Hangars, Aerodromes, Airparks

Sitting here burning in my frustration at not flying for what seems like an eternity, while still paying rego, insurance, licencing fees, ASIC, and other incidentals, my buring desire to chuck a hissy fit leads me to ask others about interest in setting up an airparks and/or building hangars on council strips, somewhere on the Western Downs or South Burnett of Southern QLD.

Now some might think the likes of Dalby, Chinchilla, Kingaroy, or Wondai to be out in the sticks, but the big advantage I see is that these places are outside or under airspace restictions while still being near enough to reach most costal destinations within an hour or so in a 90 kt aircraft.

Basically I am bored to tears, not working, but looking, with my plane in WA where I use to work and now living in Kingaroy where I want to work.

Perhaps my dream job would be managing a small RPT airport, fixing the mowers, mowing the grass, painting the piano keys and strip markers. Then at least I would be able to appease my insatiable apetite to fly, build, and watch others fly. The bottom line is I don't want to be a developer tycoon rolling in cash (as nice as that might be) but to manipulate the system enough to house my plane, fuel it, and safely fly it, while keeping the family fed and happily settled here. Any ideas folks (or jobs)?

Then the idea of starting an airpark or building a stack of hangars somewhere in the South Burnett has taken root within in recent days of frustration. It seems hangars around here are as rare as hen's teeth and from what I have heard south east Queensland coastal hangar rents are ridiculous for the low to middle income earners to afford. This is what I am and why I have gone RAA, not being able to afford the upkeep or patience of jumping the GA hurdles.

Forgive me for my rant here! Going outside and chucking a hissy fit or throwing a spanner is of no use. After all one has to find the spanner and come back inside at some stage! So asking the question here whether there is any interest in the RAA GA community for a hangar building programme or a reasonably priced all weather grass/gravel strip airpark???? Does this spark any interst and would it be worth the trouble of starting the process of council negotiations, etc. ????

Ah rant finished, but still need to fly!

Gday Friar

sounds like a good idea ,evans head field is to be turned into an air park but the cost is ,wait for it approx $ 160,000 for building lot hanger /house plus ongoing fees , if enough interested flyers could band together it could work, finding a suitable site that is in easy reach is one obsticle , airfields are becoming harder to find

cheers gareth

Hi Friar p. Cheap way is to have lots & lots of Relo's all around the country. with Big barnes on Big acres. Lol

Anyone here got a few rich relo's I can borrow?

Well if you ever get some land for your hangars please come and talk to me, I can help you out, I would love to find hangar space myself around Caboolture...very hard to find, I think you need to be in the right place at the right time and very lucky....

David

I work around the chinchilla area and I think one of the most amazing things I have seen is the Tara airport big long illuminated and nothing on it as far as I am aware probably only used for loading the crop dusters. I can't recall seeing any hangers at Tara.It's run by the western downs council. From what I have seen in the area the houses are ridiculously expensive but the larger blocks out of town can be much cheaper.

Chinchilla seems to be quite active with the flying school and one of the charter companies is In and out all day for the CSG industry. And I think it's one hanger and another structure with a couple of crop dusters under it.

I have only been to tara airport once during the last floods out here to drop a guy of to a charter.

I haven't been out there for a while but I think stanthorpe is the same great big strip lights and all and hardly used.

Amazing that these councils don't want to promote business in their shires, maybe the gas companies business is enough for them hey..When I was working in Emerald I spoke to the flying school owner, and he told me that he was flat out all day every day with plenty of cashed up mine worker students....lots of opportunities I think in these areas if the infrastructure at the airfields is built there and ready to go..

David

I think the problem with these areas is that the boom is short lived 5-10 years during the infrastructure build. Once that's is completed all the guys building the projects move on and the town almost returns to pre boom levels. For sure there is more cash in the towns for a while but after that what happens. Is that time frame enough to get the towns big enough to reach a critical mass to promote there own growth ?

I suppose that life in the Wild West.

I still watch your video (with the "above the clouds" sound track) from time to time. I enjoy that.

Amazing that these councils don't want to promote business in their shires, maybe the gas companies business is enough for them hey..When I was working in Emerald I spoke to the flying school owner, and he told me that he was flat out all day every day with plenty of cashed up mine worker students....lots of opportunities I think in these areas if the infrastructure at the airfields is built there and ready to go..David

Emerald...... One will buy the plane .. OK......However spend the rest ones life paying the rest off.

Councils are not that bright when it comes to having small aircraft about there and grow the culture, they want squeeze last cent out of everything. There is a good saying which fits, one can only skin a sheep once but ya can shear him many times, Emerald is skinning.

Regards

Keith Page.