THOMPSON VALLEY SPORT AIRCRAFT CLUB

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Airstrips

(At the top of the page, Tony's airstrip as seen in a satellite picture.)

Note: Most of these are private airstrip. The owners are not responsible for your actions, and will not be liable if you screw-up! Phoning ahead for permission to land would be a very good idea!

NAME LOCATION NORTH WEST RUNWAY
Knutsford Along Hwy #5, 8 Km south of Kamloops 50°35.921' 120°18.532' 13 and 31
Heffley Just North of Heffley Mill 50°51.096' 120°16.496' North-south
Niels Johnson South-west of Chase 50°44.373' 119°41.014' East-west
Larry Dee Up the hills, South of Pritchard Bridge 50°39.557' 119'47.662' East-west
Dave Jones Along river, east of Monte Lake turn-off 50°38.751' 120°21.942' East-west
John Lauder North-east of Quilchena 50°11.896' 120°20.897' North-south
Quilchena East side of Hwy #5, by Nicola Lake 50'09.651' 120°29.718' North-south
Tony Bellos 4 miles south of Kamloops 50°37.387' 120°18.537' East-west
Merritt North of Merritt 50°02.563' 120°49.823' North-south
Winterhalder South of Salmon Arm 50°37.146' 119°12.646' 05

Knutsford: .......... If you come in for for a landing on 13, first you go over Knutsford Hill, then some power lines, then a duck pond. The grass runway slopes up a bit sharply for 100 feet after you go over the fence. No use touching down too soon, you have 2800 feet to do it. The main wind seems to make this approach the most common. Miles of fields all around.

Heffley: .......... Very smooth grass strip. Just North of the Heffley Tolko Mill, on the west side of the highway. Private strip home to two local flyers, Wally Walcer and Dean Perry; they have a double hangar at the north end. You can come in above the Mill at the south end, or over the trees at the north end.

Niels Johnson: .......... South-west of Chase, a clearing on the forrested hillside. Sloping east towards a small pond surrounded by trees. (Not a good place to abort a landing...)

Larry Dee: .......... Smooth dirt-and-gravel strip, very well maintained; lower at the middle . South of the Pritchard Bridge, almost totally surrounded by trees, except on the north-east side. Also a hill at the west end. Pasture fields on the north side. With my Beaver, I can dive in from the west end, or slip in low from the north-east end over the fields. Bill Davidson has been landing his 185 there without problems.

Dave Jones: .......... East of the Monte Lake turnoff, by the South Thompson River, just north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The strip is the road to the house and hangar. If coming from the west, watch out for the Hydro transmission wires. Not for the faint of heart!

Quilchena: ........... Well maintained, very smooth gravel strip. Halfway down the east side of Nicola Lake, along #5 Highway. Surrounded by fields on the north end and side, historic Quilchena Hotel and ranch buildings on the south end, Golf Course at the south-east.

John Lauder: .......... North-east of Nicola Lake, on the hillsides, not far from the BC Hydro sub-station.

Tony Bellos: .........One kilometer north of Knutsford strip. Sloping to the east. Tall Ponderosa pine at the west end. Length 1200 feet.

Merritt: .......... Municipal airport. Some 4000 feet of blacktop, easy approach from the north side over miles of flat fields . Watch for the Helicopter base at the south-east end of the strip., Communication tower some distance from the south end.

Harry Winterhalder: .........On the east side of a beautiful valley, south of Salmon Arm, in Harry's hayfields. Very smooth and flat. You land on 05, it takes you straight to his farm.