The James Clements Airport in Bay City is the only airport I know of in Michigan that has a seaplane ramp leading directly from a waterway. There are three water runways shown in the Michigan Airport Directory, with a detailed FAA description given on the AirNav page and a graphical depiction given online by the AOPA. The ramp connects the Saginaw River to the taxiway system and is accessible by amphibious airplanes in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Unfortunately, the water runways do not appear in the simulator. The airport is poorly detailed as well, with the autogenerated buildings not always matching what is shown in photographs. I have made numerous changes (see below) to improve the airport and hopefully make it more interesting for float plane and flying boat enthusiasts.
History
A nice history of the airport is given here. You can also read about the airport on the Michigan historical marker which stands in front of the administration building (and which I have added to the scenery – see the pictures.) The marker states
In 1926 the Bay City Chamber of Commerce recognized the economic benefits that could be derived from a local airport. That year the chamber decided to build one and dedicate it to Bay City men killed during World War I. The Aeronautics Committee immediately sought the financial support of industrialist William L. Clements, whose son Ensign James R. Clements had been an aviator during the war and died of influenza in France. Clements agreed to make a substantial donation, provided the facility was named in honor of his son. This site was chosen because it had served as an airfield for fifteen years. The Neo-Georgian Administration Building, designed by local architect Joseph C. Goddeyne, and the hangar were dedicated on July 29, 1930.
From this field in 1912, Bay County’s first pilot, Lionel H. DeRemer (FAI License No. 115), flew his Wright “B” Pusher plane, the fifteenth built by Orville and Wilbur Wright. DeRemer founded one of the first flying schools in Michigan. One of his students, Henry Dora, was the first manager of the James Clements Memorial Airport, built here in 1928-30. Dora also taught flying. Early woman racing pilot Jeanette Lempke Sovereign and Dr. J. M. Jones, a physician who made house calls by plane across northern Michigan, were Dora’s students. Bay City’s first airmail delivery was made here on July 17, 1928. During World War II the airport was a training site for Michigan flyers. The airport Administration Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Airport as Modified for MSFS
I have made numerous changes to the existing scenery in MSFS. The water runways have been added, although I did rename water runway 18W-36W to 17-35, to avoid confusion with the paved runway 18-36 in the sim. The land runways were recently repaved in dark asphalt, so I have updated those in the sim using new pavement. The autogenerated buildings have been replaced by existing MSFS structures chosen to match the buildings shown in photographs as closely as possible. Although the matches aren’t perfect (especially for the administration building and the main hangar) I hope they are a welcome improvement. I have also taken the liberty to embellish the scenery a bit, adding a float plane dock along the river near where the seaplane ramp enters, with a couple of small outbuildings and two static float planes. I also added a windsock and circle, PAPI-4 to runway 18-36, MIRL to both land runways, and numerous other small scenery elements including several static aircraft. There is now lighting throughout the airport, with the main ramp, main and adjacent hangars, and float plane dock all illuminated. Finally I have added some signage and graphical elements: a main hangar sign, two historical plaques on the administration building, the Michigan historical marker, and a photo of Henry Dora on the front of the main hangar.
Notes
To install the airport, unzip and place the folder titled "mulberrywing-airport-3cm-bay-city" 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!
Henry Dora was an “earlybird pilot”, having been inducted into the Early Birds of Aviation. This organization recognizes pilots whose pioneering activities began before December 17, 1916, emphasizing those who were already aviators prior to WWI. A short biography on earlyaviators.com reads: “He started in the aviation field as a mechanic, working for Lionel DeRemer and trading his services for flying instructions. As a result he made his first solo flight in August, 1912 on the Curtiss Farm which is now the site of the James Clements Airport, Bay City, Michigan. He continued to fly, and after service in World War I in the Field Artillery, he bought a war surplus Jenny and made a career in aviation. From then on he did barnstorming in the Michigan area and operated a flying school while helping to build the James Clements Airport. He was manager of that airport for 15 years and did much to promote aviation in the Bay City region. He later operated a machine shop for eight years. Mr. Dora holds Pilot's License 3695, Airplanes and Engine License 1796, Federation Aeronautique Internationale License 6499 and Flight Instructor's License F-9.”
One of my very first cross country flights after obtaining my private certificate was from 09G (now KTEW) to 3CM, in N4819B, a beautiful blue and white Cessna 152 trainer that suffered an uncountable number of hard landings and uncoordinated turns with great dignity. I should know - a large number of them were mine.
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