Sable Island Aerodrome

Sable Island Aerodrome, (IATA: YSA, TC LID: CSB2), is located on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term aerodrome is somewhat of a misnomer in this case since there is no actual airport infrastructure nor is there a runway on Sable Island. The designated landing area is the hard sand of the Island's south beach. It has been registered as an aerodrome (and therefore has an entry as such in the Canada Flight Supplement) in order to facilitate approval of a GPS approach. Sable Aviation operates a Britten-Norman Islander that makes regular flights to the beach from Halifax Stanfield International Airport; it is the contracted fixed wing service provider for Sable Island.

Sable Island Aerodrome
Sable Aviation's Britten Norman Islander parked on the beach runway
Summary
Airport typePrivate
OperatorParks Canada
LocationSable Island, Nova Scotia
Time zoneAST (UTC−04:00)
  Summer (DST)ADT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL4 ft / 1 m
Coordinates43°55′46″N 059°57′35″W
Map
CSB2
Location in Canada
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 1,500 457 Sand

Prior permission is required to land at this aerodrome.[1] Prior to aircraft landing or taking off, the Operations Coordinator of Parks Canada's Sable Island Station must thoroughly inspect the area in use that day to ensure that it is not too soft. This is accomplished by driving a truck (the only vehicle allowed on the island) up and down the length of the landing area, thereby marking out the "runway". Too much rain will render the sand too mushy to safely land the aircraft; conversely, in the heat of summer dries the sand to such an extent that the area similarly becomes too soft to support the weight of an aircraft.

Although tidal cycles do not affect the south beach, storm surges occasionally flood the entire landing area to a depth of more than a foot, rendering it unusable for fixed-wing operations.[2]

Sable Island Station Helipad

With prior permission from Parks Canada, rotary aircraft (helicopters) can operate from the Sable Island Station helipad (TC LID: CST5).

References

  1. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. Sable Aviation FAQ
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