What's happening to Warnervale Airport?

[Dick Smith]

Have a look at the link here (https://www.sentimentmedia.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR1gBO61nORkDsTaima_OKs31-bAZ_14Wcj2DuPjBQ7qARFU0ZCqF5vVIGQ) to a video showing the possibility of hundreds of jobs for the Central Coast. It is a really well made segment.

https://www.sentimentmedia.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR1gBO61nORkDsTaima_OKs31-bAZ_14Wcj2DuPjBQ7qARFU0ZCqF5vVIGQ

CENTRAL COAST AVIATION HUB: Offering the possibility of hundreds of jobs for the coast, yet Central Coast Council (https://www.facebook.com/CentralCoastCouncil/?fref=tag) seem to be systematically shutting down any progress, and burying the $450K masterplan funded by own own pockets. WHY?? For a region described as one of the country's leading youth unemployment "hot spots", questions need to be asked about the decisions being made behind closed doors within council.

[sdielectrical]

It's all very true.

This airport is so important. If those council politicians succeed in taking away this asset due to unfounded and irrational propaganda then the aviation community has lost one of the last remaining satellite aerodromes of Sydney.

Once the aerodrome is gone it will never come back. We need to stand up to this.

[Onedown]

I was around when the infamous Warnervale Airport (Restrictions) Act was put to the State Parliament in 1996. The whole rhetoric was based on misinformation and lies. The independents at the time had the opportunity to block the Act or at the least vote in the amendment that was put up by the Libs in the Legislative Council. But they didn’t, they believed the absolute lies of the then Labor member Crittenden who needed a platform to boost his declining popularity.

Crittenden told them that they didn’t have time to come back and debate the amendment because the bulldozers were about to enter the Porters Creek wetlands to construct the new runway and it would be too late. At that time there weren’t any survey pegs placed and no construction contract had even been issued let alone the required engineering plans.

The local Central Coast Airport Action Group (CCAAG) a bunch of disaffected Wattanobbi residents led by a known anti airport activist Laurie Eyes and a local resident Jorg Brietkof bragged how they drafted the Act in one of their meetings.

At no point did the CCCAAG or Crittenden have any discussions with the Central Coast Aeroclub who built and operated the airport site.

The Act is one of the most poorly written pieces of ledgislation I have ever seen. It should have been withdrawn years ago. But now even the current Liberal Mimister who has the power to do so seems impotent in this area. The Act should be overridden by Federal legislation. The Act is a major problem and need not be if it was simply withdrawn.

How would any pilot on here like it if you were based at Warnervale, under the current rules you have to give 24 hours notice of ALL intended movements. It is simply unworkable. No Council owned ALA anywhere in Australia has that kind of a restriction on it.

This Council is out of control and not accountable to the people they are supposed to represent.

If Warnervale closes due to a lack of action on all our part, the whole aviation community at some stage will be disadvantaged. Something is fundamentally wrong with the way local governments are riding rough shod over aviation interests in this country. We have to somehow get the Feds involved and all get off our corporate arses.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Unfortunately, aviation hubs aren't being built anywhere else either, so what makes Warnervale think they are missing out?
God help them if they think drones will save them. You don't need an airfield to operate drones from.

[Like This - Do That]

Central Coast has a population of around 350k? And effectively no airport. Gosford to Willy is 100km. Gosford to KSA is 90km. This is a case study of how utterly idiotic aviation is in this country. Can you imagine a metro area in the US of around that population that doesn't have its own airport - not just some cruddy run down track, but 8000' runways, ILS, full length parallel taxiways, etc. Think Lubbock Texas or Green Bay Wisconsin or Fresno California or any number of metro areas of similar size. Do the good folks of those cities have to drive for 2 hours or more to get to a airport from which they might - SHOCK HORROR! - fly somewhere.

Most of those airports have thriving GA operations, mixed in with RPT and military jets.

Or Norwich in England? Population of the area pretty similar, airport has a 6000' runway, etc. Hamilton in NZ? Half the population of Central Coast NSW but has a proper airport. I bet there are scores of almost identical scenarios all over the developed world. But the @rse End of the World? Straya?

Massive big country with crappy roads, 25 million people, you'd think aviation would be a shoe-in, wouldn't you?

[Grizzly Bare]

Is there any further word on what is happening with AAI, Amphibian Aerospace Industries, who were going to be building vintage Grumman Albatross aircraft from a factory in Warnervale? I remember Mike Baird was there for their announcement of 1000's of jobs.

[MagnumPI]

Unfortunately, aviation hubs aren't being built anywhere else either, so what makes Warnervale think they are missing out?
God help them if they think drones will save them. You don't need an airfield to operate drones from.

I think you're missing the point, and as someone that is very close to the issue let me educate you.

The main issue here is that several very determined councillors backed by a small group in the community want the airfield closed no matter what. Of late they've resorted to some extremely underhanded tactics to destroy the CCAC and close the airfield, including:

1. A motion prohibiting trimming of trees and vegetation around the airfield which would gradually reduce the LDA and render the strip unusual in the near future
2. Admitting that they have 'probably' triggered the Warnervale Airport Restrictions Act, which would in effect limit movements to 88 per day - on a Saturday morning with 3x C150s doing circuits we could hit that in 1.5 hours
3. Refusing to renegotiate the CCAC's agreement to operate at the airfield past 2021
4. Ridiculous 24 hour prior permission required which may be applied even to aero club training aircraft and aircraft based at YWVA

The CCAC is an organisation that has a dozen staff across flight training, charter, and engineering functions. We are an aerodrome user, not the aerodrome operator (Council) or owner (Council).

The biggest travesty is beyond the literal thousands of pilots we've trained over the last 47 years, this site has enormous potential as a regional airport given the exodus from Bankstown and the proximity of Warnervale to the northern suburbs of Sydney.

[Alchemy101]

Absolutely reprehensible behavior by some in the current council. Once lost, it wouldn't be replaced.

Hopefully sensible heads prevail!

[machtuk]

I feel for any aeroclub or local airfield that the grubby council have their mits on, we are such a corrupt country when it comes to authorities especially local councils!
CASA must be rubbing their hands 2gether when they see/read about another drome being threatened closure!
Good luck, you'll need it guys!

[Office Update]

Where does the rot stop?

Airports under threat for no good reason include (subject to confirmation) -
Yarrawonga,
Shepparton,
Corowa,
Deniliquin,
Echuca,
Tyabb to name a few

Airports lost in Victoria during my 48 years in aviation include all the Moorabbin feeders/relievers of -
Berwick,
Pakenham,
Moorooduc,
Dandenong South,
Lovely Banks?
Whittlesea,
Labertouche,
Longwarry, (with the exception of Labertouche, Pakenham and Dandenong South ALL had active Flight Schools.

GA has all but been driven out of Cairns,
Mackay is unfriendly
Mt. Isa is impossible, during the '70's there was Bush Pilots, Lanham's Air Charter, Aero Club and upwards of 50 to 60 resident aircraft. Independent Engineering shop(s)

Airports such as Moorabbin get ****ty with owners of C-185's, C337's and Queenair/Twin Bonanzas. Gone are the days of P-51's and DC3's of the '70's and that was before they lengthened the runways to accommodate the Dept. of Civil Aviation, Commander 1000's

The well researched film "16L" featuring Van Nuy's airport where statistics run high, some thing like over 30+ airport have been lost in the Los Angeles basin. One supporter even stated along the lines … " the most important main street of any town is the runway"

The problem is greed! either by property developers or local council's.

It maybe too late ………..

[Capt Fathom]

About time Our Federal Government took back ownership of airports. They are vital infrastructure.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

This is a case study of how utterly idiotic aviation is in this country.
No this is a case study of reality in aviation in this country. Warnervale is not some large regional airport rotting away and dying due to the reduction of local aviation. It is all the airport the surrounding area ever needed, even through the supposed heyday of GA in this country. A 10m wide 1200m strip for the (very) local GA.
Massive big country with crappy roads, 25 million people,
Except that most of those 25 million live pretty close to each other, with reasonably good roads between where most of them are, and no real need to go where most of the other people aren't.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Is there any further word on what is happening with AAI,
Not much that sounds promising (https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/amphibian-aerospace-industries-calls-media-borderline-racist-insulting-by-asking-questions/news-story/15a12b0a81a05a0f231c882965d3df6c)

[tio540]

Rename all airports “injecting room”, or “skate park”, and identify pilots as disadvantaged, and the problem would be solved.