Tofino, BC (CYAZ)

Tofino has been a destination I’d had in mind for some time before finally being able to make the trip. The airfield is an old military field with three large runways, located only a 10 minute walk from a gorgeous beach. It’s also known for intense fog in the mornings even during the summer, so it’s generally a less popular destination in the winter. That being said, I managed to get lucky the past long weekend and made it in for a great day on the beach and some awesome tacos from Tacofino (highly recommended!). Not many planes were flying on the outbound leg to Tofino in the morning, but we did run into some traffic nearer to the airfield. We also got the chance to watch some military paradrops over the airfield as we were approaching.

The return leg was uneventful, but we did enjoy clearer afternoon skies and a 5500’ cruise all the way back to Vancouver Harbour. We got a VFR transit over YVR (thresholds of 26L/R) where they gradually descended us right down to 1000’ and sent us to Point Roberts before Boundary Bay Tower cleared us in on runway 30.

Texada Island

Cloud cover between Vancouver Island and the mainland

Exiting the Alberni Inlet, with Pacific Rim National Park visible in the distance

Tofino Airport (CYAZ)

Long Beach

Departing CYAZ back to Boundary Bay

Port Alberni, BC

Approaching Vancouver Harbour at 5500’ (talking to Terminal)

Blurry shot passing over YVR

Back in time to catch the sunset at Boundary Bay