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Pilot Joe Rzepecki flying above the Barrie airport on Anne Street offers nne at Barries this view of facilities there the examiner Thursday Nov 1979 Examiner Photo by Future of our airport up in air It DENNIS LANTIIIIIR of The Examiner It anyone should know whether or not Bart He needs new airport its Ion Fish Fish has been manager of the present Amie Street airport since 1075 and says hes been working hard towards establishment itew airport in the Barrie area It all comes down to very basic factor Fish told The Examiner Theres no way of measuring the potential industries that could have come here but havent because of lack of aviation facilitieshesaid In simple terms the present airport is too small to be really able to handle anything but light singleengine aircraft he said Pilots in larger aircraft would be less likely to try and negotiate the shorter grass covered runway said Fish Features 120995un efoot hangar STLNNED AT IAIIITIES Knowledgeable business people that visit us from other areas are stunned to find the type of facilities we have he said Fish related the story of the recent visit by the president of large company to the Bar rie airport Upon arrival he said thats not much of strip pertaining to the landing area The president later went on to sav he had Proud in Collingwood RICHARDTHOMAS of The Evaminer In terms of its sic location cost or even when it is likely to become reality tltc proposed new airport for Barrie is still very much up in the air For some time now lion Fish manager of the airport has claimed tltc current facility with 2000 foot long grass strip for runway is woefully Illiltitqllitlt to serve city with population of 36000 and destined for growth Compared to other municipal airports in the county such as one in ollingwotxi aitd the Huronia Airport near Midland which also serves leiictaiiguishene aitd Tiny lownship there is little question that Bar rics rates at the bottom While city fathers in Barrie have certain ly given their approval to studies on the feasibility of new airport for the com munity and ltavc considered as itiaity as four sites the issue has never come down to vote and the situation is still very iitiich one of wait and see ost is likely to be one of the key factors even if need is established Although federal funding would be available to start the project municipal liiiids will be needed to cover operation of the airport to some degree either by hiring its own manager or paying management fee to resident operator Whatever the cost the one thing mu nicipal officials and residents in Barrie can be sure of says the manager of the toll ingwood airport is that municipal airport is not profitmaking concern There is no municipal airport in the world that makes money says John Worts President of ollmgw ood tl Services It is another means ot access to the coiii niuiiity and that is how it itiiist be inter preted After all how many highways are then that make moncy UNSIIHCILHHI BENEFITS Warts who through Collingwood lt has been resident operator of the iimort since it was opened 12 years ago says its bcncfits however indirect have been considerable to the coitimunitv this maintenance hangar at Collingwood Airport is one One of its main tunctions has been to ser vice industry iii town not only by providing access for corporate personnel but fast outlet for the delivery of finished products For one industry alone says Warts the airport sometimes handles three or four flights day and any time the issue of the facilitys service to the community arises these companies are among the first to jump on the bandwagon in its favor In fact he says without the airport in dustries quite likely would not give Coll ingwood second glance In survey few years ago he says 80 per cent of the industries canvassed in the said they would definitely not relocate in an area without an airport and that is something we have to open our eyes to In addition to keeping industry happy and thereby ensuring steady employment Coll ingwood airport is beneficial to the com munity in other ways says Noel Smith marketing manager for Collingwood Air The operation which includes flying school radio and navigation equipment shop as well Collingwood Airs charter ser vices employs about 30 people itself The companys maintenance department operating out of its own 12000 square foot hangar is probably one of the busiest and the best in Southern Ontario Smith says at tracting fliers even from Toronto who bring their aircraft up for servicing Already bringing tourists to the area Col lingwood lf will likely bring even more when it begins its new charter service bet ween olliiigwotxt Muskoka and Toronto Island airport later this month says Smith as several tourist operators have expressed interest in bringing groups during the skiing season The service is due to start Nov t5 and the company has already received several inquiries about yearround tickets front commuters who daily face the long drive to Toronto and back he says All this means that tollingwotxi airport is reaching the point where it has to expand Smith says and new 5000 foot long run way is needed in addition to the current one which is 3000 feet in length Both men agree however that one of the hardest things in expanding or even establishing an airport is to justify it to those who do not use it and who think it on ly serves minority of the population And for this reason says Worts not many airport operators see eye to eye with city councils DEFINITELY AN ASSET Collingwood council however isnt disputing that the airport is definitely an asset and the town generally is kind of proud of it says Reeve Donald Spooner but the funding of it is in question In 1976 the airport cost about $4000 or $5000 to operate while in 1977 that figure had grown to about 530000 says the reeve With Collingwood Air now asking about $50000 in operating fees council is consider ing bringing its own manager While Reeve Spooner acknowledges the airport wont be profitmaking venture he says it should be as close to the breakeven point as possi ble Several other townships and muni cipalities in the area benefit from the air port but do not share in its cost he says and it is bit of load for one municipality The town wants to keep operations within reasonable cost says Reeve Spooner and one of the things council wonders about is whether such an elaborate terminal building is needed The building which includes offices ser vice counter lounge observation tower and even small restaurant actually belongs to Collingwood Air Twelve years ago when the town bought the approximately 300 acre site for the air port and asked Worts and partner in Coll ingwood Air to run it he says the building was nothing more than shack The building and the operation has grown Warts says because the business was there Today the airport which he estimates land roughly he says would cost about $2 million to build from scratch is model iii the province because of the good mixture of municipal and federal government action and also private enterprise That is the miracle solution says Korts of the busiest and the best in Southern Ontario say of ficials with Collingwood Air Services Examiner Photo asked the pilot to bring him to the main Bar rie airport not realizing he had landed at the major facility Fish said The original airport was set up in Letitia Heights but it closed down following the close of World War Two Fish said The present airport opened up in the early 60s and was operated in its early days by Murray Pratt said Fish Originally farm lot of work was done to make the airport good one more than adequate runway was provided in those days and underground cables were installed meaning there are no obstructions to ap proaches by pilots said Fish The airport was adequate in its day Fish said but times have changed ONE RUNWAY There is one grass covered runway at the current site 125 fee long and about 2000 feet wide While more experienced pilots could handle that runway in many instances they wouldnt want to risk their professional reputations to try it Fish said It is difficult to keep good experienced per sonnel at the airport because of the smaller facilities said Fish Fish said he has hired efficient staff which could be capable of handling an expanded Barrie airport but it will continue to be dif ficult to keep the until definite decision is reached on new airport facilities The present airport is privatelyowned one and does not get any funding help from the city Fish said it is the only airport he is aware of in Ontario that is not municipally owned Fish said that snowclearing operations are out of date as 1956 Dodge power machine is being used to clear the runway EQUIPMENT BROKE DOWN About year and half ago that equipment broke down at the height of an extensive snow storm Fish told The Examiner The first ever request for help was made to the city of Barrie However Fish said he received reply back from the city saying it would be illegal to remove snow from the run way with cityowned equipment There have been no serious accidents though at the present airport Fish said new airport should be regional one with an adequate paved runway of no less than 3500 feet in length Fish said The runway should be lighted and there should be navigational approach he said Facilities should be made available to meet the needs of general aviation That would in clude repair maintenance storage and passenger facilities Fish said new airport should be known as regional one and not city airport he said Fish estimates that probably more persons in the surrounding area use the airport than acv tual Barrie residents As well input should be received from air port users before any decision is made on the airport site Fish said Present traffic at the Barrie airport is about ait average of 280 takeoffs and landings per day The Barrie airport handles between 40000 and 50000 aircraft each year Fish said NEW SITE The airport advistory committee will soon review report on proposed site location for new airport The selection has been narrowed down to four sites two in ro and two in Vespra townships The locations are still being kept confidential pending possible land acquisi tion Some council members notably Barrie Mayor Ross Archer and Ald Iel oli say there is need in Barrie tor new airport However it has not been approved yet by council and is not likely to be until actual cost figures are presented rillia withdrew its financial support for the scheme last year saying it was not at the top if its budget priority list However an flilllltt contingent continues to attend airport advisory committee mettings Monday tirillia will be asked again if it in tends to offer financial support for the project at meeting of Simcoe ounty mayors Graydon Richardson chairs the advisory committee Kcn Peck assistant ad ministrator is secretary Huronia Airport near Midland not only has parking apron for planes such as this one but fully paved 3000 footlong runway as well Airport operators Serves three municipalities Huronia looks to eXpancl Like the operators at Collingwood airport thOSe at the Huronia airport Just southwest of Midland are convinced that factlity too has prov en its worth to the communities it serves And just like its Collingwood counterpart Huronia airport contributes to the communi ty not only through recreational op portunities maintenance services and access to the area for tourists with valuable dollars but especially through the convenience it of UN to industry sayd Joe RZepcckL manager of iiilllSOll Av iation operators of the airport With 3000 footlong paved runway as well as hangar with maintenance service the airport is answering the need ot industry which demands such léiClllthS says ftzepecki but the need is growing and the air port must grow too it tin municipalities want to make themselves more attractive to poten tial Corporate customers prime example of his need tor upgrading the airport he says is the case of large American tire manufacturer who turned down Midland because its runway was made quate III IUIULFST This how ever has convinced the inuniCipahties that the operators plea for another 500 feet is valid one especially as it is an insurance reqmrement for handling jet aircraft now popular with large industry The new addition could cost anywhere from Sliioow to swoon says Itzepecki and while the federal government gave grant oi $t00000 to get the airport off the ground eight years ago that isnt likely to happen again The three muniCipalities therefore are go ing to have to conSIder the expense he say but you have to spend buck to make buck While municipal officials generally agro the Huronia Airport is providing an essential service Garrison Ayiation is not being paid an operators fee for managing the facility says Hzepecki The municipalities pay for snow plowing the runway in the winter and pay taxes on llit land which they own but the overhead costs are being carried by Garrison AVlallfttt he says Negotiations are currently underway to determine whether fee will be paid says RLepecki and if the mumCipalities will take over the cost of expenses such as electricity and heating which are extremely high because of maintenance requirements Not only does the operator have to carry the costs he says but he is expected to pay $100 monthly rental fee to the municipalities for the property We havent paid this for the last year because we cant Rzepecki says There is also the question of renovations and additions to the current terminal budding which have been made to handle growing traffic and in antiCipation of the commuter nowever are out to expand the facility which serves Midland Penetanguishene and Tiny Township Ex aminer Photo service by tolliiigwoorl Air Servoi iittilllfl to Huronia next year IIIIL HIII iartison Axmtioii too had to loot the bill for lliIsc so far Iipccki say ticauw thc operator has had insufficient sutilmrt and has had to Lo ll on his own the airpott has had it shaic of administrative problems ail1 iariroii vliillift is about the third operator In eight years hr says The inuiaripalities wan the airport established hi say but when they find out how much is costing they expect the operator to star forking out the money But rentride for air services such as Gar risiri Aviation is based on fly mg which in turn iiipond oi iutoiiiers and of course the weather an tinpeck If we dint fly we don make any money lnliss the three fnlJItlflpZtllllf appreciate that Huronia Airport general contribution offsets its own actual deficits and that they must be prepared help finance it more generously the operator Mll continue to face loss and the facility will remain dormant says tchei The nee there he say but the realiza tion is not if they muniCipalities want an airport they have to be prepared to chip in he say Ma