Under the radar; Scanning the horizon for more Dryden Airport development.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: SPECIAL REPORT DRYDEN/KENORA

In the height of the summer fire season, Dryden Regional Airport is a rollicking place.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It's not uncommon to see as many as 16 government waterbombers from provinces across Canada parked on the apron and as many as 200 personnel on site with firefighters camped out in a tent city.

There's helicopters lifting off, 737s landing with firefighters and detection planes buzzing about, on top of the regular private plane traffic and daily passenger service from Bearskin Airlines.

In all, that amounts to between 14,000 movements annually. For the City of Dryden, the facility represents a $14 million annual impact in the local economy.

But it's capable of so much more.

That's why an Industrial/Commercial Development Strategy is underway to map out a 20-year plan to assess and upgrade the facility's infrastructure and air service development plan. The aim is to develop the airport to its fullest potential by determining the demand for airport land and the market potential to attract new businesses as industrial or light commercial tenants.

"We would like to see more non-airside development," says airport manager George Friesen. "Aviation in small airports tends to be cyclical and if you can have more non-aviation on the ground-side that would offer greater financial stability."

At 6,000 feet, Dryden has the longest runway between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, with all the capabilities of handling whatever traffic goes into the Lakehead city.

Two development concepts are on the table for long-term strategy.

One calls for eliminating a 2,200-foot turf crosswind runway, which runs diagonally across the main runway. In its place, a definitive hangar line would be built on the south side of the airfield with small lots set aside for new business or future expansion of the Ministry of Natural Resources' fire management centre.

The second concept calls for retaining the crosswind strip, thereby reducing the footprint for commercial development, with more area added for general aviation clients.

"That would take a major investment and we're not exactly flush with cash," says Friesen. The cross-wind runway is used by local pilots less than a dozen times a year.

There's also potential opportunity in the areas of medical evacuation, resource protection, and pilot and aviation technician training.

Even creating a mix of residential properties isn't out of the question.

"There are people who like living at airports," says...