Sable Island Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Sable Island Aerodrome, , is located on Sable Island
, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. The term aerodrome
is somewhat of a misnomer in this case - there is no actual airport infrastructure nor is there a runway on Sable Island - the fixed-wing aircraft that carries supplies to the weather station lands on the sand of the south beach. The designated landing area has been registered as an aerodrome (and therefore has an entry as such in the Canada Flight Supplement
) in order to facilitate approval of a GPS
approach.
Prior permission is required to land at this aerodrome, as the Station Manager of Environment Canada
's Sable Island Research Station must thoroughly inspect the area in use that day to ensure that it is not too soft for the aircraft. This is accomplished by driving a truck up and down the length of the landing area, thereby marking out the "runway". Too much rain often renders the sand too mushy to safely land the aircraft; conversely, in the heat of summer the sand may dry out to such an extent that the area again becomes too soft to land on.
Although tidal cycles do not affect the south beach, storm surge
s occasionally flood the entire landing area to a depth of more than a foot, rendering it unuseable for fixed-wing operations for weeks at a time.
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The term aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
is somewhat of a misnomer in this case - there is no actual airport infrastructure nor is there a runway on Sable Island - the fixed-wing aircraft that carries supplies to the weather station lands on the sand of the south beach. The designated landing area has been registered as an aerodrome (and therefore has an entry as such in the Canada Flight Supplement
Canada Flight Supplement
The Canada Flight Supplement is a joint civil/military publication and is a supplement of the Aeronautical Information Publication . It is the nation's official airport directory...
) in order to facilitate approval of a GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
approach.
Prior permission is required to land at this aerodrome, as the Station Manager of Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
's Sable Island Research Station must thoroughly inspect the area in use that day to ensure that it is not too soft for the aircraft. This is accomplished by driving a truck up and down the length of the landing area, thereby marking out the "runway". Too much rain often renders the sand too mushy to safely land the aircraft; conversely, in the heat of summer the sand may dry out to such an extent that the area again becomes too soft to land on.
Although tidal cycles do not affect the south beach, storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
s occasionally flood the entire landing area to a depth of more than a foot, rendering it unuseable for fixed-wing operations for weeks at a time.