In honour of Saskatchewan Archives Week, the Melfort and District Museum recently held a coffee and conversation to discuss the history of the Melfort airport.
Roughly 30-40 members of the public gathered, which included former and current pilots, who’ve had their fair share of experience at the local airport.
One of those people was Harold Fast, who currently lives in Spiritwood and runs the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) for Kids in Saskatoon.
The program introduces children to general aviation each year, by taking them on flights to peak their interest in the industry.
Although a veterinarian by trade, Fast owns his own plane and has a landing strip on his property.
Because of the recent warm weather, he was even able to fly to the Melfort airport, to take in the presentation.
Another lover of aviation who was at the event was Doug Chisholm.
Chisholm ran the coffee and conversation on Wednesday, as he’s been flying since he was 16, he was an aircraft mechanic for 35 years, he has a hanger at the local airport, and he’s currently a board member of the museum.
“I think one of the main points that I have to contribute towards this would be that there’s a lot of activity going on, currently, at the Melfort airport,” explained Chisholm. “Its capacity has doubled in the last 10 years since I came here, going from seven hangers to 15. There seems to be a lot of interest in aviation right now in and around Melfort, and that’s a good thing in my world.”
One of the key points discussed, which Chisholm found particularly interesting, was that the airport wasn’t always where it is today.
Prior to 1961, the airport was downtown, roughly where the Melfort & Unit Comprehensive Collegiate, would stand today. Since then, it has also undergone a name change.
In its history, it has been used for agricultural spraying, limited commercial flying, mail, hospital goods, and local travel/hobbies.
And while it may not be as big as it once was used for, at least in the importing and exporting industry, Chisholm believes it’s still a huge part of the community.
“I think Melfort is a strong, vibrant community, and the airport is part of that. There are people with money around here, and some of them have an interest in airplanes, and they’ve got nice airplanes, and they look after them, and they got hangars to put them in… it’s a good thing.”
This was seconded by Kalyna Livingstone.
Livingstone is the municipal project manager for the City of Melfort, and with it now being owned by the city, it is one of the projects that she oversees.
“There is lots of activity out there, especially during the planting and harvest times, due to the aerial applicators, crop checking, and everything that’s done by airplane, and they all fly out of Melfort,” she said.
“I do know that the air ambulance plane uses it quite often… personal planes are still a large factor with the Flying Club, so we certainly see the airport as an asset for our community, and we’d like to be able to maintain this service because we think we’re in a pretty optimal location.”
Because of this, the city has done a number of upgrades in the past, including taxiways, excavation, and lighting.
Livingstone added these have been essential, as the future of the airport and the possibilities it may bring, depend on it.
“We serve quite a large area, especially for those in further northern communities, and I also think that as different industries move into the area, or if there is more resource mining or things like that, we may see more activity out of the airport, and maybe even to attract that kind of development, we need that service in place.”
Saskatchewan Archives Week is used to ‘connect to the vast amount of history and heritage the province has to offer and bring Saskatchewan’s archives into the spotlight.’
–
Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter @BenTompkins_8
