Sarnia Chris Hadfield
There's actually two airfields I like to visit in Sarnia, one is the main airport and the other is a small private field a couple of miles away on the old 81 highway called Reeces Corners http://archive.copanational.org/PlacesToFly/airport_view.php?pr_id=1&ap_id=1141
Reeces is a small grass field about 2000 feet long and is easily spotted from the air by the large airplane that was mounted on a post and is used as a wind direction indicator. I understand the field is now for sale so I'm uncertain of it's future. The guys who fly out of their are certainly a friendly crowd and I'm sure I provided many of the old-timers there alot of amusement when I first started flying my RV4 from there several years ago and would regularly land about 1.5 times faster than I should have, making good use of the ENTIRE runway.
Of course the main field is named after Canada's favourite astronaut and is also uncontrolled. There's a mock-up of a V2 rocket parked off to one side of the field painted in patriotic colors (see below) that I'm sure more than a few satellite photograph intrepreters have done double takes over the last couple of years. Actually, it's a advertising vehicle from the former space race team Canadian Arrow.There's some new developments with the former Canadian Arrow team lead, Geoff Sheerin that will be of interest to Sarnia aviators that I hope to post in the near future however, currently his latest project is still under wraps.
I like Sarnia airport if only it's because my mother lives five minutes from the field and I can always count on transportation back to her house for a nice meal when I visit. Having said that, the last time I was there, one of the operators of the Huron Flight school was very kind to let me borrow her vehicle to run into town-that's not to say you should expect a loaner when you go there, but it's the kind of hospitality, that when offered, always comes as a pleasant surprise.
The photo above was taken a couple of years ago when I taxied to the end of the field only to develop a minor engine problem. Fortunately, the airport is not so busy that you can't pull your plane back to the ramp for investigation without causing a major incident.
Reeces is a small grass field about 2000 feet long and is easily spotted from the air by the large airplane that was mounted on a post and is used as a wind direction indicator. I understand the field is now for sale so I'm uncertain of it's future. The guys who fly out of their are certainly a friendly crowd and I'm sure I provided many of the old-timers there alot of amusement when I first started flying my RV4 from there several years ago and would regularly land about 1.5 times faster than I should have, making good use of the ENTIRE runway.
Of course the main field is named after Canada's favourite astronaut and is also uncontrolled. There's a mock-up of a V2 rocket parked off to one side of the field painted in patriotic colors (see below) that I'm sure more than a few satellite photograph intrepreters have done double takes over the last couple of years. Actually, it's a advertising vehicle from the former space race team Canadian Arrow.There's some new developments with the former Canadian Arrow team lead, Geoff Sheerin that will be of interest to Sarnia aviators that I hope to post in the near future however, currently his latest project is still under wraps.
I like Sarnia airport if only it's because my mother lives five minutes from the field and I can always count on transportation back to her house for a nice meal when I visit. Having said that, the last time I was there, one of the operators of the Huron Flight school was very kind to let me borrow her vehicle to run into town-that's not to say you should expect a loaner when you go there, but it's the kind of hospitality, that when offered, always comes as a pleasant surprise.
The photo above was taken a couple of years ago when I taxied to the end of the field only to develop a minor engine problem. Fortunately, the airport is not so busy that you can't pull your plane back to the ramp for investigation without causing a major incident.
Approach to main runway at Sarnia
Taken on approach to the main runway at Sarnia. Highway 402 can be seen at the bottom of the photo.
Sarnia Airport Glory Days
This photo was taken at Sarnia airport in 1977; Back then, Freddie Laker was a name everyone recognized and this is a shot of my grandfather boarding one of his Convairs for a short hop to Toronto. Freddie was most famous for being the first to introduce "no-frills" airine service and challenged the suggestion that flying was only for the wealthy. Unfortunately, that mindset still is prevalent in many ways today and is one of the major stumbling blocks in keeping some airports operating. Too bad.
Sarnia's V2 Rocket
This is a shot of the rocket mock-up you'll find tucked off on the east corner of the Sarnia airfield. During the X-prize race, Geoff Sheerin,hoped to build this rocket as the Canadian entry but was ultimately beat out by the very wealthy Spaceship One team from the United States. He did however build a full scale, functioning rocket engine to power his ship on a shoe-string budget and at least a handful of big-wig aerospace movers were suitably impressed enough to continue financing his dream of space travel with a new project which he is currently working on for a major aerospace company. The project is still under wraps but I'll be sure to post some news as soon as he lets me. The picture incidentally, was taken with myself and Geoff in front of the rocket mock-up in Rockefellor Square in downtown Manhatten.
Rocket engine
Some of the parts I made for Geoff's rocket engine Oxygen injector in foreground, fuel injectors in background. I made the fuel injectors on a Hardinge GT lathe and the oxygen injectors on a Mori Seiki SL-15 so it was quite amazing to think that these parts had been manufactured accurately and in large quantities on manual lathes by slave labour more than 60 years earlier.
Step 1 for rocket engine
Fuel injectors assembled into the burner cup.
Step 2 for rocket engine
Burner cups assembled into engine head
Test stand
Assembled engine ready for testing. A large portion of the project was made possible by the generous donations of private sponsors-the test stand was built on a little used gravel pit outside of Lucan so as not to draw too much attention.
If at first you don't succeed...
Recently I touched base with Geoff and was pleased to hear that he is still pursuing his dream of space travel and continues to attract the attention (and support) of major space companies such as Lockheed Martin. (Geoff and wife at centre)
