winsor68 Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I just got back from a holiday in Airlie Beach...and as I always do I visited every airport along the way. The Whitsunday Airpark is brilliant...They have a Cafe and Bar looking over the action and a whole bunch of Beaver float planes. They are having an airshow on the 3rd May to launch the WAVE residential airpart...Check out the link below...This is going to be a pretty exclusive thing I believe...don't know what the neighbours would think if you parked your Thruster in your own private hanger house...but it is nice to dream. http://http://www.whitsundayairport.com.au/
Guest Brett Campany Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Oh how good would that be!!! I'd love to be able to go to something like that!
Barefootpilot Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Yeah the owner of the airpark is not a fan of "ultralights" and operating into and out of that strip in anything under 2 Tones is "interesting" on days with wind over 10kts! I haven't seen it complete but I was there just before the runway was finished and it was looking good.... pitty about the price!
Guest ozzie Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 The place has slipped a bit in the popularity stakes since it was sold in 2001 ozzie
Barefootpilot Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 But Ozzie Jeff looks great in all the promo photo's!
Guest ozzie Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 where is the wet season river going to run? The amount of water that runs were they want to do stage 3 is amazing. there were times when i just opened the doors of the terminal building and let 2 ft of water run out thru the bistro. Does john davis? still own air whitsunday? jeff is one to stay good friends with. bit of a lad he is ozzie
Barefootpilot Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Water? What water??? No John sold up long ago now owned by a guy in Melbourne who may not own it for much longer....
shafs64 Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Hay windsor does your wife give you a hard time about wanting to stop at every airport. Paul
winsor68 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Posted April 1, 2009 Hay windsor does your wife give you a hard time about wanting to stop at every airport.Paul No...She actually encouraged me to...We drove by at night time...next morning as we were leaving to come home she insisted we backtrack the way we had come to visit...How lucky am I...???? AND...she ran around taking photos...Keep in mind this is a women who has never flown in anything smaller than a Macair Saab. AND...She is really keen for me to buy an aircraft... I did get the impression that the locals were not too keen on Ultralights....
winsor68 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Posted April 1, 2009 I also found the most amazing airfield just off the Bruce Highway at Bloomsbury about an hour sth of Proserpine...there is a beautiful small lake, looked to be about half a dozen new looking double hangers and a dirt strip...Has anyone heard of this airstrip...??? With the Wife encouraging me to buy an aircraft I will need somewhere to keep her...the aircraft not the wife... You can see it clearly on Google Earth....again the airstrip not the wife...
shafs64 Posted April 1, 2009 Posted April 1, 2009 Your a lucky man windsor. My wife gives me that look (all married men know the look) when i say can we just drop in here for a minute witch we all know its not a minute:laugh: But she does support my flying and the bucket loads of money i spent on it. last time i was at Whitsunday Airpark i spent and hour talking to one of the beaver pilots and when i got back my wife siad what is a minute to you. Paul
Guest ozzie Posted April 1, 2009 Posted April 1, 2009 I also found the most amazing airfield just off the Bruce Highway at Bloomsbury about an hour sth of Proserpine...there is a beautiful small lake, looked to be about half a dozen new looking double hangers and a dirt strip...Has anyone heard of this airstrip...???quote] I'll have a look at Google earth later. but is it to the east of the h'way? if it is this is what is/was known as Whitsunday Airpark. it was owned in the nineties by a guy called Harvey was his name i think. he had the watersports/skydive concession at Hamilton Island until he flew his C182 thru power lines at high speed there. Never flown in there but i belive it can be a bit tricky. there is also a strip at laguna quays nearby. Dave mariner from laguna was tryying to get a international airport up and running there as well. there is a 2 klm strip ready for sealing running next to laguana road just north of the resort. probably just needs a mow and it would be right to go. Ozzie
winsor68 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Posted April 1, 2009 I also found the most amazing airfield just off the Bruce Highway at Bloomsbury about an hour sth of Proserpine...there is a beautiful small lake, looked to be about half a dozen new looking double hangers and a dirt strip...Has anyone heard of this airstrip...???quote] I'll have a look at Google earth later. but is it to the east of the h'way? if it is this is what is/was known as Whitsunday Airpark. it was owned in the nineties by a guy called Harvey was his name i think. he had the watersports/skydive concession at Hamilton Island until he flew his C182 thru power lines at high speed there. Never flown in there but i belive it can be a bit tricky. there is also a strip at laguna quays nearby. Dave mariner from laguna was tryying to get a international airport up and running there as well. there is a 2 klm strip ready for sealing running next to laguana road just north of the resort. probably just needs a mow and it would be right to go. Ozzie I saw the strip next to the road on the way into Laguna...wasn't not 100% sure it was a strip at first but you have confirmed it... The one at Bloomsbury is just as you described it...runs up hill (or down depending on which way you are looking..lol). But still...pretty as a picture. Thanks for the info mate...I will need to find somewhere to house the Thruster I hope to buy someday soon...fingers crossed.
Guest ozzie Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 The strip at Laguna was started in about '98. Dave Mariner was not happy with Proserpines running of Whitsunday Coastal Airport and started to build one. the council cracked a stink and started some legal action as the said the flight paths would conflict. i drove my car down it before the grass got to long easy 110ks along it. i have not seen it for some time but it would probably just need a slash and check to use it for lighties. much safer than the other laguna strip. shame it did not go ahead. i had a good job lined up there..confusing area everything has whitsunday in the name. Ozzie
Barefootpilot Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 The laguna quays resort strip is usuably (with permission) its about 3km long with about 1km kept up to standard for use by Air Whitsunday (also owned by Laguna) There is another stip near laguna (towards the the township on the same road) which is still usuable but not overly huge (plenty big for a Thruster I've taken a Beaver in there) The other one that runs up hill with powerlines at one end is Lakeside Airpark. Its a nice strip I haven't flown in but Capt Ross has in his lightwing and another of my friends keeps his Drifter there. They are meant to be a nice bunch of people but they do have a noise problem but have a talk to them and they may be able to fit you in. Or you could probably offer David Mariner $50 and buy the Laguna strip he would probably take it at this stage!
winsor68 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Posted April 2, 2009 Well blow me bloody down...its a small world...the Mrs is saying "bloody hell!" too... The airstrip near Bloomsbury which through this forum I have just found out is called Lakeside Airpark. Another ex Mount Isan called Doug Belbin owns 5 acres next to it....He took my wedding photos and we know him...old family friend...going to have to catch up... This is a link to Doug's website with the airpark info...its a very entertaining read... http://http://www.yippyio.net/index.html
Guest Maj Millard Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Capt Ross here...actually it's really the Major...the one at Bloomsberry is Lakeside airpark...it's private, but friendly, main things to remember is that they do have some noise sensitive neighbours, there's lots of powerlines to know about in the area, and they have had an accident or two in the past, so everybody needs to be good now if you catch my drift. When I had the Lightwing at Shute Hbr I went over just to have a look at it from the air, with no intention of landing, the owner jumped on the radio and invited me down for coffee, I ended up on his back porch overlooking the lake, with his lovely wife and friends, and barely made it back to Shute before sunset !! It really is a lovely airfield, and I have done a little L2 work there since. Doug, who lives in the house just in the gate is a homebuilder, and is the 'unoffical/offical' caretaker, he's ok once he gets to know you. If you land there, best direction onto the strip is from the East, regardless of wind, and there's miles of strip to play with. Watch for friendly cattle if the are on the strip paddock. Shute Harbour Airpark...has recently been undergoing massive runway and surrounding work. Is privatly owned, so call ahead and have a chat prior to landing. Refer to ERSA. The owner dosen't actually dislike ULs, but is more likeable to more upscale traffic. There is a minimum '200 hr on type' requirement to fly in there, as it can be very knocky going in there, if the winds blowing. They have had past incidences also. Best before nine or late arvo. Not for the faint hearted, but worth the experience once you are there. Sourrounding views are great.Things to watch out for are:...strong rolling turbulance in sorrounding hills, parachute ops onto field, and lots of chopper, and float equipped Beaver and Caravan ops to fit in with. One of my favorite challanges !!!........Pick your day, if it's blowing above ten knots..watch out and hang on........................................
BLA82 Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 This is going to be a pretty exclusive thing I believe...don't know what the neighbours would think if you parked your Thruster in your own private hanger house...but it is nice to dream. Oh how good would that be!!! I'd love to be able to go to something like that! Tell me about it nothing would give me more pleasure to buy a block amongst a mostly GA Airpark and watch all the snobs go ape:censored: when you start to build a composite kit ultralight on the front lawn:laugh:
winsor68 Posted April 5, 2009 Author Posted April 5, 2009 Tell me about it nothing would give me more pleasure to buy a block amongst a mostly GA Airpark and watch all the snobs go ape:censored: when you start to build a composite kit ultralight on the front lawn:laugh: Personally I think they are going the wrong way with trying to make these airparks exclusive for those with money...Of the 2% of the population that has the money with the 2% of those that have an aircraft and/or want to live at an airfield it is a big ask to sell something like this...
Barefootpilot Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 I think the people who buy into the WAVE airpark are going to be in with a shock. Its not really an airpark at all its a working airport with houses either side. A beaver taking off sounds really good... but when it takes off at 6am every morning and then followed by a dozen hilo's the better half who isn't that into aviation will not be pleased!
Guest Maj Millard Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 One disturbing thing about Wave is that the folks who purchase a house/hangar can rent that house to any Joe off the street. Access to most residences is via the parallel taxiways along the runways, only. So basically you will have non-aviation type folks, driving vehicals on active taxiways, next to a very active narrow runway.........Time will tell just how successfull wave will be, there are some 70 residential lots, and the price of admission is at least 1 mil, what it has going for it of course is the locality right in the middle of a cashed-up persons playground, and of course it is a very interesting active airport also.................................
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