10/08/2026
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Ottawa Flying Club faces loss of airport home base ahead of centenary ‼️😢
Do you think it’s fair for the Airport Authority to displace a flying school that predates the commercial airport? This flying club goes back to Charles Lindbergh
And does anyone know what the “major airfield project” actually involves?
Is this a necessary move for the Airport Authority ? The same AA that closed our 32 spotting area without warning.
The North end has room for expansion
Random thought, why not move the rental cars off the air field
The Ottawa Flying Club’s lease expires in 2028 as Ottawa International Airport prepares for a major airfield project.
In practical terms, the club is facing the loss of its longtime home — just as it approaches its 100th anniversary.
That’s especially significant considering how many pilots trained at the Ottawa Flying Club have gone on to careers with airlines operating in Ottawa and across Canada.
The Ottawa Flying Club has called what is now Ottawa International Airport home for decades, but that chapter could soon come to an end.
Located at the north end of the airport property, the private flying club is currently home to more than 100 students, approximately 50 members and 16 aircraft.
Its lease expires on March 31, 2028 — the very year the club was scheduled to celebrate its centenary. Instead of preparing to celebrate 100 years at its longtime home, the club is now facing the possibility of having to leave.
The club’s president told CTV News that it is still hoping to find a compromise with the airport.
“The other option is we fold,” he said. “That would be a tragedy.”
Club signed ‘final lease’ in 2021
The Ottawa International Airport Authority says the flying club exercised its contractual right to one final lease term when it signed its current agreement in 2021. That lease expires March 31, 2028.
The airport authority acknowledges that the club predates commercial operations at the airport and says it is believed to be the last flying club of its kind operating at a major Canadian airport.
Founded in 1928, the Ottawa Flying Club has grown from humble beginnings in a two-storey clapboard house into a modern aviation facility with an aircraft hangar, full maintenance and inspection facilities, and a lounge overlooking the airport.
Today, the club operates as a Transport Canada-approved training unit and career college, offering private and commercial pilot training, aircraft rentals and sightseeing flights.
However, the airport authority says the club’s location on the north field is required for a planned “major airfield project.” The area includes a 1,006-metre runway currently used exclusively for light general aviation.
What do you think? Should there be an effort to preserve the Ottawa Flying Club at the airport, or does the airport’s planned expansion take priority?
https://rcmpveteransvancouver.com/july-1927-little-known-story-of-charles-lindberghs-visit-to-ottawa/
