Ontario "cottage country" is one of the most spectacular places in Canada to see fall colours. Those colours, depending on where in Ontario you live, usually begin in early September and continue through the province into about mid to late October. In the area of Westport, Ontario, the colours were about 20% changed in early October when the Rideau Lakes Flying Club and COPA Flight 56 had their last fly-in of the season.

Though the weather wasn't ideal with some low cloud and a stiff breeze, they still had a pretty good turn out of aircraft with 18 flying in. Some had been to one or two of the Rideau Lakes previous fly-ins and others where there for the first time. Regardless, all enjoyed a delicious meal consisting of a sausage and bun, potato salad a cold beverage or a hot coffee and a piece of pie, choosing from pumpkin, lemon meringue, apple, blueberry, cherry or raspberry, all from Mrs. Garrett's Bake Shop in Inverary, Ontario, about 20 minutes north of Kingston.

The fly-in also has some great volunteers who help with the cooking, serving, vehicle parking, and aircraft marshaling & parking. Some of the volunteers are relatively local but some drive an hour or more to come help out. The flying club has about 20 members, 10 of which are COPA members. Regardless, all are very welcoming and are often seen chatting with visiting pilots or those local folks who make the drive from the village of Westport on Upper Rideau Lake and surrounding area.

As mentioned, in the autumn, the leaves on the trees and other plants begin to change from green to different shades of yellow, red and orange, making the landscape a kaleidoscope of colour. If you've never been to an area where the colours of autumn are so vibrant, make plans next autumn to visit somewhere where colours change, whether that's Ontario or somewhere else in Canada or the northern United States where the colours explode when the weather cools.

Some of the aircraft that made the trip included a lovely Maule, a powerful and excellent STOL aircraft. Maule Air began in the early 1940s and was founded by Belford D. Maule. This first aircraft design was a "Bee-Dee" M-4 which first flew in 1957. Since that time, Maule has produced at least 14 different aircraft from the M-4 to the M-9. Their stall speeds range from 28mph to 46mph, depending on the model & engine, with Vne from 145mph to 162mph. Flying these aircraft as a bushplane became popular with the aircraft wearing tundra tyres or amphib floats. For a small aircraft their payload range was also impressive. From the M-4 at 2300lb gross weight to the M-9 coming in at 2800lb gross weight. Though most are tail dragger configuration, some have been outfitted to fly with tricycle gear.

The Canadian designed & built Christavia originated in the Belleville, Ontario area by Ron Mason for use in Africa for missionary flying. In fact, the aircraft name stems from "Christ-in-Aviation." The first Christavia was completed in 1981 and first flew in 1982. The fuselage is fabric covered & is built of steel tube construction. The remainder of the aircraft is wood and is also fabric covered. The aircraft is homebuilt from plans, originally offered by Mason, who sold the rights to Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Company who now offer them to interested builders. The most common engine for the build was a Continental 65hp though some have been built with a 100hp engine. The Mk I is a tandem design whereas the Mk II is side-by-side seating. Performance of the Christavia is a 105mph cruise, a 40mph stall and a range of about 350 miles. According to several Christavia owners, it is a fairly docile aircraft and flies much like an Aeronca Champ.

One of the more unusual aircraft to visit was the Europa XS Monowheel, a sleek looking, low wing monoplane with a somewhat odd landing gear configuration. The main wheel as well as the wing 'outrigger' wheels are retractable in flight while the tail wheel is not. The Europa was first designed in 1995 and is typically outfitted with a Rotax engine ranging from 80hp to 115hp. Stall speed, with flaps, is 44mph and, with the Rotax 914 Turbo engine, the aircraft can see a cruise of 200mph! Range varies depending on engine and whether the aircraft has been outfitted with long range tanks, with the shortest range at 416nm and the longest range at 930nm.

Two American registered aircraft were on hand including a gorgeous Cessna Cardinal 177RG. The Cardinal is the more powerful sister of the 172 and was originally intended as a replacement to the 172. The aircraft has no wing struts and full retractable undercarriage with the RG model giving it better performance than the 172. Also making the trip was an American registered Robinson R44 Raven helicopter. The R44 has become a popular helicopter for both private helicopter pilots and small businesses, whether a tour operator or as a transport for execs and the like. Owners who can afford a helo can enjoy taking their family of 4 or 5 to places that conventional aircraft just can't go.

Of the assorted tail draggers that made the trip we also saw a Cessna 185, a replica Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser, a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser and a lovely Stinson 108 Voyager. Though the Voyager is somewhat larger than are the Piper aircraft, it has similar performance numbers though, is a little faster. Regardless, whatever you decide to own and fly, a nice grass strip is an ideal place to visit. Tail draggers always look more at home on a grass strip than on a paved runway and most tail dragger pilots prefer grass.

As mentioned in previous Rideau Lakes Airstrip articles, there is lots to do in the area. If you like walks or hiking then visiting one of the local conservation areas or parks and trails is ideal followed by a great meal at one of several local restaurants. There's no fast food here! No matter the time of year, a trail walk can offer a relaxing and enjoyable hour or more. Oftentimes, one can see assorted wildlife such as chickadees, woodpeckers, wrens and even owls. You might even see assorted critters such as chipmunks, red squirrels, porcupine and deer. Flying into Rideau Lakes Airstrip can offer you access to many of the local activities.

In 2023 make plans to visit southeastern Ontario and one of the many fly-ins, including any one, or more, of the three Rideau Lakes Airstrip fly-ins hosted by the flying club and COPA Flight 56. In 2023, the flying club also hopes to have a "Drone Day," offering education about drones as well as different events. The flying club people are great folks to spend the day with. The food will fill you up. The airstrip gives you some experience of flying into a smaller, grass strip (3200') with a typical final approach over Upper Rideau Lake. You'll love the airstrip and the community of Westport, they are as welcoming as are the flying club folks. Funds from the flying club fly-ins goes to help with general maintenance of the airport & flying club as well as insurance. Contact flying club president Mike Miles through the COPA website, Flight 56 or Rideau Lakes Airstrip websites.

Websites of interest:

Rideau Lakes Flying Club: rlfc.ca

Rideau Lakes Airstrip: rideaulakes.ca/live/community/facilities/aerodrome

Eurpoa Aircraft: europa-aircraft.co.uk

Mrs. Garrett's Bake Shop: Check their Facebook page