Building an Airstrip

[Guest mudjeep]

Update

 

Hi All,

 

I'm bringing back this old thread that I started a few years ago to give you an update and ask another question. Basic update is... no airstrip yet. Unfortunately my wife thinks that having a house to live in is more important than flying (yes, yes, I know - I've tried to get her to see a shrink) so all time and money has been spent on that aim, and as I am owner building it is taking some time. Eastmeg will have seen the brilliant construction that I have put together so far - basically a giant mechano kit. I have also temporarily fenced off part of the strip and included it in the horse paddocks for now. No sense wasting all that feed.

 

I am still always thinking about my strip though. Distance between fences will be 400m at the ends and 40m (for safety) between the sides. As for slope the highest point is on the western end, it goes downhill slightly, levels off then goes down more steeply into what would be a watercourse in heavy rain, then up steeply towards the fence. When I say steeply its not too bad, but more than you would want in an airstrip.

 

I intend to put a pipe in the gully and try and fill it as much as possible to take out the severity of the slope. Even then I would probably try and avoid using that end of the strip, depending on how it ends up, although the upslope at the end would make a good "emergency ramp" if I had to land that way. Prevailing wind is from the west or NW so there should be no conflict with wanting to land uphill most of the time anyway.

 

Here's the tricky bit. The "flattest" section actually has a lateral slope. I was wondering how much lateral slope is acceptable. If I tried to take out the lateral slope then the material would come in handy in filling in the dip but it will be a bit too much for my little tractor (28hp) to cope with and therefore rather expensive getting a contractor in. Additionally it's right where my access road crosses so on the uphill side I will need to put a cutting in for the road (the land slopes back down after about another 40m). So, do I need to worry about the lateral slope? Its about 1m elevation change from one side to the other over the 40m between fences.

 

On the council issue which was discussed earlier in the thread, I definitely need development consent. The council (Goulburn Mulwaree) told me that it's mainly to determine whether an airstrip is "appropriate for the area". My neighbours are mainly 100 acre blocks with a few 50s, and only two others (on each end of my strip incidentally) are currently being lived on. One neighbour I have onside already. One stumbling block might be the developer that still owns the unsold blocks. He might object thinking it will reduce the values of the rest of the blocks.

 

So there it is. What do you think about the lateral slope?

 

Cheers,

 

Jason

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Hi Jason,

 

Good to see that my recent flights over your place have got you thinking of committing aviation again. Though I'm careful not to get too low or close, so your Mrs' horses don't get a fright and hurt themselves.

 

I don't think a 2.5% cross-slope would be too much of an issue. All you really need is reasonably flat, smooth ground and grass no more than about 4 inches. If you're not moving any earth then surely you don't need council approval for that.

 

It is important to keep the neighbours on side though. I recall mentioning before about trying to make sure your approaches don't take you too close to your neighbours houses . . .

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[Guest terry]

Hi Mudjeep, I'm in the process of getting a hanger approval with my local council at the moment. A possible mine field is what it is. I have a meeting on tuesday with the planning manager and if the woman I dealt with on thursday last week is any indication I'm in for a long drawn out affair. I wish I'd asked approval for a hay shed. Is there a right or wrong way to go about this, what to mention and what not to. The first comments I recieved were , what about crashes explosions and fuel storage all in one mouthful. If i can say anything about this woman is she could think quick. Has anybody gone through the process with successful I wonder. Just some pointers would be appreciated.

 

Terry

 

 

[Guest mudjeep]

Hi Terry and Glen,

 

Luckily in our LGA (Local Government Area) farm sheds under 300 sqm don't need approval so I put my shed-soon-to-be-hangar-but-currently-is-my-home up without approval. However, under the LEP (Local Environment Plan) the airstrip itself definitely needs approval. I understand your point Glen, but I think it's not so much what gets changed but how the land is used that they are interested in. If I don't get approval and something happens then I might have problems with my insurance. As for safety, I will have a separate POL (petrol, oils, lubricants) shed well away from the airstrip and probably 15m or more from the hangar, and I plan to build a fire-fighting trailer before next summer - essential for the property anyway.

 

No problems at all with you flying over any more Glen. The horses seem fine with all sorts of noisy vehicles and probably the more exposure they get to aircraft the better. The only things that seems to send them off are strange animals when they seem them for the first time, like when my neighbour got some goats!

 

I invite you to do a low pass along where the strip will be and see what you think. Watch out for the (temporary) fence across it just before our driveway/road, and there is a powerline on the western approach connected to my neighbours house. Give me a call before you do it so that I can watch. I will PM you my number.

 

Cheers all,

 

Jason.

 

Don't you just love TLA's? (Three letter acronyms)

 

 

[Bill Hamilton]

David,

 

You are on the right track, and if you are in NSW, it is worthwhile doing a bit of homework.

 

As I recall, within the last 10 or so years, state law clarified the right of an owner or occupier to use his/her land in a reasonable manner.

 

The legislation made it clear that you could use a paddock for a fixed wing or helo, provided it was for you private enjoyment ---- and put down on paper a maximum number of movements, beyond which council approval would be needed. Strange as it may seem, and rare as it is, the intent of the change was to prevent local councils taking an unreasonable set against anything aviation.

 

Again, from memory, the movement rates limits for "private enjoyment" were not going to be a problem, except if you want to run a flying school in said back paddock.

 

Don't go anywhere near the local council and mention aeroplane, if you can possibly avoid it, as one poster has found out.

 

Just have nice long thin paddocks and nice big machinery sheds.

 

Regards,

 

 

[Guest mudjeep]

Hmm. Thanks Bill thats really interesting! Does anyone have any hints on where I might find the legislation that Bill refers to?

 

 

[Bill Hamilton]

mudjeep,

 

Sorry my memory is a bit hazy on this one, but it is probably somewhere in the mass of "rules" governing local government planning and consent --- just a guess, but a place to start.

 

Regards,