Airstrip naming

[Yenn]

Someone has contacted Airservices and got Rodds Bay, my local airstrip, put on the aviation charts. I am assuming that is so that they can use 126.7 instead of the area frequency, that CASA requires for strips that are not charted.

 

Airservices say that the request came for it to be named Rodds Bay, but in their wisdom, they have called it Iveragh. YIVG.

 

The reasoning is that there is an Aerodrome naming convention AIC H03/18. This states that it is to bring it in to alignment with ICAO.

 

They do not seem to be listening to reason from me, that an airstrip that has existed with a name for many years, should not suddenly be re-named.

 

The convention states that where there is no city or town in close proximity it should be named after a region. It also states that this is Australia specific. So I assume that ICAO does not have a similar convention anywhere else.

 

Bearing in mind that Rods Bay airstrip is on a grazing property, called Rodds Bay, it is adjacent to the Rodds Bay station on the main North coast railway line, which has been on aviation charts for as long as I can remember and is bounded to the South by Rodds Bay Road, I am amazed that it has to be given a new name.

 

There are many airstrips in Qld and elsewhere that are named after the property they are on. One that springs to mind is Allawah Brahman Stud, I wonder is that really a region in Banana shire?

 

According to the convention, there must be no confusion or ambiguity.

 

Given that a lot of pilots are now using Avplan and Oz Runways for their charts and you have to turn on ALAs to see them on the electronic charts, I know many will continue to use the Rodds Bay call sign. Some will use Iveragh, but there are at least 3 ways to pronounce it, so it is not unambiguous.

 

I know a lot of pilots think CASA does stupid things, but this just goes to show that they are not alone.

 

How would you pronounce Iveragh? Is it EYE  VER AH, EVE ER AH or IV as in give ER AH? and anyway why would some beurocrat sitting in an office in Canberra decide that the long used name was no good. I see that the AIC is to be reviewed on Feb 1 2019.

 

Hopefully sanity will prevail, but until then the lunatics are running the asylum.

 

On another note I wish you all a Happy Christmas.

 

 

[old man emu]

When I was reading the above and came to the end of this sentence: "Airservices say that the request came for it to be named Rodds Bay, but in their wisdom, they have called it Iveragh.", my mental pronunciation of "Iveragh" was IV [as in 'give'] ER AH. Is that my Sydney accent coming through?

 

 

[Downunder]

EYE  VER AH,

 

 

[onetrack]

Good God - Iveragh? - who thought that name up? Reminds me of the old Bill Wannan yarn, with regard to the pronunciation of that fabled and legendary Outback Train Station, named Eurelia.

 

Bill yarned that every time the train pulled into the station, the Engine Driver called out, "YER-A-LIAR!! ... YER-A-LIAR!!" - and the Guard called out in response, "YOU-REALLY-ARE!! ... YOU-REALLY-ARE!!" ?

 

 

[turboplanner]

Is there an appeals process; this looks a good candidate on safety grounds.

 

 

[Yenn]

the locals call it Eve Er Ah, so there we go. 3 Pronunciations already.

 

I don't know if there is an appeals process, but I am definitely not letting it rest.

 

 

[KRviator]

Is there an appeals process; this looks a good candidate on safety grounds.

ATSB RepCon might be a good option too?

 

 

[Blueadventures]

Yenn, maybe have the owner request the airstrip is removed from the charts if they are unwilling to accept its name as 'Rodds Bay'.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...why would some beurocrat sitting in an office in Canberra decide that the long used name was no good. I see that the AIC is to be reviewed on Feb 1 2019...

Ludicrous. Let's start a letter-writing campaign, Yenn.

 

Not the first bureaucrat to bugger up a locally-accepted name.  In the 19th century one Hunter River community was named for its abundance of freshwater shellfish. When the town fathers submitted the name "Musselbrook" the damned colonial pen-pushers assumed they were barely literate and imposed on them "Muswellbrook".

 

 

[spacesailor]

Queensland's 

 

Town of Norman had to be renamed 

 

KARUMBA

 

On the Norman river.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Yenn]

The funny thing is that the airstrip is adjacent to Rodds bay on the charts, but airservices have to change the name to make sure it is not mistaken for Rodds Bay.

 

The name Rodds Bay appears closer to the strip on the chart than YIVG.

 

I am still waiting for a reply from the CEO of airservices. Not holding my breath.

 

Radio calls go "Iveragh traffic Rodds Bay FOU downwind 31 full stop" or similar.