Picton Airport

Picton Airport
Picton Airport (CNT7), Ontario, 28 May 2013
IATA: none ICAO: none TC LID: CNT7
Summary
Airport type	Closed
Operator	PEC Community Partners
Location	Picton, Ontario
Time zone	EST (UTC−05:00)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation  AMSL	465 ft / 142 m
Coordinates	43°59′21″N077°08′21″W / 43.98917°N 77.13917°W / 43.98917; -77.13917
Map
CNT7 Location in Ontario Show map of Ontario CNT7 CNT7 (Canada) Show map of Canada
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 2,580 786 Asphalt 10/28 2,550 777 Asphalt 17/35 2,520 768 Asphalt
Source: Canada Flight Supplement [1]

Picton Airport is a decommissioned ^[2] airport (formerly: ( TC LID : CNT7)) which is located on the southeast side of Picton, Ontario, Canada, near the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. The airport and aerodrome were permanently closed in 2025.

Prior to its closure, the airport was used for general aviation, including glider flying. The runways have also been used for competitive, amateur automobile racing events such as arm-drop drag races ^[3] and autocross with the St Lawrence Automobile Club. ^[4]

Royal Canadian Air Cadet glider tug at Picton

Redevelopment

The site was sold in December 2021 ^[5] to a group of investors with plans to redevelop the site while keeping and restoring the heritage buildings from the former air training base. It was re-branded as "Base31" and has begun hosting entertainment and cultural events on site. ^[6]

History

During World War II, the airport hosted the No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, operating Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke, and Westland Lysander aircraft. ^[7] In 1953, the Prince Edward Flying club took over operation of the airport. The airport was known as CFB Picton. The airport was owned by Loch-Sloy Holdings Limited from 1970 until it was sold in 2022. During the summer it was home to the Air Cadet Gliding Program along with CFB Mountainview. The program is now run entirely out of CFB Mountainview. It was also used for motor-sport events such as autoslalom by the St. Lawrence Automobile Club. ^[8] There were also regular "Armdrop" drag racing events ^[3] and tractor pulls were held here as well in 2010 and 2011. In 2005, the base served as the Driver Rehabilitation Centre for Canada's Worst Driver. ^[9]

See also

• List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities in Canada

References

1. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
2. "Base31".
3. "Armdrop Drag Racing". armdropdragracing.com. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
4. "St. Lawrence Automobile Club".
5. "Picton Gazette - New Life Promised for Former Camp Picton".
6. "Base 31 Website".
7. Hatch, F. J. (1983). The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. ISBN   0660114437.
8. "Welcome to the Home of St Lawrence Automobile Club (St LAC)". Welcome to the Home of St Lawrence Automobile Club (St LAC). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
9. Robertson, I. (2013). Camp Picton Wartime to Peacetime. Bloomfield, Ontario: County Magazine Printshop Ltd. ISBN   978-0-9683109-6-0.

External links

• Page about this airport on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory