Bahadir Acuner <bahadiracuner@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Which airport would be a better alternative to fly in if the
>final destination was Vancouver? I just don't want to pay $$$$
>for a Piper Archer at CYVR.
Bahadir,
It all depends on where you are going in the Vancouver area.
Boundary Bay (CZBB) is sort of the official GA airport for Vancouver.
Being South of town, it is easily accessible from the U.S. The last
time I was there (about ten years ago) facilities were pretty minimal,
but adequate. Being on flatlands near the coast, the place is rather
inhospitable.
East of Vancouver, there is a whole string of GA airports in
the Fraser delta: Pitt Meadows (CYPK), Langley (both about the
same distance from downtown as Boundary Bay) and Abbotsford (CYXX,
considerably further). Abbotsford usually has some waterbombers in
residence.
Be aware though, that North of the border you are supposed to
bring your own tie-down material. And if you do not want to go
to the hassle of dealing with customs, Bellingham is the place to
go.
And now that you mention $$$, you do realize that US customs
charge a yearly handling fee per aircraft? So unless the aircraft
has the 2002 customs sticker attached, you have to pay up! (At
least this was the case I last flew in the US/Canada, way back in
1994)
Kees de Lezenne Coulander
-- =
C.M. de Lezenne Coulander
Aircraft Development and Systems Engineering B.V.
Hoofddorp, The Netherlands
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