Category: Flight Simulator 2004 - Scenery
CYSM - Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada

Images related to this file:

• fort_smith-1.jpg
• fort_smith-2.jpg
• fort_smith-3.jpg
• fort_smith-4.jpg
• fort_smith-5.jpg

File Description:
Fort Smith is just north of the border between Alberta and Northwestern Territories, midway between Lake Athabasca to the southeast in (mostly) Saskatchewan (80 miles) and Great Slave Lake to the north west (90 miles). The runways all used to be larger, and while I don't know the history it looks as if it is ex-military and these are the remains of what were once 10,000 feet of asphalt. The main runway is now 11/29 and 6,000 feet long, and the secondary one is 1,800 feet of mostly gravel. There is an airline based at the field, Northwestern Air, and fuel (both 100LL and JA-1) is available at a self service point so long as you give it a credit card to read while you fill. The town of Fort Smith is two miles east of the airfield, on the bank of the Slave River and where there are some rapids that require a portage to get around them. Before aviation came along the river was a major route to the north and all those furry animals, which was why the Hudson's Bay Company established an outpost there in 1872. Today it has a population of 2,400 and the main activities are government administration of much of the Northwest Territories, education, and tourism.