A 30-foot tower just south of Nain will play a major role in securing a new airport for the community.
Erected earlier this fall, the tower is equipped with a high-tech weather station – the first of its kind to be used in Canada. The solar-powered station will collect information on wind velocity, atmospheric pressure, visibility, temperature, etc., and generate images on a daily basis. The information will be sent via satellite to Approach Navigation Systems Inc. in Moncton, NB – the company contracted to collect the data.
The weather study will take two years to complete, and is a crucial component in confirming the final concept in preparation for the drawings and specifications needed for the subsequent construction phase on the proposed new airport.
Other work to be completed over the course of the next two years include a typographical survey, a preliminary environmental review, a hydrological study, and surficial geology, geomorphology, permafrost and hydrogeological investigations, etc.
Octant Aviation out of Saint-Hubert, QC, is managing the overall project.