Can I fly RAA to Sale Vic

I recall someone saying that RAA is not welcome through the corridores to get to sale from Melbourne.

I need to go and Visit David Page down that way. Can anyone shed some light? Can I fly down there?

Jim.

you cant fly into west sale when the raaf base (east sale) is active but most weekends it is not active

but traralgon is pretty close

I went to West Sale one weekend just after Easter with no hassles. I had come out of Flinders Island and was in the coastal corridor, intending to go to Merimbula. There was not even any helicopter traffic running out to the rigs at the time. But I had to divert inland to get around some nasty thunderstorms running right across the intended route, so I suppose I could have gone to West Sale, RAAF or no RAAF, and worried about the paperwork later. But being a weekend they showed no interest - in fact did not appear to be on the radio at all. No fuel there, so after the storms cleared went across to Bairnsdale.

Many years ago I was flying an F27 on an early morning charter to West Sale, but got stymied by fog. We did not want to go back to Essendon so made a couple of radio calls to East Sale. The RAAF guys were most accommodating, activating the tower early and firing up the approach aids to give us a PAR approach. Then they insisted on breakfast in the officers' mess (probably because we had a couple of nice-looking hosties with us).

This is not to suggest that you should go blundering deliberately into Restricted Airspace, but if you ever got in trouble you can ask the RAAF for help and they won't shoot you down.

Best thing to do is contact the ESL tower by phone (number is in ersa) and see what they say.

Even though i havent flown whislt they are active i know of others that have been given permission to transit the vfr route from WSL to LTV/ LTV to WSL and other occasions the vfr route via heyfield through to Bairnsdale and the cosatal route in both RAA & HGFA registered aircraft.

You might be plesantly surprised as they would rather know where you are and at what height your at rather than some who try to sneak through.

Many have a great fear of the RAAF around here but they will go out of there way to help you if they can.

I have even heard of GA aircraft entering the boundry sqwaking 1200 on the transponder and when the tower asks the aircraft to identify itself the transponder seeminly dissapears only to come back on once clear of the initial 20 nm boundry around the base.

On another note i have been flying here for 6 years and never once seen the base activated on the weekends even though the roulettes and other military aircraft have arrived and departed ESL

The normal activation times are 08:45 to 17:00 monday to thursday and 08:45 to 13:00 and sometimes 15:00 fridays.

I have flown many times on the weekdays prior to the base activating.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Alf

There used to be an RAAus school at West Sale, I am not sure if they are still there.

I had the need to fly into West Sale a couple of years ago, rang the school and spoke to the CFI to get the local knowledge, he was most helpful.

Mick,

There are 2 RAA schools now operating out of West Sale, they have exemptions through the RAAF and both schools have transponder equiped aircraft.

Alf