History
Lake Superior, the largest of the North American Great Lakes, empties into Lake Huron through the Saint Marys River, with a drop in elevation of 21 feet (6.4 m). The twin American and Canadian cities of Sault Ste Marie lie on opposite sides of the river. The area is famous for the Soo Locks, which allow shipping between the two lakes. About 10,000 ships, carrying 80 million tons of cargo, pass through the locks each year during the 42-week shipping season, including $500 billion worth of iron ore. The largest ships are over 1000 feet long, and can travel from Lake Superior all the way to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Strong river rapids originally prevented boats from traveling between the lakes, requiring trade goods such as furs to be transported overland. The need to provide a direct navigable water connection between the lakes was recognized early, and a small lock for canoes was constructed on the north side of the river in 1797. The lock was destroyed during the War of 1812.
The State of Michigan put out a request to build new locks in 1853. The E&T Fairbanks Company of Vermont won the bid and built a system of two locks, each 350 feet long, 70 feet wide, and 12 feet deep, which opened in 1855. The strategic importance of the locks was recognized by the federal government, and the congressionally funded Weitzel Lock (515 by 80 by 17 feet) was constructed in 1881, operated and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Additional locks were built in 1896, 1914, 1919, 1943, growing ever larger to accommodate the huge lake freighters carrying iron ore from mines in Upper Michigan and Minnesota to the steel foundries along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario. The most recent lock, the Poe Lock, was constructed in 1968 with a size of 1200 by 110 feet. A second lock of equal size is currently under construction with a completion date of 2030. The locks continue to be under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers.
A smaller lock (253 by 51 by 44 feet) was built in 1895 on the Canadian side of the river. It is now used primarily for pleasure boats, with commercial shipping relegated to the larger American locks.
The Seaplane Base
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, is significantly larger than its twin American city. It is the home of a medium-sized commercial airport, CYAM. A small municipal airport, KANJ, sits south of Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Neither airport has accommodations for water operations. The Sault Ste Marie International Seaplane Base (MI8) serves aviators from both countries, and is situated on the American side within Rotary Island Park about two nautical miles east of the Soo Locks. Although the seaplane base exists in the simulator, only one of the three water runways is implemented (incorrectly), without any associated infrastructure.
This add-on implements the seaplane base as described in the Michigan Airport Directory. All three of the water runways are included, and are correct as indicated in the guide. The CTAF of 122.7 MHz has also been included. The seaplane base is actually not very extensive, consisting of a simple dock that is in the water between May 15 and October 15. The dock has been implemented in the add-on, along with adjacent scenery, such as the nearby Michigan historical marker. One water parking space is included next to the dock, from which you can launch in the simulator. Scenery has also been added to the Rotary Island Park, including the fishing pier and small campground.
Notes
To install the airport update, unzip and place the folder titled "mulberrywing-airport-mi8-sault-ste-marie" in your community folder.
To see the float plane dock you will need to download the Seaplane Asset Library from flightsim.to and place it in your community folder. Many thanks to 30West for providing this great library!
The airspace on the Canadian side of the river is CYAM Class-D. Be sure to contact Soo Tower on 118.8 before crossing the border (and, of course, make appropriate arrangements with customs!)
The 729-foot long iron ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald was just 20 miles from the Soo Locks when it sunk during a violent Lake Superior storm in November 1975, taking the lives of 29 sailors. The sinking was memorialized by the famous Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot in a hit song the following year. The Edmund Fitzgerald remains the largest of the approximately 6,000 ships that have been lost on the great lakes.
A nice MSFS implementation of the Soo Locks by Michiganderflyer can be found here on flightsim.to.
The Sault Ste Marie Water Aerodrome (CPX8) is situated on the Saint Marys River on the Canadian side, and is the home for the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. There are two float plane docks located on the river, and a ramp for amphibians. The Center has a 64,000 square foot hangar with over 30 bush planes on display. CPX8 shares its airspace with MI8. UPDATE: I've implemented the Water Aerodrome and the Bushplane Museum. You can find the add-on here.
2 months ago
2 months ago
MulberryWing
smoothflyer