Airstrip approved

[NT5224]

An exciting day for Mrs NT5224  and I on wednesday.

 

After about a year going through the bureacratic mill and endless correspondence,  I finally got the green light for my  home airstrip.

 

Some in the sourthern states my be scratching their heads wondering why official approvals would be required in the Top End.  Quite right, strictly speaking they aren't. We don't have local government approvals (we don't have a local government!).  So we didnt need approvals for  developing an airstrip. We needed approval for the for 'clearing land in a wilderness area for the purpose of establishing an airstrip', which comes to much the same thing.   

 

Anyway, after my wrangling with the department,  site inspections etc... approval  is now signed,  sealed and delivered. My strip will be 800 m long, and cleared 60 metres wide. I will also be clearing  emergency landing areas upwind to cover the contingency  of EFOTA. I  will  clear another half hectare  off the main strip for hangar, tie down and fueling facilities and maybe a small cabin or accommodation unit.  Its about a  2km drive through the bush from the strip to our house and infrastructure , but because of the very fractured nature of the escarpment country where we live, I couldn't make it any closer to the house. 

 

I plan to commence construction the site at the end of the wet season.  I'll let people know how we proceed getting set up. It might be helpful to others navigating through a similar process... 

 

As I said,  an exciting day... 

 

Cheers

 

 Alan

 

 

[Thruster88]

Stepping up to the lycoming 0-320 should make it all very enjoyable.  

 

 

[NT5224]

Stepping up to the lycoming 0-320 should make it all very enjoyable.  

Yup,  you need a real engine for bush flying! 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

excellent ...I know how bad it is with govt depts and getting clearing of land...even just the vegetation map stuff...typical govt numpties...

 

 

[NT5224]

excellent ...I know how bad it is with govt depts and getting clearing of land...even just the vegetation map stuff...typical govt numpties...

Actually, gotta say that the bloke who handled my application was fantastic!  Really  helpful and supportive.  No complaints about the Territory Governments handling of our appo.  It just takes time paitience and resolve but thats understandable to get through their process and diligence. 

 

I think here in  the Territory its mandatory approval  for clearing applications if the purpose is to establish a landing strip.  But  thats only on pastoral blocks covered by the Pastoral Land Act (presumably a health and safety thing).  But our land is freehold, so in theory our application could have been refused, but our justification was pretty much the same as a pastoral lease, emergency evacuation, access in wet weather etc... The pastoral block next door to us  have a strip,  but thats 30 Km away as the crow flies,  and about 60km  along property tracks in my Land Rover, so not really an emergency option,  particularly in the wet.      

 

 Alan

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Yup,  you need a real engine for bush flying! 

Real engine ??? - My Rotax 912 ULS gets me off the ground/grass (slight up hill gradient) with full fuel in sub 100 m -  climb out @1500 +  ft/min 60-70 knots & I can cruise at 50 - 120 knots on  8 - 18 LPH unleaded. On top of all that its so quiet my neighbours mowers make more noise.  You what you can do with Uncle Sams LyCon's ......!

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Here in Qld its a different kettle of fish...I would be typing for hrs to explain it all but the upshot is when we purchased this property in Jan 2010 the whole property was in white on the vege map...in october that year we were putting in  a sewage system here and needed to clear trees to put it where the local council said it must go. I thought I just better check..when I got the map I found that most of the property changed to where 25% was in white and the rest couldnt be touched...we were NEVER notified of this change. So I chased up the local DEVITR guy and asked what were they thinking...he tells me they make their decision after looking at satellite pics...I said so no one actually comes out and looks...he said no...well I hit the roof. I demanded the pictures which he sent then I got him on the phone and asked for a please explain why they made these decisions....he was stammering and stuttering and hedging...really was not comfortable with me asking these questions. I said I am going to take this into the public forum and to ACA etc unless they actually looked at it again this time with some sense. So we then discussed on the phone what I wanted which by the way was some locked off areas along the creek on the property but basically he realised that they had made decisions on NO VALID basis and he then sent me a revamped vege map. They didnt even lock off what I asked for they locked off less ??????? anyway paid my $351.08 to lock it in and its done and dusted so basically its all back to white. The real scam in this is that they can change the map without you being informed at all and if you dont check then when they see a change by the satellite pictures they then come and take you to court and fine you hundreds of thousands of dollars then make you revegetate. It stinks...last year the Qld govt made further changes and its like 5 time worse than before now. This is only just a quick explanation and there is a lot more in it but I do not trust any govt dept here when it comes to storing water in dams or clearing trees...it a rort and a excuse to rape you for money

 

 

[Thruster88]

Real engine ??? - My Rotax 912 ULS gets me off the ground/grass (slight up hill gradient) with full fuel in sub 100 m -  climb out @1500 +  ft/min 60-70 knots & I can cruise at 50 - 120 knots on  8 - 18 LPH unleaded. On top of all that its so quiet my neighbours mowers make more noise.  You what you can do with Uncle Sams LyCon's ......!

The Rotax 912 is absolutely a real engine, I would rate it equally for reliability with a lycoming. I think you will find the brake specific fuel consumption is very similar as well, my 160 hp  burns 33lph. Props make the noise. 

 

 

[skippydiesel]

The Rotax 912 is absolutely a real engine, I would rate it equally for reliability with a lycoming. I think you will find the brake specific fuel consumption is very similar as well, my 160 hp  burns 33lph. Props make the noise. 

Thanks for including my  912

 

Not just props:

 

Yes I agree ,my Fitti, two blade, ground adjustable, is very quiet as are most of the European props - they have had to adapt to strict noise abatement legislation. We should adopt (not be forced) the same standards - fly neighbourly.

 

Most LyCons seem to operate without silencers/short exhaust, whereas most Rotax fly with - no getting away from it, the noise generated without/within is deafening. I can fly comfortably without a headset, can you?