Gore Bay, Ontario, Fly-Out

August 2020 – Many aviators in Ontario may be familiar with the Gore Bay airport on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. The island is known as the largest fresh water island in the world.

For many of us this has been a favourite stopping point on the way to and from Oshkosh. As well as a road bridge connecting the island to the mainland Sudbury area, the island is also served by a car ferry, the Chi-Cheemaun, from Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula of Southwest Ontario.

Trillium Aviators organized a very successful fly-out to Gore Bay-Manitoulin Airport (CYZE) on July 25.

Gorgeous approach to CYZE on Manitoulin Island.

Trillium Aviators is basically a well-supported, loosely organized mailing list that seems to successfully arrange fly-ins without a membership requirement or a meeting space of their own. Ivan Kristensen, from Guelph, Ontario, is the event organizer, and by the time you read this they will have had another undoubtedly successful fly-out to London, Ontario, which was scheduled for August 6.

Those BC visitors.

Chris Cox had flown his RV-7, C-FCOX, from Vancouver and a friend had flown his RV-10, C-GVRP, from Victoria, British Columbia. They showed up unannounced to surprise their friends.

Social distancing at a fly-out!

A total of 24 aircraft flew to Gore Bay for the event, and 36 flew to the previous event at Goderich, Ontario.

Well-attended fly-out to Goderich on the shores of Lake Huron.

Ivan mentioned that there are approximately 100 names on his mailing list and they try to make around 15 fly-outs to Ontario airports in the flying season. They were delighted with the reception by Robby Colwell, Gore Bay airport manager, and are certain to go back.