Bissett, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0052
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- ft
CA-MB
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 51.008354° N, -95.421925° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: JB9 JB9
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The exact date of official closure is not publicly documented. However, the aerodrome was likely decommissioned and removed from official publications like the Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates the airstrip has been in an unmaintained and deteriorating condition since at least 2004.
The closure was almost certainly for economic reasons. The airstrip was primarily a government-maintained facility for remote access. The high cost of maintaining a remote gravel runway, combined with provincial budget constraints and shifting operational priorities, likely led to its decommissioning. The existence of the nearby Bissett Airport (CJB6) and the widespread use of more versatile floatplanes for accessing lakes in the region made this specific land-based strip largely redundant.
The site is an abandoned airstrip. The physical runway, a gravel/dirt strip approximately 3,000 feet long, is still clearly visible from satellite imagery. However, it is unmaintained, with significant vegetation growth on the surface and edges, making it completely unsuitable for aircraft operations. There are no remaining airport buildings, lighting, or navigational aids on the site. It now exists simply as a long clearing within the forest of Atikaki Provincial Park.
Wallace Lake Airport was a registered aerodrome that served as a vital government and recreational access point in a remote wilderness area. Its primary function was to support the operations of the Manitoba government, specifically for the Department of Natural Resources (now Manitoba Conservation and Climate). It was used as a staging area for forest fire suppression crews and water bombers, and for providing access for conservation officers, park staff, and geological survey teams operating within the Atikaki Provincial Park. Additionally, it served private and commercial operators, including fly-in fishing lodges, outfitters, and private pilots seeking access to Wallace Lake and the surrounding region.
There are no known or published plans to reopen the Wallace Lake Airport. The prospects for its reopening are virtually zero. The significant cost required to clear, regrade, and certify the runway, combined with its location inside a protected provincial park, present major financial and regulatory obstacles. With floatplanes serving the local lakes effectively and the Bissett Airport available for land-based aircraft, there is no practical or economic justification for reactivating this specific airstrip.
Runway is gravel. As of May/2016 runway is in very good condition with some loose crushed rock/gravel on surface. Caution on shoulders/edges as are much softer than main operating surface of r/w. Runway is maintained by MB government Dept of Conservation for use as required as SEAT reload base. Before use, is recommended contact with Lac du Bonnet Fire Centre to obtain any required permission for access and for any know runway conditions. Use caution on t/o and landing as runway is crossed by road serving small quarry a cpl hundred metres north of runway edge. Also has been known to be used by ATVs and trail bikes. Very suitable for most a/c in size up to PA31 or Cessna 400 series or even Twin Otter....depends how much flying gravel you're prepared to risk. Lots of parking area in SE corner.Main issue to using runway would be any squirrelly cross-wind caused by relatively narrow clear-way in which r/w is situated....other than that , enjoy your flight.