More RAAF intransigence YBWW/YBOK
Many will be aware of the new Brisbane West Wellcamp airport just to the west of Toowoomba. It may or may not be a good thing (or even commercially successful in the end) but it resulted in the Oakey restricted area to the south east of Oakey being removed so that YBWW could operate in class G. The Army didn't use that area much as it is full of people with properties running horses and these and low flying helicopters don't mix.
The RAAF (who control the airspace for the Army), appear to have done a dummy spit and made the remaining Restricted areas RA2 so people can't plan through them although you may get a pop up clearance.
Worse, there has been a long standing arrangement where local GA training and private traffic used Oakey when it wasn't active to do circuit training, touch and goes etc. Been there, done that lots of times in the past myself. Even for controlled airspace practice when active when I did my PPL 20 years ago.
It removes some noise and circuit traffic from Toowoomba and is safer for early solo students (YTWB is surrounded by buildings now with very, very few options off the airport which itself is rather small). It was also a good weather alternative for YTWB as it is lower and further from the range. YTWB suffers from fog and low cloud at certain times of the year.
No more it seems. Civil traffic is now prohibited from using Oakey without specific approval. The local aero club is upset too.
One must ask WHY?
Sure looks like a massive dummy spit to me.
The GA people around Toowooma aren't all that enamoured with YBWW and the way it was approved and it wasn't their doing that it was built and that the RAAF lost some little used Restricted airspace but are now suffering because YBWW was built and the attitude of the RAAF. YBWW isn't a viable alternative for GA as they don't really want light aircraft there. Landing fees are $9 per tonne. Minimum charge $200.
Note that the contract for AIR9000 Phase 7 has been let for the HATS and the current plan is that this helicopter training will be done at Nowra, replacing the helo conversion and advanced training currently being done at Oakey, so there is no planned increase in Oakey traffic.