YXD countdown has begun

[MrWings]

Come Dec 1, YXD is no more. Thoughts? Tom H?

Love that airport. Edmonton killed an industry in favour of WalMart and Target.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... osure.html

[rac007]

Anyone know if they are letting the aviation heritage museum stay?

[Tom H]

Come Dec 1, YXD is no more. Thoughts? Tom H?

None that would pass the good graces and needed etiquette, so instead....

Hoping this will help the media get some dates right

Some information on Early Aviation in the City of Edmonton
and
Blatchford Field

First flight in Edmonton, unrecognized due to lack of photographic evidence:
Reg Hunt, 1909 (104 years)
(Was reported in the Edmonton papers of the day)

First public demonstration of Flight in Edmonton (also first in Alberta):
Curtis Headless Pusher Bi Plane at the Edmonton Horse Exhibition, 1911 (102 years)

First Airmail in Western Canada, Calgary to Edmonton:
Katherine Stinson, 1918 (95 years)

First aircraft operation in Edmonton, First Commercial Flight*, First Police Pursuit:
May Aircraft operating the City of Edmonton Jenny (WOP May, his brother and associates) 1919 (94 years)
(*some records show as first commercial flight in Western Canada)

Blatchford Field receives it license:
Late summer/early fall1926 (87 years)

First aircraft to arrive at Blatchford Field:
RCAF Siskin Bi Plane fighter flown by Lt. Punch Dickens,
Early January 1927 (86 years)

If the airport closes as per the City of Edmonton report December 1st, 2013 will be the end of over 100years of aviation in the City of Edmonton.

In my highly biased personal opinion

[Tom H]

Anyone know if they are letting the aviation heritage museum stay?

Sort of...

The Museum has been advised it will receive no additional room to expand...that's a problem in addition to the others that come from this.

Many other items are under discussion with the City of Edmonton at this time and cannot be commented on.

That said...

The Board has mandated we are staying on site and will do everything possible to remain on site.

After all we are now the last door to aviation in the City of Edmonton and the only place the history can live.

We will release additional information as we can.

In my highly biased personal opinion

[cyndy]

I am extremely sad to see this airport close. My dad was a crash and rescue fireman there, and it was there that I fell madly in love with airplanes and longed to learn to fly. Also, my grandma was in the Royal Alex hospital having hip survey a couple years back....I flew in and walked over to the hospital to visit her. She was so proud she was bragging to all the nurses and still claims she saw my plane coming in on approach lol. I have a lifetime of memories connected to that airport.

Cyndy

[skymarc]

Sad,
Can someone still land a private aircraft there? Is there an FBO still open.
Im up that way in 2 weeks, it would be history to land there.

[Lateralus]

Had lot of good memories flying in and out of there. Haven't flown out of there in a few years but always take a peak out the window when flying overhead and think about the beginning of my career. Its going to be sad to see it gone.

[Beefitarian]

Can someone still land a private aircraft there?.

Yes. Guys I have lunch with are talking about a trip up for one last time.

Is there an FBO still open.

I think so.

[slowstream]

Sadly, for me I likely will never fly in or out of XD ever again, I expect my last flight happened in the fall of 2010 when I flew a CRJ900 in there after YEG was down due to fog. It was fun bringing the 900 in there and wondered if I managed to piss-off any of the closure supporters.

I remember first going by XD back in the 60's as a kid and the North West part of the field had literally a 100 S.E birds tied won there. I was already hooked with flying. Then a few years later when Dad was on a summer brake from the U of A and worked as a fueler for Esso, I spent a lot of time with Dad that summer. I did all of my flight training there and worked there for many years.

It's sad to see this happening and I remain steadfast in my opinion that one day the people, (okay only some of them) will wake up and say "oh crap what did we do?"

Thanks for the memories XD, you'll be missed

[MartinB]

I am glad I was able to sneak in a cross country flight from YBW-YXD two weeks ago. That was my first and last time there but at least I can say I've been there. So sad to see it go. There goes 100 years of aviation heritage in Edmonton.

[cyndy]

Anyone from Calgary area interested in planning a group trip up? I'd be game!

[newbiewings]

Just another example of making dollars instead of sense... Or, my personal favourite "Using foreskin instead of forethought"

I've never had the opportunity to use the airfield, but I do recall watching 737's take off and land while taking a break in the tower @ NAIT in 82 - 83. This decision will not fully impact the city until it's far too late to reverse it, and I have the feeling that it will cause more of a backlash at that time then now.

[Cessna driver]

Sad,
Can someone still land a private aircraft there? Is there an FBO still open.
Im up that way in 2 weeks, it would be history to land there.

Yes, there is still McEwen's Aviation (formerly Esso) and Shell are still in operation. It is not a dead airport, there is still constantly flights in and out, last week there was 3 challengers, 2 citations, a lear 45 and a bunch of pistons....all flew in that day! On 1 ramp!

[Cessna driver]

Sad,
Can someone still land a private aircraft there? Is there an FBO still open.
Im up that way in 2 weeks, it would be history to land there.

Yes, there is still McEwen's Aviation (formerly Esso) and Shell are still in operation. It is not a dead airport, there is still constantly flights in and out, last week there was 3 challengers, 2 citations, a lear 45 and a bunch of pistons....all flew in that day! On 1 ramp!

[Hipster Exterminator]

The backlash will come when a pretty little blonde child dies in the back of an ambulance. I have repeatedly had closure supporters tell me that Stars is keeping a helicopter idling 24/7 at YEG to transport urgent medevacs to Edmonton hospitals. I can't seem to reconcile that claim to any official source but I have heard different idiots insist it repeatedly.

The thing I find most puzzling about this freak show is that YXD is really the only business amenity downtown Edmonton actually has. And while Edmonton's notorious short-dick syndrome would have our boosters come to blows insisting the largest ball of yarn west of the Mississippi River is a tourist attraction rivaling Disneyland, Jasper and Banff. I am baffled that these same people wouldn't be all-in on the best urban airport in Canada and the services it provided.

I can't even really follow what the city is proposing to build there, or why it needs to be built in this location rather than anywhere else. It just looks like a sea of shitty wood-frame kindling condos and townhouses. This is what they're doing with a "once in a lifetime" development opportunity? I mean at least set it aside for an Olympic bid or something.

Tom,

Do you know if the museum might be permitted intermittent use of the runway even after it closes? If the museum at Floyd Bennett Field can be permitted to ferry their airworthy aircraft in and out for maintenance right smack in the middle of JFK's traffic, surely the same could be accommodated at YXD.

[Genetk44]

Simple curiosity here....what is the average driving time from the main terminal building to the Edmonton downtown city centre??

And the average time between the new airport and the city centre???

[Tailwind W10]

Tom,

Do you know if the museum might be permitted intermittent use of the runway even after it closes? If the museum at Floyd Bennett Field can be permitted to ferry their airworthy aircraft in and out for maintenance right smack in the middle of JFK's traffic, surely the same could be accommodated at YXD.

I'm sure Tom will reply as well, however the radio newscasts this morning quoted the "Blatchford Community Development Manager" saying immediatly on the closure they're going to bring in the heavy equipment and break up all the ramp, taxiway and runways. They're planning on using it in making the roadways in the new community. So with no runways available there won't be any opportunity to fly in.

Gerry

[Tom H]

Tom,

Do you know if the museum might be permitted intermittent use of the runway even after it closes? If the museum at Floyd Bennett Field can be permitted to ferry their airworthy aircraft in and out for maintenance right smack in the middle of JFK's traffic, surely the same could be accommodated at YXD.

I'm sure Tom will reply as well, however the radio newscasts this morning quoted the "Blatchford Community Development Manager" saying immediatly on the closure they're going to bring in the heavy equipment and break up all the ramp, taxiway and runways. They're planning on using it in making the roadways in the new community. So with no runways available there won't be any opportunity to fly in.

Gerry

Gerry pretty much has it.

The answer is.....absolutely not.

The current Blatchford Development plan, as we have been advised by our Board member on the Stakeholders committee, is to remove ALL taxiways, aprons, runways and related as quickly as possible using an on site concrete crusher.

Beyond that...
What we do know at this point is that we are restricted to our existing fence line and there will be NO opportunity for expansion area, which is a serious problem.

Because of this restriction we are in process of arranging to move a significant number of aircraft, both restored and awaiting restoration, from the location and into safe storage. Plus several containers of additional equipment (display artifacts etc) that we have held on site as our board was of the belief there would be room to expand.

Our Boeing 737 is being professionally evaluated to be moved by air to a safe storage location, if possible, as is will not safely fit within the fence line defined by the City of Edmonton.

The first priority is to get everything in to safe, weather protected (except obviously the 737) storage offsite.

Beyond that negotiations and meetings are still underway with the City of Edmonton to determine the long term for our Museum.

That is all the confirmed information we have at this time.

Thomas Hinderks
Executive Director
Alberta Aviation Museum Association

[Beefitarian]

That's ~expletive string run on sentence~.

This keeps getting worse and worse.

[Genetk44]

"is to remove ALL taxiways, aprons, runways and related as quickly as possible "
When I hear that kind of phrase being used in conjuction with any kind of government involvement with a project it tells me something isn't kosher with said project.

[Shiny Side Up]

Anyone from Calgary area interested in planning a group trip up? I'd be game!

A capital idea, at least if you've never been. Go while you can still get some pics.

[FICU]

I think an EFC reunion might be in order prior to it being shut down!

[Hipster Exterminator]

"is to remove ALL taxiways, aprons, runways and related as quickly as possible "
When I hear that kind of phrase being used in conjuction with any kind of government involvement with a project it tells me something isn't kosher with said project.

The Grifters, Hipsters and Retards can't take the chance that a future city council would either dither on closing or abandon it entirely.

[Flybabe]

"is to remove ALL taxiways, aprons, runways and related as quickly as possible "
When I hear that kind of phrase being used in conjuction with any kind of government involvement with a project it tells me something isn't kosher with said project.

The Grifters, Hipsters and Retards can't take the chance that a future city council would either dither on closing or abandon it entirely.

I share your sentiment.

[Genetk44]

Exactly....Way back when...Montreal decided to get rid of their street-cars, at the end of the last shift they took them out of service and burned the whole fleet within 24 hours except for a couple for museums....no possibility of going back even though the rest of the infrastructure was still in place years afterwards. Somebody got paid off big time.