the only airport in the area that offers a discount on fuel purchases! When you purchase 100 low-lead fuel at the Wiarton airport, and pay with cash*, you receive a discount of 5˘ per litre! That's a total savings of $4.00 on 80 litres! *the term cash refers to cheque or cash money please note that as of September 17, 2004 DEBIT CARD PURCHASES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR GAS DISCOUNT |
The airport was built by the Federal Government in 1948 as an emergency field on the Toronto/Winnipeg corridor. It was maintained and staffed by Ottawa until 1996 when the airport was handed over to the local municipalities.
When the local Townships of (then Wiarton) and Keppel took over the airport, an Airport Board was formed and they retained a professional manager to run the operation.
The Terminal building is classic Governmental institution, but we are gradually making changes to make the place more flyer friendly.
We also have a meeting room available for small gatherings of 40 or less people. Kitchen and washroom facilities are adjacent. See picture of meeting room at the bottom of this page, for more information on rental please contact the airport.
Upon entering our airport, you will find yourself in the lobby. Greeting you from his place on the wall is our mascot, Wiarton Willie. In the lobby you will find brochures about the area, current weather information, and when someone is at the desk, NAV Canada weather information. To the left of you are men and ladies washroom facilities. To the right, a sitting area, and our FOTA/COPA office. Straight ahead you will see the stairs that lead to the Rooftop Café, Pilot's Lounge, Weather Station, and Meeting Room.
Tired after a long flight? Why not refresh and rejuvenate yourself in our newly created pilot lounge, complete with washroom and shower facilities?
Our lounge, located on the second floor of the building, is perfect for grabbing a quick shower, nap, washroom break, or TV show in between flights. It's also a perfect spot for reading or just sitting and resting for awhile before you head back home.
Our Rooftop Café, located on the second floor of the Terminal Building, is another example of how our community supports the Airport. It is managed by Brian Reis, who, in his "spare time", works in the meteorological office.
Brian is also the coach of our local All Girls Soccer Team. These young athletes show great entrepreneurial spirit by working in the restaurant to raise funds for their sport.
The Rooftop Café is open and hosted by the All Girls Soccer Team weekends and Statutory holidays between 8:00am and 2:00pm. The girls will happily serve you breakfast, lunch, snacks and of course coffee! However, for those of you who don't make it in during business hours, the café is accessible 24 hours a day for snack foods. We have a coffee maker and a toaster available for those who would like to make themselves coffee and/or toast.
if you fly in with your Instructor and make him bad coffee and burnt toast, we cannot accept any responsibility for his demeanor on the flight back to base. |
The Weather Office, also upstairs, is manned 24/7 by a weather expert. Weather information is collected every hour on the hour and disseminated to NAV Canada from here.
What can we say about these guys except that they're GREAT!?!
It was clear when the municipalities took over the airport that their pockets were not as deep as those of the Federal Government, so the community came together to provide support and formed a group called "The Friends of the Airport".
On Sunday, February 11, 1996, FOTA was formed. Two years later, in 1998, a COPA (Canadian Operators & Pilots Association) Flight (Flight #68) was also formed at Wiarton. Subsequently, as both groups are nuts about airplanes and flying, they amalgamated under one banner.
We are quite proud of our group, (current membership of 28) since the beginning of FOTA on February 11, 1996, they have put in an AMAZING total of over 10,000 hours of volunteer time, and are still going strong! So when you fly in and see someone cutting grass or tending to some other maintenance item, chances are that he/she is a volunteer. When you are taxiing to the apron, give them a wave, they (and our management) will be only too happy to assist.
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starting out |
one almost done! |
halfway there! |
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putting the tops on |
putting on the platform |
nearing completion! |