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Woodcock Airstrip Clean-Up. Great Idea, Make it Happen!

6/12/2019

4 Comments

 
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The BCGA motto for 2019 is "Great Idea, Make it Happen!!" and that is exactly what the members of the Vanderhoof Flying Club did!

On the 2019 May long weekend members of the Vanderhoof Flying club and the BCGA flew and drove into the abandoned Woodcock Airstrip located on the banks of the Skeena River near Kitwanga in between Smithers and Terrace just outside Seven Sisters Provincial Park. Pilots came from as far as Chilliwack and Chetwynd.

The Woodcock airstrip was built in the 1940s by the RCAF as a detachment of RCAF Air Station Smithers.  All that remains of Detachment Woodcock is the crumbling runway.  The airfield was maintained as an emergency airfield after the war, but fell into disuse until 1969, when the  Terrace Skydiving Club began using it until around 2004, when the club re-located to Beaverley Airport. 

In the decades since it stopped being maintained the runway has become saturated with moss and saplings. Occasionally local pilots carefully pick their way through the over growth and use the airstrip to enjoy the remote backcountry and fish the Skeena River. 
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During the long weekend 11 pilots and 3 kids visited the airstrip to clear out a useable section down the middle of the airstrip. Using hand toold they scraped moss and pulled saplings. One member even found an old radiator in the bush and attached it to the back of his truck finding that it was a very effieient way to scrape moss off the cracked concrete. 
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Joy and Jason the lead organizers of the effort hope to make this an annual even and had this to say.

"All 3 couples drove in Friday night. Saturday, Bill was the first to fly in from Terrace for the morning. Then in the afternoon the Lauren’s, Ian, and Tyler flew in. The chainsaw needed sharpening by the afternoon so they had to wait til the next morning when Bill flew in with a sharpener to finish off clearing the trees they wanted gone. Jeff and Penny cleared the cut trees off of the runway and pulled that machine out of the way. Anne, Rick, Ian, Marty, Helki, Tyler and I scraped the runway. Jason, Bill and the rest of the guys helped out with getting those trees down. Marty was so proud to use his handsaw for the first time. Sunday we worked some more and then the planes took off one by one. Jeff and Penny departed Sunday afternoon as well. Rick/Anne and us took advantage of another night with the beautiful scenery and headed out Monday afternoon. The weather couldn’t have been better!

We had an awesome time at Woodcock this weekend! I want to once again thank you so much for your support of this event!! I love the fact that we made a bunch of new pilot friends and relationships developed along with the willingness of the different flying clubs to support each other in promoting the fun of aviation. I’m sending a copy of the receipts for the Saturday lunch."

​Thanks to the team's efforts there is now over 1700' of moss and sampling free runway to be used by pilots. The BCGA is proud to have sponsored lunch for this event.
4 Comments
Lyndal Michaud
7/8/2019 02:30:29 pm

Great to hear this airstrip is back in use. Planning to fly in there this summer. How much cleared runway do I have available?
Flying a Bellanca Scout.

Reply
jacob beaton
11/4/2019 06:29:59 pm

We just visited this airstrip for the first time this evening, and WOW, what a spot! Great work on the cleanup everyone, it looks amazing. What a gem. We just moved to the area and are excited to have this as part of our backyard! If there's another cleanup for this, add my to the list, and I will bring some local equipment.

Reply
Paul Polding
3/30/2021 05:59:24 am

My father and brother and brother-in-law used that airstrip in 1964-1966 as a training field for our Gyrocopter outings. My dad hoped to sell a lot of them in the north. Many weekends we left Terrace after my Dad and Mom's fabric store closed and we went up and down the runway practicing takeoffs and landings in our Bensen Gyrocopter. We slept in an old barn on the property, probably long fallen down, but my memories as a young teenager at that airstrip are permanent and indelible. The highlight was crossing the Skeena on an old rope ferry which used the current to push it across. It was rickety and vintage but worked like a charm. Any vestiges of that old ferry remaining? What memories of an awesome old airstrip in the mountains of BC ... unforgettable.

Reply
Chris Wyssen
4/11/2022 04:25:28 pm

Greetings. I live in Kitwanga bc, not far from the woodcock airstrip. In 1998 i puchased a buckeye powered parachute and been flying my kite to this day. Have my own runway on the ranch in Kitwanga. Sure would like to see more happen in the way of aviation in our area. If you need help fixing up the airstrip in woodcock, would love to be part of it. I have machinery tractor with 360 degree blade and 410 E John deere backhoe. We lost, over the years all the pilots, that flew in our area. The beauty of flying in this area is breath taking. I love flying the mountains and valley's and will continue to do so. The woodcock airstrip can be turned into a special flight recreational destination. Feel free to call anytime. 250 849 5530 sincerly yours Chris Wyssen

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