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The village of Killarney, Ontario on the north shore of Georgian Bay, now a fly -in tourist destination, was inaccessible by road for 130 years. After the introduction of aviation the community regularly relied on seaplanes for supplies and communication. In 1962 a 68 mile highway connected Killarney to the outside world and a paved runway was eventually established adjacent to the village. Killarney and the nearby Crown Jewel of provincial parks is now a tourism focal point because of its spectacular scenery and geography. As a result the number of float and amphibious aircraft visiting the area increases every year. A flying visit to Killarney from any direction covers a dramatic terrain of lakes and forest and the rugged shores of Georgian Bay. Killarney is easy to spot from the air. The Killarney harbor is a mile-long channel oriented East/West like a water runway. This very convenient facility can give rise to a conflict with the many pleasure craft that frequent the channel, many of which are based at the various marinas along the north side of the harbor. About 20 years ago the Municipality of Killarney received a complaint alleging that some seaplane pilots were operating carelessly while landing, taking off and taxiing on the step in the channel. As a consequence the Enforcement Branch of Transport Canada, in consultation with an experienced local seaplane pilot, developed an informal set of guidelines for landings and takeoffs in the channel that would prevent conflicts with waterborne traffic. These procedures, together with a sketch of the harbor, were circulated throughout the seaplane pilot community. Generally speaking, pilots made every effort to comply and conduct operations safely. Last fall, however, a number of Killarney citizens reported what they claimed were reckless practices by several amphib pilots. This caused a tempest in a teapot that reached all the way to Transport Canada, COPA and the seaplane pilot community. Some members of the local airport committee were contemplating recommending to the Municipal Council that the Killarney channel be closed to landings and takeoffs. These rumors caused a flood of protest from pilots everywhere. Had this recommendation been brought before the Municipal Council the Councillors would have been faced with a serious dilemma. Throughout the controversy I consulted regularly with Kevin Psutka, the president of COPA. At the same time Kevin was bombarded with messages from seaplane pilots who were alarmed at the prospect of restricted access to Killarney. Kevin's sage advice calmed the troubled waters with all the parties involved, including the Municipality of Killarney. Like many other COPA members he urged that a compromise be established that would permit continued use of the channel while protecting the waterborne users. I took his counsel to heart and saw a way to achieve those very ends. By applying to Transport Canada to establish Killarney Mountain Lodge as a registered aerodrome I was able to replicate the earlier agreement with TC in a formal depiction in the Water Aerodrome Supplement. It was published in March of this year. Our premises already provided all the requirements for a water aerodrome including docks and an amphibious ramp, together with dry-land parking and mogas. We only had to add a wind sock. Throughout this exercise I received strong support from all quarters of the aviation fraternity. Most important of all, however, was the advice and moral support of COPA. the
late Maury
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