Yes, there's quite a bit of fibbing going on at some of these secondary airports ;)

YMMB is still very busy, one might call it "Oxford Airport" today. Three landings and Three Go Arounds out of Six approaches saw me give up.

Those movements probably aren't far off for Jandakot. They come from the paper strips so unless avcharges can't count it had nothing to do with us ATC. I would expect 2010 figures to be down significantly on the 09 figures though.

The movement peak for Moorabbin was in 1989, 22 years ago. Steady decline since then.

I fly out of and have a plane parked at YMMB, and have for years.

It is still the busiest airport in VIC by a mile:
http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/...nlytd09_10.pdf

My biggest criticism would be the Moorabbin Airport Corp costs, which are not cheap.

Apart from that, it's fantastic. It's much better now having DFO next door because there are a lot more options for shopping and food. Handy being able to leave my teenage sons shopping at DFO while I go off for a quick flight.

The circuit does get busy, but you get used to it and it's not too bad. Anyone with lots of go-arounds must not be reading and anticipating the circuit traffic well.

I average maybe 100 landings year at YMMB (day and night, mainly weekends) and cannot remember the last time I had to go-around.

Only five mins from home and a great place to fly out of.

Justapplhere, I KNEW someone would ask that. I have a chart of the annual figures sent to me by the Airport Manager three or four years ago, but its buried in thousands of files. At the time residents were getting aggressive about the airport getting too busy, so needing to be closed so retail bulky goods facilities could be built.

I spent an hour or so looking for it so I could quote the traffic figures, but gave up. I'll make another effort and post the figures on here if I can find them.

No doubt about 1989 being the peak year though.

Pete:

I do as I'm told by the Tower. Two of those go arounds were from Fifty feet because I won't land without a clearance, and the radio was at that moment either monopolized by an aircraft reporting Parkmore and asking for circuits on arrival or someone asking for a glide approach, or a Twin reporting that they were doing asymmetric training.

I eventually broke my own personal limit to Twenty feet and got a "cleared to land , no need to acknowledge" at one stage. The circuits were busy, the radio even busier. It will probably clear up in a week or so when the new Oxford students get a little more experience. At least it keeps the businesses at the airport running.

Sunfish, your problem is partly fixed by assessing the spacing before turning downwind, then fully fixed after any other ac have joined by setting up the ability to vary speed, with one stage of flap late downwind, then assessing the spacing and adjusting speed before turning base.

If you do that you'll have a minimum number of ac in front of you on final, and enough space to hang on the prop if the person in front of you is slower than you thought.

Part of the excitement of Moorabbin is the skill of fitting in to a busy circuit.

While we are discussing the circuit at Moorabbin, quite a few need to be reminded of the correct spacing for circuits and when to turn downwind. If they were up at Bankstown the circuit would regularly punch CTA there but the MB Tower just lets it get wider and wider.

just,

Agreed, it's up to the PIC to make the choice and I will never follow someone out of my comfort zone, but it does get frustrating asking for early base's to cut in front, or to go around. At my time at YSBK, the tower would remind circuit traffic to tighten things up when it got wide (as they would VCA!). Obviously at MB there CTA step isn't there.

Sunfish,

you need to anticipate other traffic. Speed up a bit in the circuit if the plane behind you is a bit close, slow down (or go a bit wider) if the one in front is too close.

The tower controllers there are very good and friendly. They are used to having to deal with a busy circuit full of low time students. The controllers do a great job of moving a lot of traffic efficiently.

If the circuit is really busy sometimes controllers will move traffic to the western side of the circuit.

The only times I've had to go around have been when I've been impatient and cut the circuit a bit close.

Glad you guys weren't around when Bib Stilwell's mob operated Learjet 23's in and out of the place in the swinging 70's.

You wouldn't get away with your Moorabbin A380 circuits at Bankstown.

Quite a bit of 'pilot councelling' goes on at Bankstown :E

Moorabbin Movements


1962 133752
1963 189228
1964 195689
1965 257900
1966 319806
1967 320000
1968 321251
1969 240574
1970 212068
1971 208268
1972 217972
1973 254022
1974 245554
1975 257076
1976 301304
1977 326704
1978 342056
1979 327113
1980 289333
1981 270419
1982 249300
1983 238200
1984 265900
1985 299000
1986 323000
1987 289000
1988 326000
1989 395000 Peak
1990 386000
1991 357000
1992 338000
1993 328000
1994 339000
1995 347000
1996 350000
1997 363100
1998 295600
1999 259100
2000 256644
2001 253810
2002 253103
2003 235700
2004 229010
2005 264734
2006 233526
2007 310322
2008 351718
2009 310348
2010 242540