll definitely pick up FF with Center on the way in to ease the transition.

I did get a few suggestions to go to CYOW Ottawa Intl on another board, but being my first foray into Canadian airspace I?m feeling as though I?d rather keep things low key in case of a misunderstanding in my ?differences? research...
 
I'm from Ottawa and got my PPL at Rockcliffe. It's a great little airport, much easier to get around to the city than Gatineau. The drive along the river is gorgeous this time of year, granted they had the hottest day in history today :) Can't wait to fly back with my RV6 at some point, and yes the museum is fantastic!
 
For a GA-friendly airport, come west a bit to Carp, CYRP. Several RV's on the field, some of their owners are present here on the forum. We're further from town but a lot lower-stress to get there, both by air and road. FBO can make taxi arrangements for you as needed. Fuel is current $1.87/litre self serve. Tiedowns are available. If you want to come down to the east end of the field, EAA Chapter 245 has tiedowns available for modest fees, and heck, it's an EAA chapter so you know you're in good company. We have an 8A and a 9A in the row hangar adjacent to the chapter hangar, as well as a few other homebuilts hanging around. Sunday mornings are always a good time to stop in and shoot the breeze. Do a quick google search on EAA chapter 245 to find out a bit more about us.
 
Hello sir,

I know it's an old thread but I'm a Quebecer that travels to Ottawa on a weekly basis.

I'd be interested in meeting this EAA chapter of yours! Is the -9A still there? I could fly in from CYMX (where I rent)

Thanks!
 
Hey Phillipe

We have four or five RV-9A's in EAA 245, with at least three resident at Carp (CYRP). You are always welcome to visit, and there are generally people hanging about the chapter hangar on the weekend. During the week (especially this time of year) it is hit-or-miss to find signs of life.

The hangar itself is at the east end of the airfield, near the button of runway 28, at the intersection of Bravo taxiway and is located in the infield of the airport.

Please do come out for a visit and bring friends :)

Cheers
 
Please do come out for a visit and bring friends :)

Sure thing! I'll check the weather forecast and make the trip. I'm going to Ottawa for work tomorrow but I don't think I'll have time to drop by.

I'll probably drive on a weekend - I just checked and I don't have my english proficiency rating on my license. It's a formality since I'm perfectly bilingual (ok, got a small accent) but I'd rather do that before I fly outside of QC.

Any way to reach out any of you guys before I leave to make sure I don't drive 2 hours and no one is there?

Thanks!
 
Sure thing! I'll check the weather forecast and make the trip. I'm going to Ottawa for work tomorrow but I don't think I'll have time to drop by.

I'll probably drive on a weekend - I just checked and I don't have my english proficiency rating on my license. It's a formality since I'm perfectly bilingual (ok, got a small accent) but I'd rather do that before I fly outside of QC.

Any way to reach out any of you guys before I leave to make sure I don't drive 2 hours and no one is there?

Thanks!

I have PM'd you the EAA Chapter emails of the three guys who are there the most often.

Cheers
 
Just a quick follow-up re language proficiency. I have both English and French endorsements on my license. I've flown in, across and near Quebec for years and can say I have never really had an opportunity to use the French language proficiency. Then again, I've also had an Ottawa Terminal controller who had to be officially bilingual to work the Ottawa airspace whose French accent was so strong when he spoke English that I asked him to switch to French because I couldn't understand his English (that incident resulted in a safety concern letter going out to Nav Canada as the individual in question clearly was not functionally bilingual.

Don't be shy, come on over to EAA 245. One of the RV9A's is in the hangar beside mine. Heck, I might even try to corrupt you by showing you my Glasair Sportsman! :)
 
Stuff deleted...

Don't be shy, come on over to EAA 245. One of the RV9A's is in the hangar beside mine. Heck, I might even try to corrupt you by showing you my Glasair Sportsman! :)

As Mark says, don't sweat the language thing. All of the controllers in the Ottawa area are fully bilingual, and your accent would have to be incredibly bad to be an issue on the Unicom frequency.

And Mark's Sportsman is spectacular so be careful...it could be a trap! :D
 
...it could be a trap! :D

Dagnabbit Mr. Richardson, you've foiled my element of surprise yet again! :p

(We have a problem in our EAA chapter where nearly half of the executives are named Mark. You should come over just to hear the name-calling - sounds like a bunch of dogs barking. Mark-mark-mark... LoL)

Yeah, the language thing really is a non-issue. We are seeing an increase in the number of foreign students doing flight training here so we're all getting accustomed to accents of every type. You'll blend right in and nobody will even notice.
 
Правда

... вырезано...

Yeah, the language thing really is a non-issue. We are seeing an increase in the number of ...


True. Couple years ago there were couple aircrafts in the circuit of Lachute and they commed in French. A request in English went unanswered so I switched to Russian, joined the pattern and landed. Everybody understood. :D
 
True. Couple years ago there were couple aircrafts in the circuit of Lachute and they commed in French. A request in English went unanswered so I switched to Russian, joined the pattern and landed. Everybody understood. :D

LOL, I sure everyone went out of the way :)

For the language thing, I've flown before in English so my skills aren't the problem here - I'd just rather be 100% legal...

I also drive an electric car so getting to Ottawa by car is way cheaper than renting!
 
Back
Top