In an effort to bolster safety, the Saskatchewan government has installed web-based cameras at the Sandy Bay reserve airport.
Three webcams now offer views of the approaches to the runway, giving pilots the opportunity to assess for potential weather-related hazards.
“As we have seen with our monitoring cameras installed throughout the province, we are optimistic this project will enhance safety for the pilots and passengers landing at Sandy Bay,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner said in a news release.
Heppner said northern pilots travel long distances in all weather conditions, so offering “real-time visual information” helps them navigate the skies year-round.
Janet Keim, president of the Saskatchewan Aviation Council, said initial feedback from pilots who fly in and out of Sandy Bay is positive.
“There is no weather reporting station at the Sandy Bay airport,” she said in the release. “Now with the webcams, pilots and dispatchers have a visual tool that can assist in the decision-making process for flights to Sandy Bay.”
Images from the cameras are currently available only to pilots, but the province plans to make information available on the Highway Hotline for the public to view in the future.
The Sandy Bay airport is one of 17 airports in northern Saskatchewan operated by the province’s Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure.
The vast majority of medical flights from Sandy Bay and Pelican Narrows land and take off from Sandy Bay, which has a more advanced airstrip, according to a 2015 CBC.ca report.
