George Maude stands in front of his Second World War fighter plane at the Viscount Aero Centre.
Photograph by: Adrian Lam, Times Colonist, Times Colonist
AERO CENTRE FOUNDED IN '95
Businesses within businesses have set up shop on Victoria Airport Authority lands.
The Viscount Aero Centre is home to several businesses and houses about 30 planes in its hangars, said centre manager Matt Peulen. Companies lease airport land and own their buildings.
On the north side of the airport, "The whole industrial park is really taking off," Peulen said.
Examples of VAA tenants are Thrifty Foods, which has started work on its new distribution warehouse, and Slegg Lumber with a wall panel and truss operation.
Viscount, owned by local resident Jim McLaren, was founded in 1995. That company has 26,000 square feet (2,415 square metres) of office space, plus 60,000 (5,579 square metres) square feet of hangars, Peulen said. Pilots have access to services such as an aircraft mechanic, fuel, and a washing station for aircraft.
Company tenants include Island Pacific Flight Academy, Advanced Subsea Services, a diving and ocean technology firm, restaurant RC Grillhouse and Lounge, and financial advisors.
Altogether about 30 employees and another 10 pilots can be found in Viscount buildings on any given day, Peulen said.
The interior of a Viscount hangar is spotless. A staffer was mopping the floor recently, surrounded by gleaming, immaculate planes.
Owners of these aircraft are not only local but are based in Alberta, California, Eastern Canada and the Eastern U.S., and the Bahamas, Peulen said.
The company has with 11,000 square feet (1,022 square metres) of office space available for lease. Tenants get the advantage of direct access to the airport, and proximity to the ferry terminal as well as Sidney.
"It's very much a community," Peulen said. "We have a really close-knit group." Viscount stages fundraisers for charitable causes on a regular basis.
LONGER RUNWAY A YYJ GOAL
Launching trans-ocean flights at Victoria's airport would be a major step towards fostering regional economic growth, advocates say.
It was 65 years ago this month that Maj. H. Cuthbert Holmes, then chamber president, talked about how Victoria's economy would prosper with such flights. He was unhappy that Vancouver had been chosen over Victoria as a terminus for service across the Atlantic and to Australia.
As B.C.'s capital city and as a community poised to grow quickly, Victoria was entitled to that service, Holmes said.
He spoke frankly, leaving no doubt that flights spanning the Atlantic and Pacific oceans would benefit Vancouver Island.
Holmes said in an Aug. 30, 1946, story in the Victoria Times that "Growth of a city was largely dependent on transportation facilities, and air transport would play a large part in city development in the future. Victoria, as a terminus for trans-oceanic air travel, would be bound to benefit."
The Victoria Airport Authority agrees. Its goal is to extend its main runway by 444 metres to allow for direct flights to Europe.
And today, this is the top federal issue for the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
Bruce Carter, chamber chief executive officer, said this week that the runway expansion is a "pivotal piece" of transportation infrastructure that would bring economic benefits to the region.
A longer runway would help our tourism and technology sectors, Carter said. "More direct connections will lead to more business."
Direct flights between Victoria and San Francisco have led to business development through financing and partnerships in the capital region's economy, said Carter.
The aim is to lengthen the main runway to 2,577 metres from 2,133.6 metres.
A longer runway would allow a fully loaded aircraft to take off with enough fuel to get to England, and would also open the possibility of direct flights between here and China, said Terry Stewart, airport director of marketing and community relations.
Now that the final design is complete, the project's budget is $32 million, reflecting "full knowledge of all the construction challenges as well as the lower post recession bids that are coming in," Stewart said.
VAA is proposing costs be split equally among the authority, the province and the federal government. The job is "shovelready," Stewart said.
Economic benefits would spread beyond the capital region and through Vancouver Island, immediately and for the long term, Stewart said.
He raised the prospect of one of China's airlines buying a longrange Boeing 787 Dreamliner, now in production, to carry passengers between Victoria and China, which has granted Canada approved destination status.
FIRM BIG ON RESTORATION
Going to work for Mike Ingram can mean flying to such far-off spots as Italy, Croatia, Germany and Switzerland.
"I'm all over the place," he says cheerfully. Ingram, president of Victoria Air Maintenance on Hurricane Road in North Saanich, travels to service and repair Canadianregistered aircraft. "We do annual inspections that have to be signed off by a Canadian licensed mechanic."
These aircraft perform a variety of jobs and are used in tourism, military and by the United Nations.
Victoria Air Maintenance, founded in 1983, is located on leased Victoria Airport Authority land. Customers come from the local airport and also fly in from locations such as Calgary, Edmonton, and the Yukon. Attractive landing fees for aircraft make Victoria a desirable destination for customers, Ingram said.
The company has been long known for warbird (old military aircraft) restoration. Look on its website ( http: //vicair.net) for photographs of the restoration-in-progress of a de Havilland Mosquito, dating back to the early 1940s, owned by a Vancouver collector.
When finished, "It will be the only flying original Mosquito," Ingram said.
Waves of bright blue hues cover a Chinese Nanchang airplane, another project. A gleaming silver body of a Cessna 182 is one of five such aircraft the company is overhauling to be used in the air cadets program in B.C. to tow gliders. The first will be finished in December, Ingram said.
About 25 per cent of Victoria Air Maintenance's work is devoted to restoration, while the rest is on general maintenance of a variety of aircraft. It has 18 employees, Ingram said. The company is the local Cessna authorized service centre.
When the U.S. economy was shaken in 2008, much of the warbird restoration slipped away. The proportion of general aviation work grew, helped keep the company going, and is key in its future growth strategy, Ingram said.
VARIETY KEY FOR PLASTICS FIRM
Scott Plastics Ltd. is nearly 60 years old but the family-owned firm situated on leased Victoria Airport Authority land is going strong thanks to innovation, diversification and keeping an eye on trends.
"We are doing a lot now with kayak fishing. It is becoming incredibly popular," said Robin Richardson, vice-president of operations.
Scott manufactures fishing equipment for kayaks, such as rod holders, fish finders, and stabilizers. The company has even received footage of a marlin being hauled in by a kayaker in the Bahamas, he said.
The Sidney company, a longtime manufacturer of fishing gear, is embarking on fishing accessories for stand-up paddle boards, he said. The sport of stand-up paddling is skyrocketing as more and more fans take to the water.
Scott Plastics also makes a wide range of marine, firefighting and outdoor products, sold through retail operations. The majority of production goes off the Island, Richardson said.
The firefighting division is growing. Scott sells nozzles that connect both with a container holding a fire retardant foam and with a garden hose. This allows homeowners to spray houses to help prevent fires. This is selling especially well in California where wildfires have swept over thousands of hectares.
A nylon-resin wrench, weighing less than a metal wrench, is another popular Scott firefighting product. The wrench had "800 pounds of torque on it and it didn't break," Richardson said.
"We are shipping firefighting products all over the world," he said. "There's a lot of metal replacement going on in that industry."
Scott Plastics was founded by Blayney Scott, a well-known and liked businessman and innovator, who based his company in James Bay on Erie Street. He died in 2000, shortly before the company moved to its current site.
The new location is in 65,000 square feet, up from about 30,000 in James Bay. "We more than fill this building now," Richardson said.
Since the move, sales have doubled, he said. Exports outside of Canada account for approximately 65 per cent of sales, compared with 20 to 25 per cent prior to the move. Staff numbers have grown to 95 from 60.
The location works well for the company. Lease rates are "very competitive," the site is close to major transportation terminals, such as the airport and ferry, and other businesses nearby complement each other. For example, Ramsay Group, specializing in machine works and another family-owned firm, has fashioned items for Scott.
Greater Victoria's lifestyle helps attract and retain employees, Richardson said. "When people come here and they start working for us, or any of the manufacturing companies, they stay. That's a huge advantage as you build your company, your reputation and your product knowledge."
On the web: www.scottplasticsltd.com
Read more and photos: http://www.timescolonist.com
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