Hervey Bay

[frank marriott]

Interresting to see Hervey Bay and Maryborough advertising visitors welcome and no landing fees below 2000kg MAUW

 

Landed there Friday and found gates chained and locked. Unable to get off the airport. The phone number on the gate to ring to get the gate opened resulted in a very unpolite response with no chance of getting the gate opened.

 

A friendly local with a hanger let me out through his gate and gave me his phone number to ring him when I wanted to get back to my aircraft - very helpful bloke.

 

After two lengthy calls to the council eventually ended up with a code to a gate 2 to 300 yards away up near the terminal [not visible from the GA area].

 

Later refueled at $2.03 per ltr.

 

They have a strange way of making visitors welcome???????????

 

Frank

 

 

[Mick]

Hi Frank,

 

Just to clarify, was your experience at Hervey Bay or Maryborough?

 

 

[frank marriott]

Sorry

 

It was Hervey Bay

 

 

[Neville75]

The access gate nearest the GA parking has been chained shut for some months now. Very frustrating, you would think they would just repair the broken latch?

 

Sorry you had an unpleasant experience. As for the waived landing fees, well that only came about after local aviators succeeded in lobbying against council sneakily increasing light aircraft fees in a previous budget. And they expect to negotiate Tiger RPT flights direct to Melbourne......good luck FCRC.

 

 

[rdarby]

So how does the ASIC card work there? I want to go to Hervey Bay but don't have an ASIC, and it will take a long time to get one as I need to get foreign police clearances first. Is there a GA area that is seperate from the RPT area, or do you need an ASIC if you go there no matter what?

 

 

[frank marriott]

Yes you do need an ASIC

 

 

[Neville75]

Yes you do need an ASIC

Rdarby, Frank's correct, ASIC is required. The RPT is some distance away from GA, but required anyway. (although I've never been asked by anyone to show mine).

 

Curious though about Maryborough, used to be RPT there but no more, yet all fences still in place - don't know if you'd get away without one there?

 

Nev

 

 

[Mick]

To my knowledge you do not require an ASIC at Maryborough. No mention of security there in the current ERSA.

 

The fences will stay there I guess. Some may say they will keep kids and animals out but I have seen large dogs go under these fences even when YMYB was still a security controlled airfield. Also before the security rating was removed the clubhouse which is airside was broken into...............

 

 

[Bernie]

I think your right Mick, no one seems to be wearing them around the field even Tony P who slept with his on.(hehe)

 

I never had mine on at any time and have never been chalenged.

 

Bernie.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Maryborough is still listed as a security controlled airport see http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/security/aviation/factsheet/factsheet2.aspx

 

It says "current as of Dec 2007" but this is the official list that the CASA site links to. Might be time they updated? Anyone in Maryborough Qld - have you received official advice? We should give the Infr. Dept a razz if it is out of date.

 

Sue

 

 

[Guest Walter Buschor]

Been at Maryborough several times. Just climb over gate. No one cares.

 

One of the gate's codes does not work anyway and who cares?. Harvey Bay is a different story though. ASIC is a must. That's why they have not been bombed and Maryborough has been obliterated......

 

 

[Jack Tyler]

I'd appreciate allowance for a bit of thread drift, as I'm about to visit my first Australian GA field - Caboolture Airfield. (Thanks for the coaching, Sean!) A few general Q's, please...

 

ASIC refers to an photo identity card, yes? Is having one mandated by the field(s) one uses? Being Oz, I also assume there's a fee involved. How is this enforced on the typical GA field? (I'm trying to imagine how this would work on a USA GA field, and of course all of ours are locked up tight post-9/11).

 

I thought the directions I got from Sean were intentionally humorous - "Just hop over the fence and stop by my hangar" - but are most/all local GA airports in Oz secured these days?

 

My interest in visiting some GA airports here is to get a feel for what recreational flying is like here as compared to the U.S. - thus, all the Q's. I also ran across some interesting cost details (from AOPA) on flying in the UK, and the cost of 'casual' GA flying in Australia is another topic I am hoping to better grasp. As one example, a single landing at a grass field (no facilities) in England ran the AOPA member the equivalent of $7. His 2.5 hr instructional flight in a 172 included several touch 'n go's and one practice instrument approach. Every item was billed separately and total flight cost was $750. In the U.S. a similar flight with a CFI in a 172 would probably run about $450. With all that as backdrop, are practice approaches and touch 'n go's generally billed events at GA airports here...or is the value of staying current appreciated sufficiently for fees not to be applied for such activities - at least at the local aerodromes? ('Aerodrome' - what a treat of a term to be using...!)

 

Thanks for any A's to my Q's...

 

Jack

 

Manly Boat Harbor

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

ASIC are generally only required at airfields which have RPT (regular passenger transport) flight. Whilst many such aerodromes do also have some GA/RA activity, most recreational aviation is at non security controlled airfields. If Caboolture were security controlled (its not) legally you would have to be escorted by an ASIC holder

 

Cheers

 

John