Care to think about the cost of a kilometer of two lane highway? ....And the associated maintenance costs.
Aerodrome maintenance is insignificant compared to road costs
A kilometre of road can be used by anybody. A kilometre of aerodrome which must be maintained to a higher regulated and audited standard irrespective of whether it is in use or not, cannot. Do you have to put lights down either side of that kilometre of road if someone wants to use it at night? Do you have to mow the grass out to a certain distance either side of the road and keep it mowed before it is legal to use it? Do you have to produce and maintain a manual about how that kilometre of road is used? Do you have to publish nationally any change in the status of that road? Do you have to appoint, train, retain, and perhaps pay for a staff member or members who's sole function is to look after that single kilometre of road? Of course not. It again is a spurious argument.
you’re comfortable that ‘someone else’ will always provide most of the country’s defence and commercial aviation materiel and capability.
Joe Bloggs in his Cirrus doing a quick jolly around Port Phillip Bay is contributing to this how?
USA’s ongoing capability to design, construct, maintain and crew some of the best if not the best transport category civil aircraft and airborne defence systems on the planet.
I would suspect that having a truly massive military-industrial complex would have a little more to do with it.
Myriad aerodromes were part of Australia’s defence capability in WWII.
Eighty years ago in a completely different technological environment. Not that you're clutching at straws, but.......
I don't understand why you continue to conflate your reluctance to pay landing fees, with the future defence of this country? If you think the existence of such aerodromes is such a national necessity, pay the f*cking fees and help keep them open. Consider it as doing your bit.
I just don't like paying twice for something for which I've already paid,
What have you already paid for? Your taxes stopped paying for aerodromes 30 years ago, If you fly to another aerodrome outside your council area, you certainly haven't paid for any works done in the last 20 years that the ALOP grants didn't cover.
Somebody best advise all those pesky, bludger private pilots that cart around those in angelflights.
That's why I said "in it's most literal sense".Jim Bloggs taking someone to hospital because otherwise they can't get there, that's one thing. Joe taking taking his quick flit around the bay, doing the bare minimum to maintain currency, is just indulging his hobby. I would hazard there's a lot more of the latter in private flying than the former.