Montréal/Mascouche Airport
Montréal/Mascouche Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | Corporation de l'aéroport de Mascouche | ||||||||||
Location | Mascouche, Quebec | ||||||||||
Time zone | EST (UTC−05:00) | ||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−04:00) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 74 ft / 23 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 45°43′07″N 073°35′53″W / 45.71861°N 73.59806°W | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Source: Canada Flight Supplement[1] |
Montréal/Mascouche Airport, formerly TC LID: CSK3, was a small, general aviation airport located 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) southeast of Mascouche and approximately 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is reached by Autoroute 640 at exit 44. The runway is parallel to Autoroute 640. Montréal/Mascouche Airport closed 15 November 2016 and all aircraft had to be removed by 13 November.[2]
A radio equipped aircraft was required to fly in and out of Mascouche Airport. The mandatory frequency for the airport was 122.35 MHz.
Mascouche Airport was the largest "regional airport" in the province of Quebec, in terms of air traffic.[citation needed] It is located close to the Le Gardeur regional hospital and could be used for medical evacuations in the future. The airport regroups 30 buildings, 15 related SMEs (including Cargair Inc., ALM Par Avion, and others) and sustains 75 full-time jobs. More than a hundred small planes are stationed there year-round.
There has been talks of closing down (or to privatize) the airport during the last decade, for various reasons: the land lots are well-located and are zoned industrial, the city is unwilling to invest in the airport, and the airport could not get government funding to build a control tower and to expand the runway's length. Moreover, the poor condition of the airport (i.e. its runway and its buildings) would have needed considerable investments To counter the closure of the airport, users have founded a group (Mascouche Airport Owners and Pilots Association[3]). With more than 125 members, this group fought to keep the airport open, organizing many activities to stimulate interest in the airport.
Mascouche Airport was home to several flying schools and an important learning centre for new pilots. The airport offered an alternative to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (which charges landing fees). Moreover, Mascouche Airport offered an alternative to Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport flying schools, the former located on Montreal's south shore.
ALM Par Avion was one of the flying schools based in Mascouche. It operated a fleet of Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Piper Warrior PA-28 and one Piper Seneca PA-34.