Bairnsdale Airport?

[Sunfish]

Had a quick walk around Bairnsdale Airport yesterday with a view to possibly perhaps basing an aircraft there.

Any traps I should be aware of?

Also, how do the danger areas around Sale work in practice? Does everyone "live together" reasonably tolerably or is getting in and out of Bairnsdale a pain in the backside?

[VH-XXX]

I have many contacts at Bairnsdale airport if you wish to contact someone for further information. Some of them have been there for many years. There's an Aeroclub there (East Gippsland Aero Club) and a very friendly bunch of people.

There are no issues getting into Bairnsdale through East Sale Military Control Zone. You will need to be qualified to transit CTA, which is no problem for you.

You can either track via the VFR lanes in contact with East Sale Approach etc or you can usually track direct on a clearance. Personally I've probably flown through there 100 times VFR and never used the VFR lane. If you are using the VFR lane from Bairnsdale back to Melbourne, make sure you don't follow the highway at Stratford, otherwise you'll head straight towards East Sale and they will get unhappy!

They do tend to like the terminology there, "VFR transit, VFR arrival and VFR departure." In your case, it would be a VFR transit.

[john_tullamarine]

You will need to be qualified to transit CTA

I must be getting older than I thought. What means this ? or is it some new approach to getting a clearance via R/T ?

[Arm out the window]

Bairnsdale aerodrome is about 4 nm outside the 20 nm ring of military airspace around East Sale.

There's still airspace above you at 4000 (if memory serves, as the bloke in Iron Chef might say), but you're OCTA on the CTAF at Bairnsdale itself and to the north and east.

Military traffic occasionally goes in there for NDB, GPS NPA or forced landing practice but will use standard calls to separate and shouldn't stuff you around.

The ES training areas are basically a 50 nm ring around that aerodrome with, as I said, the inner 20 from SFC to F170 usually, the outer parts with base 4000 or 6000 depending on where you are with respect to the hills. Something like that anyway...

Many civil aircraft transit the areas and the ESL CTR with some restrictions being placed on military aircraft in the vicinity for the duration, particularly if the transit/arrival/departure (BNS or WSL) is IFR.

Anyway, it shouldn't be too restrictive for you.

[VH-XXX]

You will need to be qualified to transit CTA

I must be getting older than I thought. What means this ? or is it some new approach to getting a clearance via R/T ?

Qualified, as in you have a PPL or higher with CTA privileges, or if you are flying a Certified RA-Aus registered aircraft, you have a PPL with CTA privileges.