HISTORY

BEGINNINGS

In 2006 and 2007, Lloyd Richards encouraged pilots from Timmins and North Bay to attend the Michigan Air Tour. The feeling was: "We should do this in Ontario". The reasons ? To encourage pilots to expand their horizons by flying to different airports, to develop camaraderie between pilots in Ontario and Quebec, and to emphasize the benefits of the airport to the communities visited.

The Organizing Committee was formed, and met in North Bay on a Sunday morning in January 2008. Attending were COPA President Kevin Psutka, APBQ President Gilles Lapierre, Timmins rep Lloyd Richards, North Bay reps Ron and Carol Cooke, Marc Charron and Sudbury rep Saul Cartman. The result of that meeting was the creation of The Interprovincial Air Tour (IPAT).

Carol and Ron Cooke were the primary organizers through 2017. The IPAT has followed a consistent format, spanning a Thursday to Sunday in June. It has included some enjoyable flying, as well as some very interesting activities and great food. It continues to be a great success. After 2017, Carol and Ron retired from organizing the Tour. Lee Arsenault and Marilyn Staig volunteered to take over the reins.

From the start, there have been participants from Michigan, and many Canadian IPAT participants fly the Michigan Air Tour also, which is held each September. Strong friendships have developed.

At each airport, a plaque was presented to local dignitaries and/or airport management acknowledging the importance of their airport to the community.

IPAT HIGHLIGHTS BY YEAR

2008 CYYB North Bay -> CYTS Timmins -> CYEY Amos -> CYVO Val-d'Or

Dinner cruise in North Bay, gold mine tour and Shania Twain museum tour in Timmins, Wildlife tour in Amos, overnight in Val-d'Or. Weather forced cancellation of lunch in Killarney.

2009 CYND Gatineau -> CYMW Maniwaki -> CYUY Rouyn-Noranda -> CYSB Sudbury

Vintage Wings Tour Gatineau, Water Bomber static tour at Maniwaki, overnight in Rouyn-Noranda, Science North at Sudbury. Great Weather!

2010 CYGK Kingston -> CSL3 Lac-à-la-Tortue -> CSD4 Mont-Laurier -> CNY3 Collingwood

1000 Island Boat Cruise Kingston, Engine shop tour at Lac-à-La-Tortue, zip-lining at Mont Laurier, overnight in Collingwood.

2011 CYCC Cornwall -> CYQB Quebec -> CYVO Val-d'Or

Nav Canada tour at Cornwall, city tour on your own at Quebec City, gold mine tour Val-d-Or. Weather was awful. Many people cancelled and the rest ended up on buses or flew IFR.

2012 CYQA Muskoka -> CYYU Kapuskasing -> CYAM Sault Ste. Marie

Dinner cruise Lake Muskoka, Train museum Kapuskasing. Weather bad in the Kap and had to cancel Sault Ste. Marie

2013 CYZE Gore Bay -> CYAM Sault Ste. Marie -> CNK4 Parry Sound -> CPS2 Elmhirst

Fish hatchery Tour Gore Bay, Dinner and tour at the Bushplane Museum Sault Ste. Marie. Overnight at Parry Sound but weather forced us on buses to Elmhirst

2014 CYSC Sherbrooke -> CYHU St. Hubert -> CYSH Smiths Falls

Amazing dinner cruise at Sherbrooke (highlight of ALL tours), city tour on your own in Montreal, overnight in Smiths Falls

2015 CYQS St. Thomas -> CYPT Pelee Island -> CYZR Sarnia -> CYKM Kincardine

Dinner on antique train and tour of train museum in St. Thomas, wine tour at Pelee Island, dinner cruise in Sarnia and fish hatchery tour at Kincardine

2016 CYRO Rockcliffe -> CSZ3 Mont Tremblant -> CSC3 Drummondville -> CYSU Summerside

City tour on your own at Ottawa, chair lift at Mont Tremblant, overnight in Drummondville and optional extension to Summerside (only 7 planes went due to weather)

2017 CPS2 Elmhirst -> CNS8 Morrisburg -> CNL3 Brockville ->CYOO Oshawa

First night in Elmhirst, Pioneer Village tour at Morrisburg, 1000 Island Dinner cruise at Brockville, McLaughlin Car Museum at Oshawa

2018 CNJ4/CNV6 Orillia/Lake St. John -> CNP3/CNB5 Arnprior -> CST3 St. Lazare / CSD4 Mont Laurier / CRL2 Westport / CSY4 St. Donat -> CNP3/CNB5 Arnprior

Dinner in Orillia and perhaps the Leacock Museum. Dinner cruise on the Ottawa River. Saturday fly outs to choice of four airports. Evening hangar party with magic show and bluegrass band.

2019 CYCC Cornwall -> CYRI Riviere du Loup -> CYCH Miramichi

Cornwall Nav Centre Tours. Talk by the Gimli Glider Pilot. Fly-outs over the Saguenay. Whale-Watching. Lunch fly-out to Summerside, PEI. Miramichi kitchen band.

2020 - Cancelled due to COVID-19

2021 - Cancelled due to COVID-19

2022 CNQ3 Welland -> CYCE Grand Bend

Winery Dinner. Tour of New Goderich Aircraft Restoration. Fly-outs to Windsor or Wiarton. Entertainment by Dave Hadfield

2023 CYQA Muskoka -> CYRQ Trois Rivieres

Boat Cruise, Fly-outs to Base Casey and Charlevois, Sugar Shack Dinner

QUESTIONS ?

If you have questions about the event, please contact
LeeMar@InterprovincialAirTour.org