Just like snake oil salesmen at a carnival selling to the gullible.
Are all District decisions based on bunk?
“The sheer stupidity of the District’s decision…”
“Shockingly terrible decision on Muskoka Airport” Buying snake oil is like that.
“There are lies, then there are damned lies…” From the snake oil salesmen.
“It is a serious mistake from both a safety and an economic perspective…”
“Muskoka airport will become a monument“ to sheer stupidity.
Undue influence is alive and well in Muskoka. Just like the Greenbelt. Is the District also going to close roads because a few businesses prefer to build on top of them instead of beside them?
District councillors should be ashamed of themselves.
An appalling mistake for Muskoka.
Even Doug Ford admitted his many mistakes, reversed course and apologized.
Is the District going to do the same?
The District destroying a public asset to benefit a single business with undue influence sounds like something Ford would do. In spite of the latest and earlier consultants, and many others, showing councillors there is plenty of land for development available beside instead of on top of a runway and that leaving the grass runway intact is the best long term plan.
Just like there is plenty of land for housing without using the Greenbelt.
The District is utterly and completely dysfunctional. Not unlike Trump.
“The truth doesn’t matter, facts don’t matter, morality doesn’t matter.”
Regarding https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/massively-over-budget-district-cans-grass-runway-project/
“This is beyond foolish. The CEO and the Board have lost the confidence of so many pilots, businesses and public experts with their persistent pressure to push this very limiting agenda and flawed airport plan.”
The six month rule preventing the District from correcting their mistakes elapsed Sept 2022. Scroll down for pictures of the recommended solutions from the District’s consultants that were ignored/forgotten.
Even when it was CRYSTAL CLEAR councillors had been misled for years they still bought the snake oil.
Sheer Stupidity.
As you can see in the video Council was prepared to reopen the grass runway in July 2022 when they were told the alternate new runway 12-30 was not viable. It never was. Councillors were finally aware they have been misled all along and were not happy their time was wasted by airport staff for 2 years. The airport CEO was even called “flippant” by a councillor for suggesting the neighbour’s trees would be cut down by the District without their permission. Go to 15:00 on the video.
Councillors need to tell the snake oil salesmen to stop talking.
Video of July 2022 is here:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/784981370/3e538e4e18
Then they forgot about all that in May 2023. Fish have longer memories. Most of them have no idea the damage they have done to our Muskoka asset.
Just like Council was prepared to reopen the grass runway in 2021 as well.
Fish have short memories.
Teaching District Council.
You are wasting your time attempting to educate District council on any subject. Local pilots and others with aviation competence have tried to teach council a little bit about airports and aviation for the past 3 years since the flawed airport plan with the agenda to close the grass runway was presented to council.
This was after the moratorium expired. 13 years ago an enlightened council was listening and voted to protect the grass runway with a moratorium for 10 years.
Turns out councillors are really bad students.
Instead of listening to facts, like a previous council, they desperately clung to the bunk presented to them by the airport CEO and chair.
Even if it kills someone.
There have already been 3 accidents as a result of closing not only the grass runway but the grass area beside the main paved runway as well that pilots use.
That area has nothing to do with development or the grass runway at the south end.
Skiplanes are also banned. Descriptions of the accidents directly from the pilots involved were sent to councillors. Airport staff continue to falsely claim to council there have been no issues. Bunk. Snake oil.
Local pilots seem to be the enemy of airport staff.
The airport CEO even made an entirely false, infuriating, very derogatory statement about an extremely experienced test pilot killed at the north end in 2017. I asked The Transportation Safety board, who investigated that fatal accident, for their report. The facts from the investigation thoroughly debunked the false statement from the CEO.
Unlike the current airport management, the TSB does not make false, damaging, unsubstantiated claims. They deal in facts based on evidence, not fiction.
I asked the District to publicly retract the statement and remove it from the District’s records. Response? Crickets. It seems making an entirely false, infuriating, very derogatory statement is fine so long as it comes from District staff.
The animosity towards the truth and pilots who are the users that are responsible for most of the takeoffs and landings at the airport is totally unacceptable. Let alone the incompetence.
A previous council, a previous consultant, the latest consultant and all those with even a modicum of aviation competence all agree the grass runway at the airport should be maintained for now and for the future. The unqualified and dangerously incompetent airport CEO and chair disagree with all of the above for some unknown reason.
Airport staff demonstrated how dangerously incompetent they are in an email exchange with myself regarding my safety concerns of the alternate runway 12-30.
According to staff “A Cessna 172 take off performance over a 50 foot obstacle only requires 1440 feet of runway.” :…therefore, 1850 feet provides sufficient length”
The correct takeoff length required is 1900 ft not 1440 ft
1990 ft on long grass as is usually the case here. Staff failed to correct for field elevation, temperature and surface (grass vs pavement).
Making very basic aviation mistakes like that is what gets pilots and passengers killed. Incompetence. Even student pilots are aware much longer takeoff runs are needed under conditions as described.
Solution? Simply build beside the runway instead of on top of it. That was the conclusion of a report from the latest consultant that council asked for. The building should have been completed by now except for the airport CEO and chair.
Overall long term costs favour Strategy 2, maintaining Runway 09-27 according to TetraTech, the latest consultant.
Least expensive airport solution was discussed then ignored.
More comments regarding cost.
TetraTech concurred a large parcel in the western quadrant could be used for those purposes (the mystery new business). Only the western quadrant is the area of concern presently.
There never was a valid reason to close the grass runway or that it’s closed right now.
How much would it cost to reopen it?
ZERO dollars.
Video of that presented to council in a Jan 2020 delegation is here:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/711738306/af9d151e20
Ron Brent is a very experienced commercial pilot and owns and operates many grass and gravel airstrips. He ran the air show which included the Snowbirds here in the past. He is advising on Parry Sound’s airport expansion. He labelled Muskoka as the most unfriendly airport he’s ever been to. He also described how the grass runway saved a female pilot’s life.
Here is Ron’s whole delegation. At the time, 2 of the 3 accidents had occurred. He described them at the end of the clip. Airport management claimed they didn’t know about them.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/711730946/ddea1bdc08
Of course two runways at 90 degrees makes any airport safer and more usable. That’s obviously why all major airports have runways arranged like that to drastically cut the angle of dangerous crosswinds. The airport CEO and chair stated the opposite and this council bought the snake oil.
Hook, line and sinker.
Are all District decisions based on bunk?
It is documented that Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board, Environment Canada, Cessna (aircraft manufacturer), airline and local pilots have all thoroughly debunked the misinformation presented to council by the airport CEO and chair.
In July 2022 council was made aware the new alternate grass runway 12-30 presented to them in 2020 was bunk. It never was viable. Nothing to do with cost. At all. For some unknown reason airport staff was still talking about cost this year.
Zero due diligence was done by the airport before it was presented. Incompetence.
The neighbours won’t allow their trees to be cut down so that project was dead last year. The CEO suggested the trees would be cut down without the owner’s approval. That remark was called flippant by a councillor. Councillors finally realized they have been misled all along as you can see in the video.
Video of July 2022 is here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/784981370/3e538e4e18
Council’s time was wasted for two years regarding 12-30. Reopening the grass runway was the next step to maintain a second runway. Then council forgot about all that this year. Fish have longer memories.
Council initially resisted the bunk for many years but in May this year they folded like a cheap suit. Dangerous bunk over obvious facts. Duped.
Why would airport staff resort to fiction to push an initiative past council?
1. Because it works. At least in Muskoka.
2. Because the facts do not support the initiative at all.
Some councillors even officially abdicated their responsibility and blindly voted to approve whatever the two unqualified, incompetent individuals were pushing.
They could have been pushing to close the main paved runway as well to build a golf course and condos and council would have blindly approved.
Staff really run the District of Muskoka and make the decisions. Council here just blindly rubber stamps them. To be fair not all councillors were fooled by the obvious bunk presented to them. Just the majority. Attempting to teach District council is a waste of time.
“The only thing that seems to remain consistent is the opposition.” Correct.
“What I’ve heard consistently is emergency landings, strong winds east-west is the prevailing [condition]and that airplanes sometimes need to land. I would far rather see them land on a less-than-perfect grass runway than having to move a little bit north and use Hwy 118, if you will, to land that airplane…”
Some councillors get it. Most do not.
Airport staff and the latest Council seem to prefer we use Hwy 118 now.
In fact there are no standards for grass runways. There are only 23 suggestions from Transport Canada with “should” in front of every one of them instead of “shall.” See suggestions with “should” in red below.
It is not credible that these were misinterpreted as requirements resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars “required” to “bring the grass runway up to standards.” Bunk.
This was pointed out to councillors and confirmed by Transport Canada. The District has NEVER followed all of the suggestions and that’s fine. Almost no airport does. They are all optional. After 80 years the grass runway doesn’t suddenly need to be crowned as was stated. More bunk.
Anyone with even a modicum of aviation competence knows all this. Pilots all know grass runways are all “use at your own risk.” Many are far worse than Muskoka.
Simply a NOTAM for a rough strip is all that’s needed. Same as 2019 when it was open. Nothing has changed.
The nonsense Report 8(2021)-1 – 2021 Options for Runway 09-27 (Grass Runway) makes no sense to me so I asked Transport Canada about it.
It makes no sense to them either.
The regulations cited in the report have nothing to do with a grass runway.
The regs require a Safety Management System and Emergency Response Plan. No exemptions obviously.
Transport Canada officially stated: “I will say that the Airport has never asked for an exemption against their Safety Management System or Emergency Response Plan.”
Twice more in 2022 reopening the grass runway was imminent. Then Council flip flopped in May this year.
It has been stated to Council it’s EITHER development OR the grass runway.
Not true.
It can easily be BOTH as an earlier and the latest consultant recommended. See their layouts below.
You might think elected councillors would make the decisions here based on documented facts from those with competence and then direct staff what to do.
Nope.
It seems unelected staff make the decisions and councillors blindly rubber stamp whatever they decide. Tail wagging the dog.
Democracy is just a facade in Muskoka. The dysfunctional District is a farce. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.
This Council, unlike an earlier enlightened council, will be known as the one that destroyed the airport’s future, destroyed the historic Norwegian grass runway, reduced safety and usability forever and reduced the viability of existing businesses at the airport that have operated here for 50+ years.
Instead of Council directing airport staff to maintain and improve the public facility, like many nearby airports, airport staff have gone backwards and destroyed the future of our airport.
Staff actually pleaded with Council to approve this disastrous plan. And they did, reluctantly.
“Now it will be a failing airport, to become a questionable business park at best.” A publicly funded private airport subject to the whims of the “owners,” airport staff.
All to benefit a single tenant.
For no reason at all.
Simply build beside instead of on top of a runway as an earlier and the latest consultant recommended.
Council must ignore the nonsense from the snake oil salesmen and direct airport staff to reopen the grass runway to prevent further accidents and preserve the Muskoka jewel entrusted to them from the federal government.
To be fair, not all councillors were fooled by the nonsense. Just the majority.
“It takes a big man to admit a mistake.”
Is District Council big enough?
We will see. It’s never too late to do the right thing.
You might think making many, many entirely false statements to council would be very career limiting. Apparently not. At least in Muskoka.
All of the above has been presented to councillors multiple times by multiple competent people for multiple years!! in the form of delegations, emails, powerpoints and even in-flight videos. District response? Crickets.
But this council prefers snake oil from the incompetent. Incredible. Sheer stupidity. Are all District decisions based on bunk?
Following are the proper future layouts recommended by an earlier and the latest consultant. Maintaining the grass runway 09-27. Also Transport Canada’s optional suggestions for grass runways. Somehow airport staff misinterpreted “should” to mean “shall.” 23 times. The District has never followed all of the suggestions. Few airports do. That’s fine, they are all obviously optional.
Proper airport development in Orillia. Beautiful new restaurant. People go to the airport just to eat at the restaurant and watch the planes. They are also adding a runway while Muskoka goes backwards rapidly and closes the one into the wind most often. Are airport staff here also destroying the Norwegian museum at the airport? On top of destroying the historic Norwegian grass runway?
Rows of hangars for aircraft in Orillia and expanding. Airport staff in Muskoka are chasing aircraft away.
Snake Oil Salesmen at a Carnival 