Edmonton municipal (city centre) airport closure is a local hot topic. This blog may not have an underlying message but as "Bob Layton" from our local radio station says, it may be a good way to vent and say good bye.
I won't get into the debate about why it should or should not be left open. That has been done and obviously the professional presentation to keep the airport alive has not convinced the people who hold the power. I 'm holding back right now because I can think of about ten good reasons it should stay active off the top of my head....however...
This airport has history, for alot of people, for me personally I was 17 years old when I started working at the Edmonton Flying Club as a dispatcher. The building is still there and still looks the same. When I drive by it, I can glimpse back in time when I was a young teen with my first real job. (Yes, I once was a teenager). I went on to refuel and groom the aircraft and then finally apprentice as a mechanic. At that point I left Edmonton to go to school for my apprenticeship.
I did come back to work at different hangars around the airport periodically over the years. Over those past years I have watched the airport go from a vibrant transportation hub, all different sizes of aircraft from commercial, corporate, flying schools and private recreational to a sad neglected quiet field.
I recall, you could finish a hard days work and walk across the street to the local establishments for a beverage and be sure there would be someone to sit down and chat with from the aviation community. The aviation community is a tight one and this airport was a neighborhood and a mutual meeting ground for everyone all over the provinces and territories. There was and is no other place like it.
Of course this is my history, long before me it was a World War II aircraft training post. A walk through the the museum at the airport is well worth your time. Actually, quite amazing what went on a this little airport.
I guess I am one of those people whom are effected by the closure at the heart of the matter.
Its like watching a loved one die a slow and painful death with all her dignity forcefully taken away. You almost wish they would pull the plug and get it over with because you can't bear to see her it this state anymore when you know the inevitable is coming. May be a little over dramatic to others but it is exactly how I feel about it.
I just wish I lived in Edmonton so I could vote next go around!
JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta ,Canada
2 comments:
I'm deeply saddened by this decision. A part of our history is being destroyed for money. I'm ex airforce and a private pilot and fly out of Centennial. I always loved taxiing around the airport and seeing all the different aircraft there and feeling that when you are here you are somehow tied to the history as well. I just cannot imagine the airport gone and housing built in its place. To me at least Edmonton has lost some of its charm.
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