— Aviators blast site maintenance and use by drag racers —

(OSOYOOS TIMES — September 12, 2007) —

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

While local drag racers may be enjoying the facilities at the Osoyoos Airport, it would seem aviators are not.
Two pilots who are regular users of the Airport told the Osoyoos Times they're upset at lack of maintenance at the facility and the use of the landing strip by area drag racers.
But Destination Osoyoos says it is working on improvements to the airfield.
North Vancouver resident Ross Bannar was angry when he stormed into the Times office last week. Bannar and his wife Ella Rogers had just landed at the Osoyoos Airport, and were more than frustrated at the condition of the facility.
First of all there's no proper place to tie down, Banner said.
Also, he said the spaces provided are not properly spread out.
If I had have been centred (in the parking spot), my wings would have been overlapping with the guy beside me.
Bannar and his wife were in town to visit Rogers' father. The angry aviator, who's been flying since the 1970s, estimates he's landed at the Osoyoos Airport nearly 40 times and says every year the facility is getting worse.
They used to have a cable. Bannar continued, explaining that a long cable fastened to the ground is a common, convenient and safe way for planes to tie down. But they ripped it up.rnAt the airport, Bannar made his way over to a discarded, metal cable, jumbled in a heap. Look at this thing. Now if a low plane came along and this thing got caught in its propeller, what do you think would happen?
Bannar explained he is sure this would cause considerable damage to the propeller, plane and possibly its pilot.
If that happened to me, I'd sue them, Bannar continued. I'd hire a building full of lawyers and launch a lawsuit.
His concerns also included dilapidated picnic tables and various debris, all of which he called safety hazards.
I can't believe the mess it's in, said Rogers' father, Jack Rogers, an Osoyoos resident who was a Councillor back in the days when the airport was established.
Bannar also raised concerns over the fact that a few times a year, the landing strip is used to hold drag races, part of a deal between the Town of Osoyoos and the Wine Country Racing Association.
The Town receives one-third of the association's yearly profits in return for use of the site.
His wife said tread marks have scuffed some of the numbers on the runway.
And what's advertised on the sign? he asked rhetorically. More drag racing.rnBannar said that racing on the site is not only detrimental to the runway itself, but has the potential to damage any planes tied down on the site.
You've got cars racing up here, throwing up gravel and dirt . . . it's pathetic, Bannar said.
Damage done to the strip by drag racers has been repaired by the racing association in the past.
Bannar's sentiments were echoed by another aviator, whose plane was docked near Bannar's.
This is an airport, not a racetrack, said the Osoyoos homeowner who refused to identify himself. He said he would never dream of leaving his Cessna 185 II at the airport while a race was going on.
It's obvious that they (the Town and Destination Osoyoos) have no idea what they're doing. They should get the advice of some pilots.
Glenn Mandziuk, Executive Director of Destination Osoyoos, says he knows the airport isn't in the best condition and his organization is working on it.
Right now we're in the process of working with Crown lands to move forward with industrial expansion on the site, he said.
DO plans to convert eight acres of the site to an industrial park, centred on aviation, agri-food production and value-added lumber production. He said this expansion plan also includes a fueling station and storage area for planes.
Early this year, because of some delays getting figures, DO missed a deadline for a grant that might have garnered some $300,000 towards the facility.
Mandziuk said DO will not be applying for the grant in the upcoming year.
We've been able to identify another funding source, the director said, although he refused to identify it.
As far as his (Bannar's) concerns with tie-downs and that, they will be addressed.rnMandziuk said he feels optimistic about the airport's future, and that it is poised to become an integral part of Osoyoos' economy.
It appears by the amount of traffic at the airport last week that the facility is used on a regular basis.