George Miller will never forget the night he took off from 91原创 Regional Airport during an earthquake.
It was 1994 and Miller was taking a special flight with former Township mayor John Scholtens, in a ceremony to open the runway lights.
鈥淚 had all the lights off in the airport and I drove the aircraft up in complete blackness with just the taxi lights on,鈥� Miller, former manager of the airport, recalled.
There were 150 people watching as Miller handed the mic to Scholtens, who said, 鈥淭ower, let there be light.鈥�
鈥淎ll of a sudden everything was all lit up and it was beautiful,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淏ut here was the amazing thing, halfway down the runway there was an earthquake, and we didn鈥檛 even feel it.
鈥淓veryone said to us, 鈥榶ou realize that right as you were taking off, there was a real ground tremor here?鈥� But we didn鈥檛 know that, we just flew the circuit and landed.
鈥淚t was so funny, I will never forget that. It is one of my great memories.鈥�
Since the airport first opened in 1938, there have been many more stories like that told.
Several 91原创 politicians shared their favourite memories during the airport鈥檚 75th anniversary ceremony on June 22.
Township Mayor Jack Froese says he once took pilot lessons at the airport many years ago before his business started taking up most of his time.
Councillor Charlie Fox remembers in 1973 when he came to the 91原创 Airport to train for his commercial pilot license. He and good friend Terry Blair took off in a Piper Cherokee to go to some logging roads at Harrison Lake and 鈥渘ever made it home.鈥� They ended up on the side of a mountain.
鈥淭erry Blair now flies 747s, or he used to fly 747s out of Hong Kong, and I became a teacher,鈥� Fox said.
Councillor Steve Ferguson recalls 鈥渢he shortest flight鈥� he鈥檚 ever been on with another former Township mayor, John Beales, one afternoon.
鈥淲hen we were up in the air there, John had this funny look on his face,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 know for sure, but I think the engine stopped. He said, 鈥榳e鈥檙e going to land.鈥� John wheeled that right into Don鈥檚 repair shop right after the flight.鈥�
MP Mark Warawa will always remember flying in a vintage Waco hand crank plane with his longtime friend, Arne Olson.
As Olson would crank the plane and jump inside, it was Warawa鈥檚 job to pull the little blocks out from the wheel before he would climb inside.
鈥淚t was frightening,鈥� Warawa recalled. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e had many incredible experiences here.鈥�
Over the last 75 years, the airport has become a significant part of the community, Miller said.
鈥淚 think the important thing from an airport perspective is that the airport users, whether they鈥檙e aviation or aerospace industry businesses or whether they鈥檙e general aviation recreational pilots, they鈥檙e very much in community spirit together,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey really feel like they own the airport. And the community does, too. The Township and the City of 91原创 and Aldergrove 鈥� it鈥檚 the same feeling. And to me, that鈥檚 what makes this airport work.鈥�
When the airport first opened, it was just one of many emergency landing fields built across Canada. But when the Second World War broke out, it was taken over by the Department of National Defence and used as a training base under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
When the war ended it was leased to the Township of 91原创 and in 1967 the municipality purchased the site from the federal government.
Today, the airport is home to 48 businesses, 27 of which are helicopter companies, and employs 280 staff. With more businesses planning to move in, there are expected to be a couple of hundred more jobs added within the next year and a half.
鈥淭oday there are very few communities that are fortunate enough to have an airport, and if they handle it right like the Township has 鈥� which is to make it grow and have an economic impact on the community 鈥� it鈥檚 huge,鈥� Miller said.
鈥淗ow many communities have not handled their airports right? The Township has handled theirs right by keeping control of it, so it鈥檚 a big thing in the community.鈥�
Miller鈥檚 son Guy took over as airport manager on Jan. 3, but the elder Miller, a one-time Canadian Forces Snowbird pilot, remains a consultant to the Township on airport operations.
