Canberra second airport - annual general meeting

[Guest airsick]

For those of you who could not attend in person I have posted the financials and draft minutes of the CRAA AGM on our website. As we get more documents finalised I will add them too.

 

CRAA 2010 Annual General Meeting

 

In general the meeting was constructive. Some healthy discussion on airfield proposals was had but the main focus of the meeting were the short term goals of the association.

 

At this point our main aim is to demonstrate to the Territory Government that aviators in the region and further afield will support the facility. This is our number one priority at this stage, if we can't show them that there is support for the airfield then the rest of the discussion becomes a bit of a moot point.

 

All going well we will, I hope in the next 6 to 12 months, begin to look into other aspects of the airfield such as design, governance, etc. but let's not kid ourselves, we've got a long hard slog ahead of us! That said, there was plenty of support and enthusiasm in the room at the AGM and I can speak on behalf of the committee when I say we are still energetic and positive about our progress so far.

 

We are not the best communicators (I apologise for that) but rest assured, we have made some significant moves towards establishing this airfield and things are looking good so far.

 

Over the coming weeks some of you may receive a survey which I urge you to fill in. It will only be short and won't take much time to respond to but I can tell you one thing for sure - if no one responds then the airfield proposal (and possibly even recreational/general aviation) will be dead in the water for the capital territory. It also sets a dangerous precedent for future movements elsewhere.

 

Please get on board and take the time to help secure the future of our great hobby.

 

Cheers,

 

Michael.

 

 

[Guest burbles1]

Thanks for posting the minutes Michael. It's great there is still commitment from the ACT Government. I want to commend the Board for keeping the proposal moving along so well - you've all put a great deal of planning into site selection and getting commercial operators on board through expressions of interest. It looks really promising indeed.

 

Dave

 

 

[facthunter]

results.

 

Results in these matters, don't just drop in your lap. Generally hard work and plannng are needed. Keep up the good work. I am happy to fill in any survey. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Thanks for the update, Michael. A very important project for all RAA. What progress has been made on the ground? I believe there is a site selected; Who owns it? is it suitable for landing as yet? Does zoning allow use by RAA aircraft? The ideal would be for actual use of the site to begin soon and for improvements to be added as permission and finance allow...

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Regards,

 

Lyle

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Hi Lyle,

 

In terms of site selection there are a number of constraints. The two most important of these are the level of government involvement and finances.

 

The extent to which government is involved will play a large role in determining where the airfield is located. If we can convince them to grant some land then it will almost certainly be within the confines of the ACT. To that end, a site to the south of Canberra has been identified and we are working towards that. Assuming the government is amenable to the idea, it shouldn't be a problem to get it up and running fairly quickly (notwithstanding bureaucratic issues such as environmental studies, planning approvals, etc.).

 

On the other hand, if the government does not choose to be heavily involved we have to go it alone. If this occurs the main stumbling block will be finances. We have to find some land, raise funds, go through the purchase process, establish the airfield, etc. In this instance the game changes.

 

That said, the site that is earmarked to the south of Canberra would be suitable for almost immediate use. The plan has always been to get something up and running and then gradually improve it over time. This way we get an airfield sooner rather than later and can generate some income to fund better facilities over time.

 

As I said above, we are still some way off this becoming a reality but I urge everyone to get behind this. Sure, it's going to be hard but if it wasn't hard then it wouldn't be worth doing right? Still, if no one backs the idea then it's going to be a lot harder. And the reality is that you've got a bunch of guys working very hard on this and doing some serious leg work (it's kind of like the duck thing - on the surface it doesn't look like much is happening but below the water there is some frantic paddling going on!). If we don't have the numbers behind us though, well it's all going to fall in a heap.

 

On another note, I have been in contact with a similar group in Sydney that is working on some ideas not too different from ours albeit in the Sydney basin. They will no doubt have some issues along the same lines as us and will also rely on the broader support from aviators. Again, I hope you will support their efforts along with ours. Check out their website and register your interest - Proposed Sydney Sport Aviation Assocation

 

I hope this answers your questions Lyle.

 

Cheers,

 

Mick.

 

 

[Guest eland2705]

Good morning all,

 

As a brand new RAA pilot, with a whole 1.8 hrs of solo time, once I got my RAA Pilots certificate and borrowed the club Tecnam to fly up to Canberra to visit my daughter in ADFA where would I land now?

 

Regards

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

federation ave

 

 

[Chrism]

Steph,

 

I saw an article in an av mag a little while ago (AOPA mag??) where Dick Smith offered the use of his farm strip (which is definately no average farm strip!). It's just south of Gundaroo, which i think is 30-40km or so nth of Canberra.

 

In the article he said something like "just call the manager up and let him know when you're coming".

 

It's in ERSA if I'm not mistaken. One of the quirky local rules is to give way to the little train that runs around the airfield.

 

I'd be interested to hear of anyone else who has taken up this very generous offer.

 

Chris

 

 

[Guest eland2705]

Thanks for the input all, much appreciated. Just hope the bus goes past the front door.

 

 

[skeptic36]

http://canberrasecondairport.com/

[pj8768]

If the territory government can't even get past the consideration phase for a second airport, just imagine how they'd stuff it up if it was ever built.

 

They'd probably place one of those white speeding camera vans at the end of the threshold.

 

As a new arrival to Canberra surrounded by overpaid public servants with a "you can't do that attitude", I'd rather see a private airpark. There should be enough Canberran flyers who can drum up a syndicate for an airpark or something similar.

 

Combine it with the equestrians for twice the clout and market - some US airparks have this combo I've noticed.

 

Somewhere reasonably flat, not too blustery, not fogged over every morning, reasonable neighbours, reasonably priced, reasonable airspace, and within 30-45 min drive.

 

Somewhere on the way to Yass as an example.

 

Wouldn't have to be in the ACT.

 

 

[pj8768]

Oh,and I apologise if my comments caused offence to any public servant, past or present, particularly any perusing my fye 2010 2011 tax returns.

 

 

[dodo]

But why haven't I seen your 2011/12 tax return yet?

 

dodo

 

 

[pj8768]

If it was in NSW several years ago the Obeid family trust could have built it for us.........