Eagle-Eyed Observers of YVR    

Abbotsford International Airport

Abbotsford Int. Airport is located, is capable of handling the largest commercial aircraft, and is fully equipped for instrument landing. The airport caters to   private and scheduled air traffic, domestic and international flights, and acts as an   alternative to the Vancouver International Airport. The facility has two runways of   approximately 2,440 metres (8,000 feet) and 1,600 metres (5,273 feet) in length, with   night operation available on the longest runway. The control tower is in operation 7:30   a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and the Flight Service Station operates 24 hours per day. Westjet is operaing numerous flights a day from YXX.. A number  of other companies offer charter services by plane or helicopter . Abbotsford Airport is  the base for Conair Aviation Ltd. which boasts the largest private fleet of air tankers in the world, and is a leader in the conversion of aircraft to water bombers.

Boundary Bay Airport

Boundary Bay is a general aviation airport located 20 minutes south of   the Vancouver International  Airport. From YVR travel east towards Hwy 99, turn south   onto Hwy 99 and go through the Massey tunnel and turn south onto Hwy 17. Travelling   soutbound on Hwy 17, turn left onto Hwy 10 and turn right when you see the posted signs.

Langley Airport

Home of the BC Aviation Museum. Langley is about a half hour drive east from Vancouver International.   This general aviation airport has the interesting museum and a variety of helicopters.

Nanaimo Airport

Located on Vancouver Island near the town of Cassidy, just south of Nanaimo, the airport is conveniently located near the Duke Point ferry terminal. Though the airport is small there   are usually some Skyfreighters C117s and some other interesting aircraft.

Pitt Meadows Airport

Pitt Meadows Airport located in the District of Pitt Meadows, is the only Fraser Valley aerodrome located on the Fraser River's north side. It is located 2.5   km east of the junction of the Pitt and Fraser Rivers The airport consists of one   1,310-metre and two 762-metre paved runways and a staffed control tower. It is the home   base for three major rotary wing operations, provides a float aircraft dock and ramp, and   serves approximately 225 locally based float and regular aircraft.

Sproat Lake

Home of the Mars Bombers. Sproat Lake is  located near the City of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. After a One and half hour ferry ride from either Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Duke Point or Departure Bay (Nanaimo) it is about a one and half hour drive to Sproat Lake. The aircraft are located   here, unless they are out fighting fires. Sunday seems to be the worst day to visit them, as there are no pilots working on sunday and they are the only ones able to take you out for a visit to the aircraft. The rest of the time, the crew is quite accomodating to aviation enthusiasts.

Vancouver International Airport

Home of the Eagle-Eyed Observers of YVR. Vancouver can offer some interesting aircraft. Like most airports in Canada, only passengers holding a boarding pass can enter the gate area of the terminal,   so there are limited areas for spotting within the terminal. The airport is set up with two parallel runways (08L/26R and 08R/26L) and a crosswind (12/30) runway located on the westside of the field. The main terminal is located between the parallels, while the south terminal is located on the southside of 08R/26L. The south terminal is the location of most of the fishing charter, GA, bizjets and floatplanes. This is one of the better areas for spotting, for as of this point all aircraft must depart on the 08R/26L runway. Though this might change in the near future, it is still your best bet to log most of the aircraft at the airport. If you travel down near the Canadian Airlines hanger, to the recently completed Templeton Road, you can get some good air shots of the aircraft landing. For all of you wondering about the AVIS spot, it has been closed off to spotters with signs posted and people will be kicked out. Just a word of warning that this might happen.

Victoria International Airport

Victoria is located on Vancouver Island. In order to get to Victoria, from Vancouver,   you need to take the ferry from Tsswassen (south of Vancouver on Hwy 17) to Swartz Bay in  Saanich. The ferry takes about 1:40, but once you get off  of the ferry, the airport   is only 5 minutes. The Victoria Airport is located in Sidney just minutes from the ferry. An interesting side trip maybe to go downtown Victoria to see the Floatplanes.

For more information please email us at: eagle-eyed@canada.com