Province pumps $1.6M into Virden airport

VIRDEN — The province is spending more than $1.6 million to improve safety and expand traffic at the Virden Regional Airport.

“This is an important investment that will encourage regional development and job creation in Westman,” Northern and Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard said on Monday.

A portion of the $1,650,000 from the province will go toward a better weather information system for pilots.

The improvements will support 24-7 medical transfer flights, said Simard (Brandon East), who held a press conference in Virden for the announcement.

“It’s really important to have this type of infrastructure here and what it means for someone having a medical crisis, so that more Manitobans can get the care they need when they need it,” Simard said.

The new Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) can transmit information like wind conditions, temperature, air pressure and precipitation, enabling STARS Air Ambulance to make critical weather-based decisions.

“It’s a big deal,” said Scott Andrew, who is a pilot at the flight school Air Andrew in Virden. “For guys that aren’t familiar with the area, it’s (important). Every airport should have one.”

Andrew said the information from the AWOS is not only helpful, it makes flying safer.

“The more information you have, the safer it is,” he said.

Andrew said the system will also tell helicopter pilots, who have different safety standards than planes, when to avoid the area and land somewhere safer instead.

The provincial funding will also be used to cover the cost of a runway extension and new lights for the taxiway and runway. The lights the airport uses now are about 25 years old, Andrew said.

The runway extension will allow pilots to descend up to 250 feet from the ground, from the current 500 feet, when approaching the airport, which means it will be easier to spot the runway.

“To be clear of cloud at 500 feet and 250 feet from a pilot’s perspective, it’s a really hard one to describe,” he said during the press conference. “That 250 feet is the world most days.”

Virden Mayor Tina Williams said there will be more peace of mind with the upgrades.

“As a person who lives here (in Virden) and has never had to be on one of those medical transports, I’m thrilled that if I need it, I know that they’ll be there,” she told the Sun.

STARS was able to land at the Virden airport before, but was more susceptible to being rerouted because there was no AWOS system.

Williams said the airport will help the entire town grow. She said it will encourage more people who grew up in the area to stay at home and will boost the town as a more attractive place to move to for others.

She said that’s mainly because of STARS, as people will have more peace of mind knowing that service is always there if they ever need it. And because Virden is on the Trans-Canada Highway, she added, the town sees more people with emergencies.

Williams also said it will help the surrounding municipalities, as farmers already use the airport for agriculture.

The airport was built in 1940 as a training facility during the Second World War and was nearly shut down in the decades after the war, but community members rallied for it to stay open.

Simard said this funding should allow the airport to at least double its lifespan.

“We hope this updated and expanded airport will serve the people of Virden and the surrounding community for another 80 years to come,” he said.

» alambert@brandonsun.com