— By Phil Lightstone (Photos by Ivan Kristensen)

The last Trillium Aviators Fly In for the 2023 season took place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Roughly 25 aircraft and more than 40 people flew into the Orillia Rama Regional Airport (CNJ4) from all over Southwestern Ontario. With two runways (12/30 is 3,000 x 75 feet asphalt and 04/22 is 2,000 x 150 feet) and a seaplane base, Orillia offers easy ramp access for both amphibious, fixed-wing and rotor aircraft the like.

A hidden gem at Orillia is the Tailwinds Bar and Grill. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating with the outdoor seating overlooking the lake. This venue provides customers with an outstanding view of the lake and seaplanes operating on the lake. The flight training unit at Orillia offers a seaplane rating course. Subsequently, the lake is quite busy with floatplane traffic. Enjoying a burger while watching the floatplanes take off and land is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Gail Karns, Lake Country Airways, reports: “The Trillium Aviators all looked like they had a great time, with severe VFR weather and super food at Tailwinds Bar and Grill”.

Through Ivan Kristensen’s tireless volunteer efforts, the Trillium Aviators will be entering their sixth season of gathering like-minded pilots and aviation enthusiasts for mid weak fly outs to destinations in southern Ontario. The fly outs range from bring your own lawn chair and lunch to delicious BBQ hosted by local COPA chapters. Ivan started Trillium Aviators in 2020 as a reaction to the Covid pandemic based upon fly outs which he experienced while vacationing in Florida. Ivan’s email list now has over 332 names. To date, Trillium Aviators have held 59 outings. Email Ivan at ivankris10@gmail.com to get added to the list or if you are interested in helping with event logistics and planning.