NoneCA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-1146
-
1954 ft
CA-BC
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 53.951668° N, -122.831665° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: COW2 COW2
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Unknown (estimated circa late 2000s)
The heliport was likely a private, special-purpose facility tied to specific industrial projects, primarily forestry and logging operations. Its closure was not due to a single event but rather the cessation of the contracts or projects it supported. As logging operations in the immediate vicinity concluded or moved, the need for the heliport diminished. The subsequent expansion of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club over the land also made its continued operation as a heliport unfeasible, leading to its formal de-registration and abandonment.
The site of the former Otway Heliport has been completely redeveloped and is now part of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, a major year-round outdoor recreation facility. The exact coordinates of the heliport now point to a parking lot, lodge, and trailhead area within the ski club's grounds. The land is extensively used for cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowshoeing in the winter, and mountain biking and hiking in the summer. There are no visible remnants of the heliport.
Otway Heliport's significance was purely operational and local. It served as a logistical staging area for the helicopter industry supporting the forestry sector, which is a primary economic driver in the Prince George region. Operations handled from this site would have included:
- Transport of forestry crews and equipment to remote work sites.
- Heli-logging operations, where helicopters lift felled trees from difficult terrain.
- Support for silviculture activities, such as tree planting and aerial surveying.
- Potentially serving as a forward base for BC Wildfire Service helicopters during fire season.
It was a functional, industrial heliport, not a public airport, and was vital for the specific companies that used it, but it held no major historical or public significance.
There are no plans or prospects for reopening the Otway Heliport. The land has been fully repurposed for public recreational use. Re-establishing an industrial heliport in the middle of a popular and busy ski and bike park would be impossible due to land-use conflicts, noise complaints, and significant safety concerns.
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