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Brantford Municipal Airport (CYFD) is a busy general aviation aerodrome in south-western Ontario, about four nautical miles west-southwest of the City of Brantford. Operated by the City of Brantford, it traces its history to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and today combines flight training, charter work, an on-site customs service and a popular annual air show.
Brantford Municipal Airport sits in the county of Brant in south-western Ontario and is owned and operated by the City of Brantford. It is home to a single fixed-base operator and hosts a large share of the area's general aviation fleet, making it a lively field for a visiting VFR pilot. The airport is also notable for its wartime pedigree, its annual air show featuring the Snowbirds and Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum aircraft, and its occasional use as a film location.
The aerodrome lies about four nautical miles west-southwest of the City of Brantford, roughly 90 km west of Toronto and about 160 km northwest of Buffalo, New York. It is classified by Nav Canada as an airport of entry, with Canada Border Services Agency officers attending on a call-out basis from Hamilton International Airport; customs handling at Brantford is limited to general aviation aircraft carrying no more than fifteen people, including crew. The airport operates outside controlled airspace, using an aerodrome traffic frequency rather than a control tower.
Brantford has three paved, lit runways. The main runway, 05/23, is 4,849 feet long. The two crosswind runways, 17/35 and 11/29, measure 2,308 feet and 2,278 feet respectively. All three runways have a hard surface and runway lighting, making night operations possible.
The aerodrome frequency is 128.27 MHz, with UNICOM on 122.825 MHz serving as the aerodrome traffic frequency (ATF) and UNICOM. There is no ILS at Brantford, though the field is equipped with a GPS approach for instrument arrivals.
As an uncontrolled aerodrome, Brantford is worked on its ATF/UNICOM frequency of 122.825 MHz rather than by a control tower, so pilots should make the usual position and intention calls when inbound, joining, and in the circuit.
A public aerodrome was first established at Brantford in 1929 at Fairview and King George streets, on a site now occupied by a fire hall and housing. The present airfield opened on 11 November 1940 as No. 5 Service Flying Training School, a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan station operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the school closed on 3 November 1944. The airport remained under federal government control until 27 April 1970, when management passed to the municipal government. The current terminal building dates from 1966. A 2015 local history book, Wings Above the Skyline by Roger Sharpe, documents the story of No. 5 Service Flying Training School. In May 2007 Brantford City Council held a public forum on the airport's future after earlier consideration of closure, a move opposed by local citizens, tenants and users; in January 2008 the council voted to include 1.9 million dollars of airport infrastructure upgrades in its 2008 capital plan, funding the repaving of the main runway and a second runway last paved in the 1940s. New rows of hangars were added in 2004, 2009 and 2011, with further expansion planned. A study launched in 2023 was intended to guide the airport's future development, with recommendations expected for local leadership in early 2024.
Brantford Municipal Airport continues to serve as home base for much of the area's general aviation activity, with a single fixed-base operator providing avgas and jet fuel, aircraft maintenance, parking, a crew lounge, snooze rooms and rental cars; airside operations are managed by the Brantford Flight Centre. Aircraft Spruce established its only Canadian retail location at the airport in 2008. Weekly charter flights carry students of the W. Ross Macdonald School home to destinations including Sudbury, Timmins, Trenton, Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie, and the airfield is a regular film location, having featured in productions such as Welcome to Mooseport, Where the Truth Lies and several episodes of Mayday. Each August the airport hosts a well-attended air show featuring the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds aerobatic team and aircraft from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. As an airport of entry, customs clearance is available on a call-out basis for general aviation aircraft carrying up to fifteen people including crew.
