Departure
87%
vs 95% ▼ 8
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport (CNQ3) is a small registered aerodrome near Pelham, Ontario, about 3.5 nautical miles west of Welland in the heart of the Niagara Region. It offers a sealed main runway and a grass crosswind strip, self-serve fuel and a friendly, low-traffic environment that makes it a popular stop for light aircraft and local flying clubs.
Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport is a registered aerodrome owned and operated by four Niagara-area municipalities, serving general aviation, itinerant light aircraft, aerial photographers and air cadet training. It carries an automatic weather station and is named in honour of Canadian aviation pioneer Dorothy Rungeling. For a simulator pilot it offers an easy VFR destination in the Niagara Region, with a mix of paved and grass runways and a quiet, uncontrolled circuit environment.
The airfield lies in Pelham, Ontario, about 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) west of Welland. It operates as an uncontrolled aerodrome, using an aerodrome/advisory frequency alongside overlying terminal control area frequencies for Buffalo Approach and Toronto Terminal, reflecting its position within the busier Niagara/Buffalo airspace environment.
The airport has two physical runways. Runway 05/23 is a hard-surfaced, lit runway measuring 3,485 feet. Runway 11/29 is a grass, lit runway measuring 2,411 feet. There is no ILS at the field.
The aerodrome/advisory frequency is 126.5 MHz. Buffalo Approach (TCA) can be reached on 133.4 MHz, and Toronto Terminal is associated with 133.4 MHz as well; UNICOM/ATF traffic is worked on 123.5 MHz. Pilots should expect to use these frequencies for traffic advisories given the uncontrolled nature of the field.
The airfield is uncontrolled, so pilots are expected to make position calls on the advisory/UNICOM frequency of 123.5 MHz when joining, in the circuit, and departing. User comments note a history of circuit discipline issues, including aircraft joining from varied altitudes and directions and cutting in on final, so extra vigilance and clear radio calls are advisable when operating in the pattern.
The airport sits close to Welland and Pelham, within the broader Niagara Region, making local town centres and the Welland Canal corridor useful general orientation features when navigating toward the field from the east or south.
The airport was originally established as the Welland-Port Colborne Airport under an agreement dated January 1, 1969, continued under a further agreement in 1974 and ratified by the Welland-Port Colborne Airport Act, 1976. In 2001 the operating commission and airport were renamed Niagara Central Airport under the Niagara Central Airport Commission Act, 2001. In 1995 local Royal Canadian Legion members lobbied unsuccessfully to rename the field after World War II Spitfire pilot Bud Ker. In 2015 the airport was renamed Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport in honour of the pioneering Canadian aviator Dorothy Rungeling. The airport has long been home to the 87th Eagle Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, based in the airport's former Welland Fire Company Number 1 meeting hall, and the Southern Ontario Gliding Centre of the Air Cadets uses the field for seasonal familiarisation glider flights.
The airport remains owned and operated by four Niagara-area municipalities and continues to support general aviation, itinerant light aircraft, aerial photography operations and air cadet training and gliding activity. Self-serve 100LL avgas is available around the clock via a card-operated kiosk at the field. Hangar rental, including private and shared hangar space, is available for based aircraft, and the airport promotes ongoing development including additional hangar capacity.
