Rockton Aerodrome is located in

Flamborough, Ontario Flamborough is a district and former municipality in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. For most of its existence before amalgamation with Hamilton in 2001, Flamborough comprised the former townships of East Flamborough, West Flamborough, a ...

west of Rockton,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Description

The registered

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

is owned and operated by the SOSA Gliding Club as a private airfield. Prior permission is required to fly in (except for gliders). Facilities include two hangars, a workshop, a clubhouse and a campground for members. There are three turf runways at the Rockton Aerodrome: 36/18, 03/21, and 10/28. Field elevation is 846 ft ASL. In the spring the runways are quite soft and it is not recommended that powered aircraft attempt landing without first speaking with someone on the ground (after having previously received prior permission by phone). Powered aircraft fly right hand circuits and gliders fly left hand circuits to all runways. Rockton is a busy aerodrome with around 14,000 aircraft movements per year. The majority of these take place on weekends from May through October. During daylight hours on summer weekends, it is not unusual to have 10-20 gliders within 5 miles of the airport so a good lookout is required while flying near the Rockton Aerodrome. Aircraft transitioning to Burlington Airpark and other local airports are reminded of the CAR's requirement to maintain a minimum altitude of 2000 ft AAE at all times and to remain clear of the circuit for all runways at all times. Practised forced landings at the Rockton aerodrome are strictly prohibited 365 days per year. SOSA Gliding Club is a non-profit corporation run solely by volunteer members. SOSA offers basic flight training to those who wish to become licensed glider pilots, as well as

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

training and Cross-country training to licensed glider pilots. SOSA owns a fleet of 11 gliders and four towplanes. Basic and Aerobatic training is conducted in three

Schleicher ASK 21 The ASK 21 is a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) two-seat glider aircraft with a T-tail. The ASK 21 is designed primarily for beginner instruction, but is also suitable for cross-country flying and aerobatic instruction. Design and development Th ...

gliders and an SZD 50-3 Puchacz. A

Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus The Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus is a high-performance two-seat glider primarily designed for fast cross-country flying, including gliding competitions. Often, it is used for advanced training. Design and development The Duo Discus replaced the ...

XL is used for cross-country training. Single seat gliders include a

Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 The Schempp-Hirth Discus-2 is a Standard Class sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth since 1998. It replaced the highly successful Schempp-Hirth Discus. Design and development In plan view the almost crescent shape of the leading edge is simi ...

, three SZD 51-1 Juniors, and two

Rolladen-Schneider LS4 The Rolladen-Schneider LS4 is a Standard Class single seat glider manufactured by Rolladen-Schneider Flugzeugbau GmbH between 1980 and 2003. Development The LS4, successor to the LS1 in the Standard Class, made its first flight in 1980. It i ...

s. The towplane fleet consists of three

Piper PA-25 Pawnee The PA-25 Pawnee is an agricultural aircraft produced by Piper Aircraft between 1959 and 1981. It remains a widely used aircraft in agricultural spraying and is also used as a tow plane, or tug, for launching gliders or for towing banners. In 1 ...

s and a 7GCBC Bellanca

Citabria The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training, utility and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses from ...

References

External links

SOSA Gliding ClubPage about this airport
on COPA's ''Places to Fly'' airport directory {{authority control Registered aerodromes in Ontario Transport buildings and structures in Hamilton, Ontario