Brantford Airport

Brantford Airport (ICAO: CYFD), also known as Brantford Municipal Airport, is a registered aerodrome located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) west southwest of the City of Brantford, in the county of Brant, Ontario, Canada.

"CYFD" redirects here. For the New Mexico state agency, see New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department.
Not to be confused with Bradford Aerodrome.
Brantford Airport

Brantford Municipal Airport
CYFD from the west
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorCity of Brantford
ServesBrantford, Ontario
LocationBrantford, Ontario
Time zoneEST (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL815 ft / 248 m
Coordinates43°07′57″N 080°20′29″W
Websitewww.BrantfordAirport.ca
Map
CYFD is located in Ontario
CYFD
CYFD
Location in Ontario
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
05/23 5,036 1,535 Asphalt
11/29 2,626 800 Asphalt
17/35 2,626 800 Asphalt

There is a single fixed-base operator at the airport. The airport hosts a widely attended air show every year at the end of August, featuring the Royal Canadian Air Force aerobatic team the Snowbirds and airplanes from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The airport is home to many of the area's general aviation aircraft. Aviation spare parts retailer Aircraft Spruce established its sole Canadian location here in 2008, with expansion plans announced in 2013. The airport is often used for film shoots; scenes from Welcome to Mooseport, Where The Truth Lies and multiple Mayday episodes have been filmed there.

Although the airport has never had scheduled air service, weekly charters fly students of the W. Ross Macdonald School home to Sudbury, Timmins, Trenton, Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie.

The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. The CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers.[1]

History

A public aerodrome was established at Brantford in 1929 (located at Fairview and King George streets). The airport opened at its present location on 11 November 1940 as No. 5 Service Flying Training School, a Royal Canadian Air Force British Commonwealth Air Training Plan airfield.[2] It was not until April 27, 1970 that aerodrome lands and management duty were transferred from the federal government to the municipal level.[3] The current terminal building was built in 1966.

The City of Brantford once looked at the possibility of closing the airport, but this move was widely opposed by local citizens, tenants, and users. In May 2007, Brantford City Council held a public forum to canvass views on the airport as a necessary service for the city. Many presentations made clear points that growing cities require airports as part of their fundamental infrastructure, to attract and retain corporate investment.

In January 2008, Brantford City Council voted unanimously to support the inclusion of $1.9 million in planned airport infrastructure upgrades in the city's Capital Plan for Fiscal 2008. That allowed for repaving the main runway and a second runway that was last paved in the 1940s. In 2004, 2009 and 2011, new rows of hangars were built, with plans for more in the future.

In 2023, a study was launched to help the airport build its vision for the future. Recommendations should be ready for local leadership by early 2024. Focuses will be on utilizing airport facilities more efficiently and being even more welcoming to general aviation pilots as other airports push smaller traffic away.[3]

  • Main public area
    Main public area
  • Terminal building
    Terminal building
  • Pilots beware![clarification needed]
    Pilots beware!
  • EMB-500 refueling
    EMB-500 refueling
  • Plaque for No. 5 SFTS
    Plaque for No. 5 SFTS

Facilities and aircraft

The airport has three runways, all paved with asphalt. Runway 5/23 is 5036 ft (1,535 m) long, and runways 11/29 and 17/35 both measure 2,626 ft (800 m) long.[1] Services at the airport include fuel, both avgas and jet fuel, as well as aircraft maintenance and parking, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, and rental cars.[4][5]

Accidents and incidents
  • In August 2014, an experimental aircraft crashed near the airport.[6]
  • Early the next month, a small aircraft crashed while on approach to the airport, killing one pilot.[7]
  • On April 27, 2016, a Cessna 182 Skylane flipped over on the runway, injuring one pilot.[8]
  • A plane was found crashed on the runway in the morning of November 13, 2018, with two deceased occupants.[9]

References
  1. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. Hatch, F. J. (1983). Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan 1939–1945. Ottawa: Canadian Department of National Defence. ISBN 0-660-11443-7.
  3. Ruby, Michelle (June 9, 2023). "Brantford Airport study ready for takeoff". The Bradford Expositor.
  4. "CYFD - Brantford Airport | SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  5. "Brantford Flight Centre FBO Info & Fuel Prices at Brantford (CYFD)". FlightAware. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  6. "Experimental aircraft crashes near Brantford airport | CBC News".
  7. "Plane crashes near Brantford airport, killing one".
  8. "Pilot injured after plane flips over | Brantford Expositor". Archived from the original on 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  9. "Husband and wife dead after plane crash at Brantford airport | CBC News".
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