By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
Lack of security at the Osoyoos Airport, which led to a $40,000 act of vandalism against an airplane parked there, could damage the long-term viability of the facility, says to the victim of the attack.
Rock Creek rancher and pilot Doug Fossen appeared at a recent council committee meeting to urge the town to install a locking system and security cameras to make the place a safer spot to park aircraft.
The vandals punctured the leading edge of the wing possibly looking for fuel says the plane’s owner Doug Fossen. Contributed photo.
Fossen told the committee of the whole he uses airplanes at his cattle ranch near Rock Creek and to fly to northern Alberta to visit family.
“The plane that we [used to park in Osoyoos] really likes the pavement, so that’s why we park there,” he said, also noting the perimeter fencing and recently installed better tie-downs.
He told the committee that sometime in early May, someone vandalized his airplane that was tied down at the airport. He suspects it was done at the same time somebody drove a pickup through the front door of nearby Home Building Centre and stole a bunch of tools.
“I think they were maybe shopping fuel at my airplane,” he said. The vandals may have believed there were fuel tanks in the wings because they poked five holes in one of the wings, he added.
“The damage done to the plane . . . is somewhere around $40,000,” Fossen told the meeting. “My deductible is five thousand. This airplane, I only paid $59,000 for it. Its value is about $100,000 right now. So, it was very close to writing the plane off . . . You can’t just buy a new wing because it’s a 1960 airplane.”
The engine cowl door was pried open and scratches over the plate and main cover. Contributed photo.
In a recent interview Fossen said damage to the Cessna 210 four-seater also included several damaged doors and a ruined oil cooler. He said he was able to temporarily patch the damage and flew the plane to Cranbrook for repairs.
Fossen said that when he first contacted the RCMP, “their first response was that I should park it somewhere else . . . I know the RCMP do what they can do, but I sure didn’t feel like they took it very seriously.”
He suggested that locks with coded entry be installed at the two gates, so that only pilots and other authorized folks would have access to the airfield. He said similar security systems are in place at the airports in both Oliver and Penticton.
Besides the locks, Fossen said, security cameras mounted on light poles and pointing at the parking area would also enhance security.
Pointing out that current signage at the airport warns that trespassers will be prosecuted, and that the town takes no responsibility for planes parked there, he said, “I think just strongly worded signs would help. There’s just no reason for people to be out messing around on our airports.”
“I think the airport is very important. It’s very important to keep everyone using it,” said Fossen. “We have such a beautiful little airport there and it’s just a bummer not to be able to use it.”
He noted that since the attack on his airplane, several pilots who formerly stored their aircraft at Osoyoos appear to have abandoned the facility.
“Since last year, since [I’ve been] parking my plane there with the new tie downs, there [have been] consistently five airplanes parked at the airport and now you’ll notice there is none,” he said. “And that’s because they’ve all heard that my plane was damaged and they’re not willing to park there.”
The plane’s cockpit door was damaged as the vandals attempted to pry it open. Contributed photo
Asked if he is concerned about the long-term future of the airport, Fossen said, “Yes. In my own case, it is painful because I like having it at Osoyoos because if we go to town I can go for a quick fly and it doesn’t add much time . . . But now I’ll probably have to rent a hanger in Oliver or leave it in Oliver.
“Osoyoos is such a good climate for parking airplanes. You don’t necessarily need a hanger if you’re flying regularly, especially over the winter when it’s a little cooler and it’s not getting beat up by the sunshine.”
Councillor Zack Poturica is the council representative on the Osoyoos Airport Development Committee (OADC). He told the meeting the group has discussed security as part of the overall development of the facility.
He said in a recent interview that OADC will be meeting early next week and that security locks will be on the agenda. The OADC includes Poturica, town CAO Rod Risling and several members of the Osoyoos Airport Development Society.
A puncture hole in the horizontal stabilizer. Contributed photo.
Poturica wondered if security would be as simple as putting locks on the gates. “If someone is [motivated enough] to cause some damage or take something, that might not be enough.”
As for security cameras, he said that issue is more complicated “in terms of what [the town would] have to do as the operator of those cameras if we were to operate them.”
