About This File
FS2004 Scenery--Invermere CAA8 in British Columbia, Canada. This airfield is in the Columbia Mountains (which are part of the Rockies) on the border between BC and Alberta. Invermere is in the same valley as Golden, 65 miles south and midway between Golden and Cranbrook. The town is at the northern end of Lake Windermere, on the western side, with a population of around 3,400. The main touristic feature of Invermere appears to be the provision of a wide choice of golf courses. These are included in the scenery, as are some of the surrounding commercial buildings including a nearby hotel and retail units. Invermere CAA8 is half a mile northeast of the lake, and is home to the non-profit Canadian Rockies Soaring Club that trains pilots during the summer months. The Invermere Soaring Centre, a separate organisation, provides glider towing services and rides for the general public. During the summer the airfield can only be described as busy, with gliders taking advantage of the terrain for ridge soaring. The AI here includes gliders that will take off and then circle around north of the field. The take off is not a realistic glider style launch, and the wind should be from the north; these gliders do not taxi and then turn around at the far end of a runway too well. Once again, like Golden, there is no runway or taxiway lighting, so daylight use only. There are GA visitors to CAA8 between the gliders, presumably carrying golfers and clubs. By Roger Wensley.