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January 11, 2020 - by Sylvain Faust for fliegerfaust.com

(Version en Français: "Nouveau Spectacle Aérien à Mirabel en Septembre 2020 - Volaria!")

A Quebec version of Oshkosh in Mirabel?

According to information provided to me over the past few months, a major aviation event is being prepared for Quebec.

September 24 to 27, 2020, in fact, Mirabel Airport (CYMX / YMX) will be the site of an unparalleled deployment for all those interested in aviation, from experienced professionals to aspiring aviators or even fans who dream of everything that flies!

Although there were some classic air shows from 1995 to 1999, the so-called "Volaria Aeronautical Festival" will likely be the very first such large-scale event held in Mirabel since it opened in 1975.

If the comparison with Oshkosh remains difficult to support for the moment, especially since there will be held in 2020 more than one hundred of these "air shows" of various sizes in the United States and Canada, we cannot really pass beside. And even if it's not a circus, nothing prevents anyone from referring to the biggest show in the world today by thinking a little much about the legendary Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. . .

EAA AirVenture, which is now the official designation for this aeronautical mega-show, in its own way placed Wisconsin on the map, attracting 625,000 spectators in 2018. And this is a 5 percent increase compared to 2018, yet already considered a record year. Before Mirabel gets close to that, it's going to be a long time!

Another example of a particularly successful event is the Sun N 'Fun, held at Lakeland International Airport, southwest of Orlando, Florida. The event attracted more than 200,000 visitors in 2017-18, which is not trivial either.

After having missed its primary vocation as Montreal's main international airport, intended to replace Dorval, Mirabel is used mainly for industrial aeronautical purposes, in addition to serving as a home port for the main air cargo carriers.

Several companies related to aviation (Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, Nolinor, Bombardier, L3Harris Technologies, Avianor and several others) are therefore bordering the runways which also serve DHL, Federal Express, Pascan, Cargojet and UPS for the Montreal region and punctually, a few other carriers.

Recently, flight schools have also been installed there. Mirabel Airport is equipped with two large 12,000-foot runways. The longest runway at Montreal International Airport, the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau (CYUL/YUL), it should be remembered, measures 11,000 feet. Mirabel also offers a profusion of space for use for multiple purposes related to aviation.

From what I have learned, business people with extensive aviation experience are part of the production team for this event. Big names have already agreed to participate in this aviation event.

Fly-In

What makes Oshkosh so popular is that it is above all because it is an event for the general public but also for pilots or aircraft owners because they can get to the event aboard their own plane. A whole support organization then becomes necessary and therefore remains to be planned in order to manage the massive arrival and the parking, then the departures, of the private planes which wish to come and land to participate in this adventure.

ADM

"Aéroports de Montréal" (ADM), a non-profit corporation responsible for the management, operation and development of the Montreal and Mirabel airports, is also one of the organization's key partners, because its leaders perceive without any doubt the initiative as an additional promotional tool to ensure that Mirabel becomes a world class aeronautical center.

In the same vein, you can then understand why "big names" such as Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, and CAE will spontaneously be among the companies that will sponsor the event.

"Night" Air Show

What can we expect from the deployment of so many specialized resources? First, there will be many air shows, not just during the day! Yes, also at night!

And it would also be possible for visitors to camp on site for the duration of the event. Several aeronautical exhibitors will be present, both for the specialized public of those who can already take control of an aircraft, as well as for those who wish to become pilots themselves, and, ultimately, for the general public fans of aviation.

For experienced aviators, we can expect, for example, the presence of companies of the caliber of Garmin, whose aviation products enjoy a worldwide reputation, or Foreflight, now owned by Boeing, with its very popular Foreflight iPad/iPhone application, as well as many other companies in the field.

Aviation buffs will surely expect the presence of many models of old and recent aircraft, both civilian and military. In addition, the landing fees normally in effect for aircraft landing will be suspended for the duration of the event, for the benefit of the owners of the aircraft traveling there.

You have to understand the scope of the logistics of such an event, the infrastructure necessary for the smooth running of activities. We are talking here about health services, food, traffic and security, all aspects for which Mirabel Airport is not currently prepared.

Mirabel Airport never stopped operating

I can only congratulate those who had the idea of such an event at Mirabel airport that many, uninformed, think closed. No, Mirabel Airport never stopped operating. We can even say that its use generates an overflow to the point where Nav Canada will increase the air traffic control service as of January 30th. Read "NAV CANADA - Reopening Of The Control Tower At MIRABEL Airport YMX/CYMX - January 30, 2020".

We should also welcome the existence of Mirabel Airport for the development of the aeronautical sector, allowing Airbus (and Bombardier before) to assemble planes and carry out its test flights there. Ditto for Pratt & Whitney and its Boeing 747 dedicated to testing the engines of their factory present on site.

None of this is part of the use of the airport as envisaged at its origin, but, in the end, we can only note that this is an evil that has caused a very great good. More than 4,000 jobs are directly linked to Mirabel airport and if Airbus decides to set up a new assembly plant there, there will surely not be enough space! Go Airbus Go. Read "AIRBUS: 800% Bigger Installations at Mirabel Airport in Quebec - Taking Options For More Land".

In addition to congratulating the promoters of this new event, I am hopeful that they will not try to do too much for this first "Mirabel AirShow". Better to aim smaller by looking for quality, to let the event grow by itself year after year, and develop naturally.

I just wrote "year after year" ... For Mirabel, this event will be every 2 years because this "Air Show" will move alternately with another site in Quebec. Where? Ah… I can't say everything!! Do I hear Bagotville?

More information will be available on volaria.ca

Sylvain Faust for fliegerfaust.com

Video below - Mirabel Airport 1987 Airshow - by Olivier Lacombe

Mirabel YMX Airshow 1987 / Spectacle aérien de Mirabel YMX 30 mai 1987 www.youtube.com