All are indications that GA is in a death dive. Perhaps Qld LNP will have a whisper in Darren Chester's ear or perhaps ,given the timing even more effectively in Barnaby Joyce's NZ ear. Seeing sweet FA came out of the Tamworth meeting now is their chance to redeem themselves.
A couple of more examples of the demise of GA.
1 The Courier Mail had real problems hiring an aircraft anywhere between Rockhampton and Bundaberg to cover the recent trawler sinking due to the almost non existence of charter companies.
2 The difficulty and cost of finding anywhere to land close to where you want to visit. In the day I used to frequent Middlemount, Blackwater and Moranbah airports. These airports were either owned and operated or just operated by local councils for modest landing fees.
Then came the coal companies. Up went the landing fees and in came parking fees. Worst of all in came the requirement to obtain landing permission. Sometimes a day or two was required to chase up Bazza or Johnno or whoever was the only person who could issue that permission. Sometimes you had to email all your details and a small window of time when you would arrive and depart. Gone were the days when you could get an urgent call to service a u/s machine, grab a few tools flash out an have it going a couple of hours after the call. Effectively these towns no longer have a viable airport.
Anyone who doubts this should see for themselves how long it takes to organize a visit to these places. Last time we went to Moranbah we flew to Emerald and drove a hire car the last 190 km. It was easier and more certain.
Now there is one more reason not to go to Moranbah. The following is taken from Avdata's information sheet which they include with every invoice.
My invoice is dated 20/10/17 and the extract is found under
CHARGE RATE SUMMARY
Airport parking and usage
Moranbah Aerodrome (YMRB) from 01OCT2017 OVERNIGHT PARKING $500.00 FLAT.
Check it out for yourselves if you have a very recent Avdata invoice.
RIP GA