Windsor Airport
Encyclopedia
Windsor Airport, , is located in the southeast portion of the city of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, 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 airport serves a mixture of scheduled airline flights and general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

, and is a popular point of entry into Canada for private and business aircraft. The airspace above the airport is exceptionally busy because of the proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....

, and Instrument Flight Rules
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....

 (IFR) arrivals and departures are handled by Detroit approach control.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry
Airport of Entry
An airport of entry is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. These services allow the airport to serve as an initial port of entry for foreign visitors arriving in a country.-Africa:-Americas:-Asia:...

 by NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA
Nav Canada is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system .The company employs approximately 2,000 air traffic controllers , 800 flight service specialists and 700 technologists...

 and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....

. CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle aircraft with no more than 325 passengers, however they can handle up to 450 if the aircraft is unloaded in stages.

History

The airport originally opened in 1928 as Walker Airport, named after Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...

, a 19th century whiskey distiller. In 1967, the airport was added to the national portfolio of Canadian Airports, citing its increasing importance as a regional airport hub for Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...

, serving the areas between Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 and London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, rather than being a simple landing strip (as it originally was).

Recent history

In 2006, Serco Aviation Services Inc. announced that was requesting early termination of its contract with the City of Windsor regarding its management of the Airport, as Windsor Airport had been losing around CAD$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

40,000 per month. The City of Windsor accepted Serco's withdrawal and prepared to operate the airport itself, but with a large deficit. As of July 1, 2007, Serco handed over operations of the airport to the City of Windsor, and ceased to be its operator. The City of Windsor's City Council
Windsor City Council
The Windsor City Council is the governing body of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.The council consists of the mayor plus ten elected city councillors representing the city as a whole.*Mayor: Eddie Francis*Ward 1: Dave Brister, Drew Dilkens...

 had approved of an ad-hoc group to run the airport on behalf of the city, named "Your Quick Gateway Inc." (after the airport's call letters, YQG). This private organization was originally formed by the Windsor City Council, and was supposed to be a "temporary band-aid solution" until another operator was found. However, on November 14, the Windsor Star
Windsor Star
The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...

had reported that since Your Quick Gateway was so successful in managing the airport (it had managed to pull a small profit in recent months of running Windsor Airport), that it was given permission to run Windsor Airport indefinitely in this manner.

The airport has additional land bounded by farm land along Division Road and Lauzon Parkway for future airport expansion.

Airlines and destinations

Tenants

  • Air America Logisitics
  • Windsor Flying Club
  • Canadian Historical Aircraft Association
    Canadian Historical Aircraft Association
    The Canadian Historical Aircraft Association is a non-profit organization based in Windsor, Ontario which is committed to preserving aircraft which have significance to the history of Canadian aviation...

  • Journey Air/Great Lakes Flight Center
  • Georgian Express
  • Skyservice fixed base operator
    Fixed base operator
    A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...

     (FBO)

General

  • Latitude/Longitude: 42° 16' 32" N, 82° 57' 20" W
  • Elevation: 622 ft (190 m)
  • Magnetic variation: 7° W


The airport is operated by Your Quick Gateway on behalf of the City of Windsor, is certified by Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...

, and operates as an airport of entry with Canadian customs services available. There is a landing fee for some aircraft.

Runways

  • Runway 07/25: 9000 by, asphalt, lighted, PAPI
    Precision Approach Path Indicator
    Precision approach path Indicator is a visual aid that provides guidance information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct approach to an aerodrome or an airport. It is generally located beside the runway approximately 300 metres beyond the landing threshold of the runway...

     type 2 approach lighting for both ends
  • Runway 12/30: 5150 by, asphalt, lighted, PAPI type 2 approach lighting for both ends

Communications

  • Remote Communications Outlet
    Remote Communications Outlet
    Remote Communications Outlets are remote aviation band radio transceivers, established to extend the communication capabilities of Flight Information Centres and Flight Service Stations ....

     (RCO): London Radio, 126.7 MHz
  • Automatic Terminal Information Service
    Automatic Terminal Information Service
    Automatic Terminal Information Service, or ATIS, is a continuous broadcast of recorded noncontrol information in busier terminal areas. ATIS broadcasts contain essential information, such as weather information, which runways are active, available approaches, and any other information required by...

     (ATIS): 134.5 MHz
  • Ground control
    Air traffic control
    Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...

    : 121.7 MHz
  • Tower
    Control tower
    A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...

    : 124.7 MHz (mandatory frequency when tower is closed)
  • IFR arrivals and departures: Detroit Approach Control, 124.9 MHz
  • Visual Flight Rules
    Visual flight rules
    Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...

     (VFR) advisories: Windsor-area Detroit Approach Control, 126.85 MHz

Navigation aids

  • Non-directional beacon
    Non-directional beacon
    A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...

    s (NDB): Windsor (QG), 353 kHz, 250° 3.8 NM to airport; Laurel (ZQG), 398 kHz, 70° 4 NM to airport
  • VHF omnidirectional range
    VHF omnidirectional range
    VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...

     (VOR)/Distance Measuring Equipment
    Distance Measuring Equipment
    Distance measuring equipment is a transponder-based radio navigation technology that measures distance by timing the propagation delay of VHF or UHF radio signals....

     (DME): Windsor (YQG), 113.8 MHz/channel 85, 285° 5.6 NM to airport
  • VOT (VOR airorne equipment test facility): 111.8 MHz
  • Instrument Landing System
    Instrument Landing System
    An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

     (ILS): runway 25 (IQG)

Fixed base operator (FBO)

Parking is available from the airport operator; there is a charge for parking longer than six hours.
  • Great Lakes Flight Centre (Esso Avitat): 122.95 MHz—100LL avgas and Jet-A fuel
  • RMG Aero Services (Shell Aerocentre): 123.4 MHz—100LL avgas and Jet-A fuel

Fire and Rescue

Fire fighting capability at the airport is provided by the City of Windsor Fire Services. Station # 8 is located at the airport and was originally manned by the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

. A single pumper is station at the airport. Essex-Windsor EMS provides medical assistance at the airport.

External links

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