C-150's at Pt Cook

[mingalababya]

Can anyone tell me who operates these C150's (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0919470/M/) out at Pt Cook and whether they're available for hire? I drove out there last weekend but there was no activity at all apart from a Tiger Moth doing joyflights.

[Sunfish]

Last I heard, every operator at Pt Cook has been given 30 days to leave. It appears that Pt Cook is going to be closed.

[Ultralights]

yep, Point Cook is becomming another of australias regional GA airports, AKA, land for developers.


this from a few weeks ago

"Yesterday the civilian tenants on the Southern Tarmac were given 30 days to vacate their Hangars by the Defence Department, while nearby Asbestos work is undertaken and their own Hangars are repaired or demolished.

No alternative accommodation is being offered either temporarily or permanently, no plans or proposals for the tenants to re-occupy the Hangars at a later date, it now appears that the RAAF intends to close the airfield to civilian use in the longer term.

No public consultation on the future strategy!

I understand at least 3 businesses and the local Flying Club are likely to be put out of business, and up 35 aircraft pushed off the site, including a flying school, vintage joyrides and the major Warbird operators.

A number of the Bellman Hangars being vacated are rumoured to be targetted for demolition!!

It seems "Duxford Downunder" is being FLUSHED down the drain!"


after the hangars are demolished, the airfield will be closed.

[Captain Sand Dune]

AM (Retd) Funnell must be pleased...............:yuk:

[steveo]

Try Moorabbin Aviation Services based at MBW
Cheers

[OCNL Ts]

I think you will find those C150's are operated by TVSA. They do the training for the Air Force cadets on school holidays.

[OZBUSDRIVER]

To balance out Ultralights' post-

Dear Members of the Aviation Community,

As the Secretary of the Point Cook Flying Club, I feel it necessary to let you all know of the happening at Point Cook. But firstly, for those who may not be aware, Point Cook is located in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, is a field that is owned by the Department of Defence (RAAF), and is the Birth Place of Australian Military Aviation. It is credited with being the oldest continuously operating Military Airfield in the world, and now with the civil activities and air movements, that could also (arguably) extend to a civil claim as well.

On August 10th of this year, with out warning, the DOD via their agents did serve a notice of “Vacate” on all tenants of the Southern Tarmac. This included the PCFC rooms and the Hanger that the Club has leased from the DOD, and also the Hangers that a number of small businesses have leased for quiet some time. No reason was given at the time, although, we have heard through a variety of sources, but nothing as yet confirmed, that the order was given due to the “unsafe” nature of the Bellman Hangers, which date back to WWII.

Since this time, the PCFC and the business affected have been fighting this notice. The Club in itself has managed to get a stay of eviction (until June 2007), and we believe that this has been possible due to the efforts of our members and other community groups who use our facilities (free of charge) writing to as many Members of Parliament as they can. Of course, this information has also made it to the media, with at least 1 of our members and also a community group receiving a personal phone call from a local federal MP.

Regretfully, the hangers at this stage of the fight have yet to be secured. The Club, along with other hanger tenants, which includes a Flying School offering ultra light and G.A. flight training (with year 12 students studying aviation, not to mention all the other students, myself included), a Micro Light school who has a special student with disabilities, a LAME, and joyflight operators offering rides in the likes of Australian Heritage Warbirds (Mustang, Chipmonk, and Tigermoths ) have commissioned an Engineers report at our cost to dispute the report that the DOD have done, should the reason for the “vacate” order be due to the “safety concerns” as the unconfirmed reports have suggested.

The main reason for this information being circulated is to ask you for your support. We encourage you all to send a letter to your local MP, and to Senator Sandy Macdonald urging them to not only change their mind, but also open the doors to reasonable negotiation with all parties concerned. The members of the Club are very proud of our Heritage, of the location and the history of the facility we have. We, along with the hanger tenants often encourage visitors to the base to visit the RAAF museum, and we all spend a good deal of time informing them of the history of the base, and answer a variety of questions to this effect. We are very pleased to have met many men who trained at Point Cook during the war, and to hear their stories. To lose a part of our heritage, as we are threatened with would be a huge loss to the aviation community as a whole, and to the larger community who enjoy our facilities.

Please help support us in our fight, should you need any further information, contact the club on the address / phone number below.

Thankyou for your support in anticipation.

Ken Crisp.

Point Cook Flying Club Inc

PO Box 6172

Point Cook, Vic, 3030

(03) 9395 1735

eMail: pcfc(@)pointcook.org <- Remove the brackets to send

Web: www.pointcook.org

[Dogimed]

Can Point Cook be heritage listed? If so, it would stop development on the property and therefor dissuade Dod from trying to sell it...

Just a thought.

Dog

[Ultralights]

Heritage listing an airfield means nothing.. Just look at Evans head! the airport IS heritage listed, but that hasnt stopped the council from wanting to dump sewerage overflow onto the airfield if they cannot get approval to turn it into a retirement village!

this years evens had flyin has already been cancelled as a result of the council charging rediculous landing fees, $100 for a private aircraft, $200 for a comercial flight and $300 for every warbird!!!!:mad:
of course with landing fees like that, the airfield is a ghost town, giving the council a reason to turn it into a developers paradise.

nice to see our elected councils showing they care about our Aviation and Millitary Heritage! :mad:

its an absolute disgrace!:=

[JDK]

Some stuff.

Point Cook isn't 'going to be closed', but certainly the southern-tarmac civil operators appear to have been poorly treated by the landlords.

The RAAF Museum operates a selection of RAAF owned but civilian registered aircraft from the site, and is supported with volunteers flying their own aircraft as well. These are on the Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 1pm. Much of that support, including some engineering support, came from people and operators no-longer able to be based there.

The other main operator is RMIT University who conduct flying training from the northern side in all sorts of GA types. I'm not familiar with their details, but they comprise the majority of movements on the site.

The site and many of the buildings, but NOT the Bellman Hangars on the Southern Tarmac, is listed as a Victorian Military Heritage site; but not Commonwealth or national.

Neither the pollies not the air force seem to have control over the 'landlord' and are playing the 'helpless' and 'safety' cards over an action which is secretive, dubiously based, and seems to serve no-one well.

[Sunfish]

I wonder if a "Save Point Cook" Committee is needed? There seem to be two good reasons to save it. Firstly because of the historical roots of the place and secondly because it gives Melbourne a potentially excellent future GA airport if the Military do decide to vacate. We currently have YMMB and YMEN and adding YPCK gives the population pretty much equal access to GA facilities. Compare this to whats happening in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth - we could score a real advantage here.

I don't believe GA is in decline at all and the potential for YPCK to contribute to the Victorian economy by being a hub providing jobs and so on through aviation related businesses should not be overlooked.

I live in Williamstown, but generally drive to YMMB to fly (RVAC), although I have access to RMIT's fleet and use their aircraft occasionally.

[montyjames]

I think you will find those C150's are operated by TVSA. They do the training for the Air Force cadets on school holidays.


Correct, I was actually the person who took that photo, and those planes are brought down from Moorabbin and Bacchus Marsh for use by TVSA who are contracted by Victorian Wing of the AAFC for Powered Flying Training.

[mingalababya]

I didn't realise we have a Minister for the Environment and Heritage. Well, it appears this is the minister responsible for bringing VH-EBA back to Australia (http://www.deh.gov.au/minister/env/2006/mr09oct06.html) for the Qantas Foundation Memorial. May be this is the guy we should be lobbying to make sure Point Cook stays open on historical grounds well into the future?