NEW!! Dive the airplane at Kirkfield!!

[seahunter]

This is the latest Ontario diving news and this is the first post about it on the internet. I know because I just got back from Kirkfield (I live 15 minutes from there) and still have grease on my hands from the airplane as I type this!
Thanks to Scuba 2000, the Scuba 2000 leaders, Peter Muehlegg of Sky Wagon City Inc in Brechin and Ken Wilson, caretaker of Kirkfield Quarry, we now have a new wreck to dive on AND IT'S AN AIRPLANE!!

Over 30 divers from Scuba 2000 met Alec, Peter and Ken at the quarry today (Sunday) to watch, photograph and help to sink and position the airplane.
The plane was donated by Peter. He and Alec spent a couple of days getting it ready to make it safe for diving. The divers and spectators at the quarry had a great time assembling the plane at the water's edge and then rigging it with lift bags before sending it into the water. That's when the real fun began and all the divers were worn out as they emerged a long time later.

The plane is there (right by the cruiser) and looks great! Over the next few days we'll re-position it a short distance farther out so we'll now have several different things to explore at Kirkfield.

If you've not dived Kirkfield or not made a scuba dive onto an airplane, call Scuba 2000. We will be adding several new dive dates for Kirkfield over the next few weeks. It's a fun dive, not far from Toronto, great water and now even more exciting!

Thanks to Peter, Ken, Alec and also to John Vanderbrook of Tam Dive (Peterborough) who could not be there today but who was part of the whole plan.

I'll have some pictures of the day's activities posted soon.

 

[Tom R]

Excellent Smithers,

Have some fun with it. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, and let lots of people dive it

Tom

 

[Jonathan]

Tom - I take it you were doing a reply?! If not I can take it out again...

seahunter - sounds like fun and I hope you got all that grease off the sucker before sinking it?! They sunk a bus as Wraysbury in the UK without a proper cleaning and as a result was not diveable for about a year, if I remember correctly, because of all the grease and diesel....

Jonathan

 

[seahunter]

Thanks for your support guys!

The plane is very clean. We removed the gas tanks, engine, all the linkages, one door, rear window and anything that might bite or scratch a diver.
The grease came from earlier this morning when we put the wheels on. The hubs were still a bit smeared.

 

[GTADiver]

I was just curious....did you guys have to do an enviromental impact study and jump through other hoops or can you just put things in the water? If you can just put stuff in it would be nice to get an old city bus.

 

[seahunter]

Kirkfield is completely and privately owned.
The airplane was environmentally perfect.
No government involvement needed.
Success!! End of story.

We're looking at other appropriate projects. Interestingly, motorized vehicles are considerably dirtier than planes - engines, trannys, diffs, hydraulic brakes, etc.

 

[Boogie711]

I am sure the Ministry of Environment may not really give a rat's butt whether or not Kirkfield is on private property or not. If you're thought to be contaminating an aquifer or watertable, watch out.

The whole "private property" argument doesn't mean anything (whether it should or not is a different argument entirely.) The tires in Hagersville? On private property. The USE Hickson plant? On private property. Pouring TCE into the ground? Doesn't matter whether it's on private property or not.

Put it another way - I DARE you to call the Ministry of Environment office closest to you and say "We just sunk an airplane into a natural waterway. Don't worry - it's on private property. You guys are cool with that, right?"

 

[Marvintpa]

Congratulations Alec... sounds like a great addition. I'm glad to hear someone is actually DOING something to make Ontario diving better.

What kinda plane is it?

 

[seahunter]

I figured with the Air Canada problem that I'd be able to get a 747 or at least an Airbus cheap but had to settle for a Cessna 150!

Get behind the stick and let your imagination take over!!

Images are here: http://www.scuba2000.com/gallery/kirkfield/index.htm

 

[seahunter]

What do you all think guys? Should I call the MOE as Boogie suggests or shall we band together as a responsible group of fun-loving divers and enjoy ourselves?
It's kinda' academic to me since I've been there but I was hoping lots and lots of divers would get an extra thrill - safely, at no cost and with no harm to anyone or anything!! Maybe I'm naive.

You left out Mad Cow, West Nile and SARS Boogie.

Does it seem to some of you that no matter what I do I get **** on?
Please realize that I don't even dive anymore. I did this for you. Yesterday I paid Ken Wilson his fee for entry of the divers into Kirkfield out of my pocket. The divers were not charged!!
Maybe I should make Boogie happy and close the f...... store, sell my vintage gear and go home. I get a kick out of doing things like this but I sure as hell don't need to!!
What have you done Boogie for the divers of Ontario?

2 days of hard work on the plane; the plane donation itself took some convincing - Peter is in the business of salvaging plane wrecks and selling the parts, not throwing them in the water; 30 volunteer divers; gas and trailer rentals to get the plane over there (paid by me); 75 year old Ken Wilson stuck his neck out a mile to let us do it in the hope of getting a few more divers up there so he can supplement his old age income.

What's in for me Boogie? What's your beef?

I guess my mistake was in telling you all about it so you could enjoy it too. I will learn!!