Island Innovation

Avatar for Lisa GordonBy Lisa Gordon | October 19, 2012

Estimated reading time 10 minutes, 37 seconds.

Summerside Airport on Prince Edward Island is operated by Slemon Park Corporation, a private development firm that also manages a hotel and conference centre, residential housing rentals, and sports and arena facilities on the grounds of the former CFB Summerside.

In 1989, the Conservative government announced that Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Summerside would be closed as a result of federal budget cuts at the Department of National Defence. Prince Edward Island’s second-largest city reeled under the impending loss of the base, an economic generator employing more than 1,200 area residents. At the time, Summerside’s future seemed bleak indeed. No one would have guessed that these dire circumstances would lead to the creation of a new economic powerhouse, in the form of a thriving provincial aerospace sector. But, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

By April 1, 1992, the entire military base – including 1,400 acres of land, the airfield, housing, hangars and other structures – was transferred to Slemon Park Corporation, a private, for-profit local development company. The Summerside Airport was established shortly thereafter, and the whole operation has been run by the Corporation for the past two decades.

“We developed the property around the two main pillars of aerospace and training,” Shawn McCarvill, president of Slemon Park Corporation, told Canadian Skies. “Those have been our pillars of development for the last 20 years, and they will continue to be. We can provide a lot of value in those areas.”

As a whole, the Slemon Park Corporation is a diverse entity that includes the Summerside Airport and six hangars, a hotel and conference centre, residential housing rentals, and sports and arena facilities. The largest hangar is the 300,000-square-foot, cantilevered Hangar 8, which is home to anchor tenants Vector Aerospace, Honeywell Aftermarket Services and Tronosjet Maintenance. Other aerospace companies, including MDS Coating Technologies Corporation and Testori Americas Corporation, are located in neighbouring buildings.

Slemon Park is also home to a wide range of non-aviation organizations, including the Atlantic Police Academy. Other public safety training is completed on site by the Canada Border Services Agency, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Department of National Defence and other federal government organizations.

According to McCarvill, the airport exists primarily to support Summerside’s aerospace sector, the seeds for which were sown back in 1992. Today, those seeds have blossomed into a robust commercial entity that represents the province’s fourth-largest industry, ranked right after agriculture, fishing and tourism.

“It’s going really well. One thousand people work here on the property,” said McCarvill. “Back in 1989 when the base closed, it was economically devastating for the city of Summerside. But since then, the economy has diversified and we have the aerospace industry we didn’t have 20 years ago. Along with the [Canada Revenue Agency] taxation centre established by the government, Summerside is much better off now.”

Working Infrastructure
Summerside Airport operates under a unique arrangement. As a privately-owned facility that is operated by Slemon Park Corporation, the airport offers a full-service FBO, a wide range of hangar facilities and onsite hotel accommodations.

Larry Gaudet, the Corporation’s director of marketing and development, said that despite a lack of regular commercial air traffic, there is steady aviation activity at the airfield. “Right now, the airport is used primarily by corporate, private and charter operators,” he explained. COPA Flight 125, a chapter of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, is based at CYSU. The PEI Air Cadets also utilize the airport for their annual glider training.

Gaudet added that over the years, Summerside Airport has welcomed a number of high-profile travellers, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their 2011 Canadian tour. Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld have both come through in the past year, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also visited the airport.

Slemon Park inherited three runways from the military, but only one remains active today, an 8,000 x 200-foot landing strip that is the longest on Prince Edward Island. That doesn’t mean the two non-commissioned runways are neglected, however. Slemon Park looks for new and innovative ways to maximize the use of every piece of infrastructure.

“The two inactive runways are used by the Atlantic Police Academy, Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP for vehicle training,” explained McCarvill. “A truck driver training school uses them as well. Moncton Motor Sport Club does its auto slalom rally on the Summerside ramp every year, too. The runways have a lot of applications above and beyond aviation.”

Twenty years after the closure of CFB Summerside, some members of the military still return to the airfield for training. “We provide training facilities for 413 Search and Rescue Squadron based at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S. They love to train here because it’s relatively free airspace,” said Gaudet. “We have a nice training market that we’ve established for aviation training organizations that want to come here. They can accomplish their training here in a relatively short period of time.”

With just 1,000 aircraft movements per year and more than 300 VFR days annually, the Summerside Airport offers the perfect climate for pilot training. Gaudet said Slemon Park is actively searching for a flying school tenant.

“When you look at what a flight school requires, we are a turnkey operation,” Gaudet explained. “We have an under-utilized airfield, relatively free airspace, hangar facilities, briefing rooms and lecture theatres, and accommodations, all within walking distance of the airfield. We’re adjacent to the City of Summerside. Those amenities are very attractive to any flight training organization. There are no existing flight training schools on PEI now, and we’d really like to bring one here.”

In keeping with its innovative track record, Slemon Park is investigating new frontiers as well. “We think this could be an excellent facility for UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] testing, demonstration and training,” said McCarvill.

Gaudet explained further: “Any sort of training activity on the aviation side is in our best interest. We’re going to promote the Summerside Airport for UAVs. This year, we’ll be looking at the feasibility of hosting that sort of training and testing here at the airport, depending on the type of UAV.”

Diverse Activities
In the meantime, utilizing the airport to its fullest means embracing a diverse mix of events and activities. In 2011, the Summerside Airport hosted its first full airshow since 1994. This past August, the airport was home to the Atlantic Canada International Airshow, which was one of only two 2012 shows to feature both the RCAF Snowbirds and the United States Navy Blue Angels aerobatic teams. Performers and fly-in spectators didn’t have far to travel for accommodations; the Slemon Park Hotel & Conference Centre is just steps away from the ramp. “I can’t think of another private airport in Canada where pilots can walk to their hotel,” said Gaudet.

Other special events held at Summerside Airport have included two national SAREXs [search and rescue exercises] and four national COPA events. As well, Slemon Park was the site of the athletes’ village for the 2009 Canada Summer Games, and the athletes walked from their planes to their accommodations.

“Summerside Airport is here; it’s active,” said Gaudet. “We try to keep as much activity going as we can.”

In a nod to the facility’s military roots, Air Force Heritage Park was recently established at Slemon Park, to commemorate 50 years of military history on the property. The park features three heritage aircraft: a Canadair CP-107 Argus, a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, and a de Havilland Grumman CP-121 Tracker.

Although it recognizes the facility’s historical significance, Slemon Park Corporation keeps its gaze fixed firmly on future horizons. The emphasis is on developing existing assets to complement the facility’s aerospace and training-focused tenants. McCarvill said this philosophy has worked well for 20 years, with Slemon Park’s revenues increasing steadily from year to year, and there’s no reason to change course now.

The future is not without its concerns, however. “One of the challenges for us as a private corporation is maintaining this large piece of airport infrastructure within the corporate revenue,” said Gaudet. “Since we’re not community-based, we don’t get federal dollars for maintenance. We’re on our own. Over the long term, it will be a big challenge for us. We need to continue to grow and develop the aerospace industry to support that infrastructure.”

Although the main runway is in good condition today, at some point it will need resurfacing, and McCarvill said that’s going to be a huge financial challenge for Slemon Park Corporation. Nevertheless, he is pleased with how far they’ve come. After the doors of CFB Summerside closed, Canada’s island province proved that vision, innovation and hard work can indeed open a new door to a prosperous future.

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