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Flight Simulation

Grosse-Île airstrip and MSFS 2020.

Close-up view of the Grosse-île runway and the area with the Microsoft flight simulator (MSFS 2020).
Close-up view of the Grosse-île runway and the area with the Microsoft flight simulator (MSFS 2020).

It took the Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS 2020) for me to discover this landing strip on Grosse-Île. Even the Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) from Nav Canada does not mention it.

Decades ago, Canadian authorities used this island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River as a quarantine site for immigrants arriving in Canada. Many Irish people, among others, made an obligatory stop on this strip of land before being allowed to continue their journey to Canada.

At one time, a section of the island was reserved for Canadian and American researchers for their top secret research on Anthrax.The most amazing thing about reading the article is realizing that the entire production of this bacteriological weapon (439 liters) was mixed with formaldehyde and put in barrels that were dumped somewhere in the St. Lawrence River when it was decided that it would no longer be useful, as the Second World War took a turn in favor of the Allies. It seems to me that formaldehyde does not prevent barrels from rusting, but hey… back to the point.

Today, tourists can visit Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site during the summer months using the services of Croisières Lachance, located in Berthier-sur-Mer.

Where is Grosse-Île located? In the province of Quebec, a little east of Quebec City. It is one of the many islands that you can fly over once you have left Île d’Orléans behind. Below, a screenshot from Google Maps.

Grosse-Île in Quebec on Google Maps.
Grosse-Île in Quebec on Google Maps.

The satellite image below clearly shows that this is not an invention. Microsoft designates this runway as CYMN Montmagny: a mistake that one can easily live with, since by giving an official code to this Grosse-Île runway, the pilot can use it as a navigation point in his GPS.

Satellite view of Grosse-Île and its runway.
Satellite view of Grosse-Île and its runway.

So, let’s use a small Cessna in US Coast Guard colors to make a virtual flight from Quebec City airport (CYQB) to Grosse-Île (CYMN). It was a bit chilly on this February day in Quebec City, so I decided to transport us to July for this flight, adding a few cumuliform clouds in the process.

Leaving Quebec City for Grosse-Île with MSFS 2020.
Leaving Quebec City for Grosse-Île with MSFS 2020.

This short flight will allow us to fly over Île d’Orléans, Île Madame (owned by Laurent Beaudoin, former major shareholder of Bombardier), Île au Ruau https://www.journaldequebec.com/2019/11/12/lile-au-ruau-vendue-395m (purchased in 2019 by the rich boss of the Gildan empire) to finally arrive at Grosse-Île.

Approaching Grosse-Île over the St Lawrence Seaway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.
Approaching Grosse-Île over the St Lawrence Seaway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.

The picture below shows the aircraft on a right base for the Grosse-Île runway. I do not know the official dimensions of this dirt airstrip, but it can easily accept a Cessna aircraft such as ours.

Cessna in base for the Grosse-Île runway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.
Cessna in base for the Grosse-Île runway with the MSFS 2020 flight simulator.

Below, the aircraft is on final for the runway.

On final for the Grosse-Île runway.
On final for the Grosse-Île runway.

A final screenshot shows the Cessna taxiing down the runway after landing. As you can see, the runway can accommodate much larger aircraft. If you want to make a real flight to this island, find out beforehand about the condition of the runway and the restrictions surrounding its use by visiting pilots.

Cessna aircraft on Grosse-Île after the landing.
Cessna aircraft on Grosse-Île after the landing.

Click on the link for more flight simulation https://francoisouellet.ca/en/flight-simulation/ experiences on my blog.