Gday
From todays Geelong Advertiser and I notice dancing boys reply said nothing about being banned for 28 days by the APF for dropping through cloud again.
Skydiving conflict
Thursday, April 21
REBECCA TUCKER
SKYDIVING has been banned from anywhere near the Barwon Heads Airport.
Australia's aviation watchdog has not ruled out taking the ban further to outlaw Skydive City owner Luke McWilliam from the nation's skies.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson yesterday said Mr McWilliam's operations would be monitored at other aerodromes.
``As the order stands now, he just can't skydive at Barwon Heads aerodrome,'' Mr Gibson said.
The authority's order precludes any parachute descent within a 4km radius of the Barwon Heads Airport.
It comes after Mr McWilliam late last year successfully won a Federal Court appeal against an earlier skydiving ban against his company after five years of complaints his company had breached safety regulations.
Since 1999 the authority has received more than 90 complaints against Skydive City from pilots, other operators and the community.
Mr McWilliam was last July given a good behaviour bond and ordered to pay Geelong Hospital $10,000 after he pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrate's Court to 20 counts of jumping through cloud illegal under civil aviation regulations.
Mr Gibson said the order would remain until the authority finalised a new mandated procedure for skydivers and other pilots to share the skies.
He said authority officers were this week visiting Barwon Heads airport to negotiate the procedure with airport users.
It could lead to parachutists using the skies at particular times of the day to prevent conflict of use.
Or, Mr Gibson said, the sharing of the skies could be a physical separation.
``If such an order was mandated, it would lift the ban,'' he said.
``This is an attempt by us to try and see if we can find a way to maintain safe operations for everyone who uses the aerodrome.''
Mr McWilliam yesterday said the authority's action was not taken against him or his company, but to ensure all airport users were happy.
Are we happy NOT YET but soon I think.
Safe flying
Cheers Q