Courtland Tillsonburg Flying club
1143 byerlay side Rd Norfolk County, ON, Canada

Waiting for spring...... Have a good weekend.

Jan 10 morning flight

January 7th flight in the kitfox.

Figured I might as well make first tracks in this snow and did some circuits despite the low ceilings. Also kept the string going. Someone has flown from Courtland everyday this year. Jan 3rd

https://youtu.be/ks7GhI8d8q0

Today was the last work day of the addition to the club hangar. The work crew wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and safe new year.

https://youtu.be/sLweCeGSwHE

Part 1 of December 23rd flight, Courtland, ON https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kO7QkyKrXT0&feature=youtu.be

Although only momentary, the J3 Cubs out numbered the Champs today in Courtland. The new Clubhouse corner is well on its way to being enclosed. A tarp permitted a trial run and get out of the chilly air.

December 23rd celebration of life flight for my Dad Ron Riley. Every December 23rd since my Dad's passing in 2016 I have been able to fly to celebrate his life. Dad started out his career as a bush pilot in the North. He moved on to instruct and then opened his own flying school at Grand Bend CPL4. He moved over from flight instruction in the 70s to aircraft mechanic in the 80s. He was also an avid homebuilder and recreational pilot. In the late 90s he began an ultra...light school as a side job. I think that he did that mostly to put his son through. I lost him to cancer December 23rd 2016, so now as long as I am able to physically and for weather permitting, I will continue to fly to celebrate his life on this day. Merry Christmas to everyone. All the best to you and your family. Stay safe, I look forward to a more normal time somewhere down the road. See more

My quest to explore Long Point tonight not enough time to play but it is truly beautiful. Getting used to my new area. Just have to find all the cool grass strips to visit.

Shameless Kitfox video plug.

Some pictures from my wife from Sunday at Courtland. Life's short, fly lots.

I would say the challenge has been put out there. We have the planes and the pilots to do the same thing in Courtland. Yes , some practice and ground sessions first but what do you think? As I recall, the day this video was taken had winds that kept most pilots on the ground so kudos to this group.

Although the days are still very nice flying weather, the nights sure are getting started earlier than a month ago. It's also been a while since I last wrote so here are some activities that have transpired recently. First, the Club Champ has continued to perform wonderfully and actually got so many hours that we needed a mid year oil change. It has provided 3 students the opportunity to learn to fly, all of which are in the process of completing the written portion of thei...Continue reading

Saturday afternoon fly out. Introduce a couple extra flyers to the group and you get guided to airfields off the beaten path.

Flying news from Courltand Last I wrote, the Courtland Flying Club was just coming back to life after a long Covid shutdown. Things have continued to move along as our Saturdays have adjusted well to the increased personal spacing while still being able to improve our mental health without too greatly risking our physical health. As for the Club Plane, I think it is safe to say it has not flown as much in recent memory as it did in July. The combination of flyable weather eac...h morning and evening, combined with 3 active students has kept the dust from settling on its wings. Our group,as a whole has been out an around including multiple flyout visits to York and Ayr Flying Clubs. Related to this, three of us were headed out on an adventure to a grass strip in Iona which would have been good material for a future newsletter. Instead, the adventure provided some great stories of a different type that ended in landing in a wheat field and removing the wings to transport it home until I can get the engine fixed. I will work on that story in the future but for now, the event was more of an inconvenience than it was a problem. In the end, you can never tell when a valve is going to go through a piston. While the little 65 hp Continental is certainly fixable, I think it is maybe time to get a stronger 85 hp engine like the Club Champ has. That of coarse slows down the repair process as one must first locate the donor aircraft. All is not lost and I should have the solution in a week or so but as to when it will be ready to pull a plane into the air, that depends of the condition inspection. Although I know it is short notice , York(Senneca Flying club) has decided not to have their "official" annual Open house Sunday Aug 9 but said the Courtland group was welcome to come over for a visit if we wanted and that there would be more activity than normal for a Sunday. Sounds like an invitation to me. Since we are well into August at this point, I hope everyone has been able to get out and enjoy some sunshine and flying time. Until later, Land when you need to and fly when you can.

Beautiful courtland evening sky

Decent Lunch BBQ turnout. Thank you all for coming

A good morning at Courtland field

Courtland Flying Club activity returns For a few weeks now the local plane owners have been out having some fun on Saturdays. Word got out so to speak and July 4th seemed like a good day for families to come for a visit. Luckily it is a big property and there is room for everyone. It was likely one of the busier airports for aircraft movements in Southern Ontario as well Oddly enough, the flying continued through to Sunday as well. Certainly open cockpit aircraft should be ou...t in the heat. And the Club Champ, which was not flying due to Covid shutdowns, was in the air this weekend accumulating over 6 hours. Good news for sure. And the burgers were good too if you were lucky enough to get one. The group at Lubitz field was also up and running this past Saturday but I did see more flying going on in Courtland. It felt so good to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. I occasionally get accused of sneaking my own aircraft photos in to the newsletters so this time, I have a few others. And we will see you again Saturday coming.

A great day at Courtland today! I am getting my one year old daughter started young.

Canada Day turning point Courtland./Tillsonburg Flying Club When I was 16 years old I broke my leg. (Horses can be dangerous) and remember thinking when I heard the news, 4 months to heal. I wished I could just go to sleep and wake up 4 months later , all fixed up. I gotta say, the same thought has crossed my mind this summer. It didn't work back then and it is not working now. At some point, one has to realize that this is a reality and it's time to figure out what we can... do given our current circumstances. Here is where we are at. Most of the Courtland field group have decided it is time to get their airplanes out and blow some dust off them. We mostly fly alone and there is certainly more than 6 ft between hangers or airplanes when flying, so lets assume that just being at the field or flying a plane is a relatively safe operation. The last couple Saturdays have been pleasant weather-wise and I would have to say there as been more than normal activity around the field with most planes being out to fly and be washed and tinkered with. Lionel's new hangar is getting steel on the roof if you have not stopped by to see the progress. Anyways, after being at the field the last couple Saturdays, the lack of something to eat at lunch time as been sorely missed so..... The first Saturday of July, which is the 4th, we will fire up the BBQ and do some burgers. If you are out and about, flying or otherwise, stop in to see some aviation occurring and maybe grab a burger. As for the club plane, we have 3 students who have requested to get going, so as soon as we can get the insurance activated, the Club plane will be back in the air after a month off. Last week, Dave S had a photographer on the field to do some promo photos. Besides the ones he wanted, there were a few bonus photos. Below is one of a Clip Wing Cub copy doing its thing mid field. In a non flying photo, a pair of Champ copies met up on a play date the past weekend. For now, that is the current news. Courtand Flying Club

Story update. July 4 2020. Saturdays are once again a thing. If you would like to see some flying and maybe have a burger, come on out. Summer flying fun, will it happen? Unlike print publications, I am sitting here in real time pondering our season and this newsletter. Generally, I try to rally the troops, to get like minded individuals to come together and enjoy our sport. But,currently, we are all forced to stand in line on a dot, keep our distance and wonder just what we ...Continue reading