AIRFIELD IN SIGHT
Have you seen how many airports are selling right now? Goulburn, NSW is on the market. So too is Cambridge in Hobart. Then of course there is Agnes Water/1770 – one of my favourite drop-ins.
The problem is that many airports sit on valuable land which is worth more than the return a small, regional airport can make. That means either cutting chunks off and selling them or shutting the whole airport – which is what happened at Geelong (YGLG), my original airport, which is now covered in houses.
Add to this the number of regional airports that are under threat from various issues. Between urban growth, environmental and various complaints, councils wanting to dispose of assets that don’t make money and the current economic conditions, we are going to see this get worse, not better. It wouldn’t be such an issue if we were opening new airports.
Lethbridge, my current home base, is one of the very few recent airports to be created. Now it’s under threat as it is about to be ring-fenced by wind turbines. I’m all for wind turbines and alternate energy, but surely sitting them so close to a training-heavy airport is a bad idea. It’s a big country. Put them somewhere else maybe?
Wherever we look, our access to airports is under threat. Many of the threats come from small minorities and conversely large corporate organisations who run coordinated and well-orchestrated campaigns to achieve their aims. As pilots and aircraft operators, we don’t do a great job of making our presence known.
So, this is a call to arms for a grassroots supporters’ campaign. Lend your voice and support to threatened airports and access. Let your Federal, State and local government representatives know exactly how important these assets are to you, the local economy and the community. Otherwise, we will lose them.
