Airport Sales.
 

I have done something already due to the inactivity of others.

Today I wrote, personally, to *every* Member of Parliament in
Canberra.

Shortly, they will receive an email from me also.

Their electoral office will receive likewise so that they cannot claim
not to have recieved it.

In it, I ask for a response.

I am sending press releases to *every* newspaper in NSW Wednesday.

I *may* press relaase all radio and tv as well.
(Gee, you might even hear me! Hope the Pollies do!)

These are in relation to Hoxton only as that is where I fly from.

Go for it Graham. If you want things changed you have to do it yourself.

Also go and post @ Sydney Airport Message Board & Australian General Aviation Community Forum

Get the word out there. :ok:

Graham

Good work. If you would like some AOPA action please pm me. I think we could possibly do an e-AOPA with a draft letter.

When you do 'bulk' letters, put them in an individually addressed envelope, but then putt all those into two envelopes, one HoR and one Senate.

Saves money :)

AK

I would have thought AOPA would have taken the lead in this. I have just received the June magazine and it doesnt even rate a mention.

Just like when AOPA sat by and did nothing when GST was added to aviation parts and supplies all of which used to be sales-tax free.

... and how they sat by and did nothing when Schofields Aerodrome was closed.

etc etc.

Good to see that somebody else (and I know there are numerous others) standing up to be counted and tell the government and councils to leave our airfield alone. All GA airfileds seem under threat at the moment, mainly due to councils wanting fast cash by covering beautiful runways with houses. I don't know what the current situation is at Hoxton Park but I guess little differen't than it has been in the past. Bacchus Marsh is under threat from houses encroaching the airfield even though it is a long distance from the town. Shellharbour council seem determined to see Wollongong Airport carved up and sold off, or at least to limit the aviation conducted out of it for future redevelopment. Point Cook looks doomed in the long run and Essendon will always be fighting off the developers.

It is bad enough the cost of aircraft hire keeps increasing due to costs of fuel, parts, insurance etc but soon that won't be the problem its going to be the three hour drive to find an airport to fly at only to find the council will not re-new the flying schools lease for a building it probably made them build, all whilst the opposition operator has risen fuel prices so high to hinder the operation and council is charging $10 for a touch and go. Anything start to sound familiar towhere you fly. Everybody needs to stand up and make some noise to local MPS's and councils to save what will soon be another endangered species.

Check out what Bankstown flying schools maybe changed after 1st July 2003 @ http://www.clamback-hennessy.com.au/hotp.htm The next thing they will be selling off YSBK if we are not careful. :mad:

Interestingly, the mail out has had a result.

The letters would have only arrived yesterday, and I had a reply from my local federal member the same day, inviting me to discuss the matter with him. I would think others will follow soon.

I have been to busy to do the email and all newspapers items but that should happen very soon.

I note that there are now a few people doing something and that is good - I think. Some of the advice and tactics should be evaluated in the cold light of day as it were. :-) Idealism is nice, but practicality is required I would think.

Will advise on the results as they occur.

Hi snarek,

I am not worried about saving a few dollars if it can gain greater credibility. I posted and had the office put a stamp on each one individually.

No bulk mail, no savings, but greater credibility I would think at the other end.

Hmm...
Gee, I dunno what to use as a non de plume to hide behind...
:-)

Hi Graham

Heh Heh, nice if you have an office. I have done the same thing twice and it cost me $80 in postage and a lot of tongue rash each time.

I since worked out that Aust Post will do a bulk deal for 100 or more letters :)

A nom-de-plume, how about ael works for me ;)

AK

Following is quoted some of the discussion on aus.aviation (which should be here):

Stealth Pilot <[email protected]> wrote:

>Y'know some of you guys need to get out a bit more.
Thank you.
>Have you ever thought that the government plans for the sale of Hoxton
>Park actually make sense?
Yeh? Your theory of course.
>Hoxton Park should be turned into residential development.
Possible. You mean like some of the country airports are doing? Which
one is stunningly successful at this? My opinion: Generally pilots a/c
people do not have the spare cash to plug a lot of dough into buying a
home unit with a hanger space at an airport. IF they do, they buy the
weekender up the coast. And of course, the wives think it a great
reason to get rid of the mad flying bastard husband and get half the
total assets anyhow:-)

>It has areas of preservable bushland.
>It has a single runway.
Yep. Agreed.
>Instead of bleating wildly that nothing should be changed you should
>be seeing the sense in combining the three factors above.
Groan...
>The move to privatise Hoxton Park is unstopable so move it in a
>direction of advantage.
>
>Ever heard of a residential airpark ?
See above Not stunningly successful. But that is only my idea.
>The yanks have successfully built dozens of them. They prosper well.

>The future of Hoxton Park lies in developing it into a residential
>airpark. The bleating would be far far more effective if it was
>changed to an insistent urging that the redevelopment should get
>underway as soon as possible.
Get this: It aint bleating.
>The pilot lobby has a simple target ahead of it to preserve Hoxton
>Park.
>Convince the developers that more value can be had by redevelopment as
>a residential airpark than as an area of pure residential development.
Yeh? I actually do this sort of thing. Show *me* how. THi sis a high
value area, not some out of the way paddock.
>Part high value residential airpark and part private hangarage would
>seem to me to offer the best chance of retaining the facility.
>
>Use the environmental lobby as a a friend and have them get active to
>preserve the bushland. That diminishes broadacre development value.
Yep. Ever seen a greenie like an airport though??
>If you all got together and pushed hard you might just end up with the
>best little airfield development in Australia.
>
>Start talking to the local council planners about it !
..........
>Stealth (get your arses into gear!) Pilot

Another one (just to keep everyone up to date):

Stealth Pilot <[email protected]> wrote:

>Graham the redevelopment push is profit driven.
I think the sale of Hoxton is more "privatisation" driven. And the
sale value overrated by the Feds.
>The government hasnt suddenly turned phillistine either, the move to
>remove itself from bearing the aviation infrastructure costs has been
>underway now for about 10 years.
Yeh.
>quite often success in the face of certain defeat comes from looking
>at the problem with a different viewpoint and seeing the opportunity.
Yeh.
>how do you use the profit motivation for the future of the airfield?
>ask yourself 'what makes real estate valuable?'
Low &/or fixed supply. Demand and the ability to pay for it. Real
Estate 1001, 1st lecture. <smile>.
>flat land is bland and cheapest.
>a beach nearby increases the value, a hillside with views increases
>the value, a river foreshore increases the value, a bay increases the
>value. even a shopping centre nearby can increase the value.
Yeh.
>what most real estate people dont appreciate is that an airfield that
>is properly developed is as much a value improver as the sydney
>harbour.
Yeh? Doubt that. Stealth, you should get into Real Estate. <cynical
grin>
>The key to shaping the future development of the airfield is to
>suggest/prove that retaining the airstrip and developing around it as
>the central feature (residential airpark) has the highest profit
>return.
Sounds like Economics 1001.
>because of their government ownership most airfields have not been
>available for residential airpark development so there is not much of
>an example to lead with. Narromine and Goolwa are the only ones that
>come to mind.
That's right. I just don't think it an area where there happens to be
high demand for the product. (Esp. compared with the alternatives),
I go to Narromine often.<smile>. Jabs *can* fly that far..<grin>.
>you need to talk to the local council town planners to find out who is
>proposing redevelopment. then you need to approach them and
>plant/hammer home the idea that retaining the airstrip and developing
>a residential airpark will return them the highest profits.
It aint the Council selling it. Its the Feds.
>Among the 11,000 pilots in this country are quite a few millionaires
>who would like to live close to where they fly.
I am. And I am happy *not* to live next to the airport. And not for
the noise aspect. (I am only 12 mins to KSA.)
>I'm sure most wouldnt
>mind living near enthusiasts of lesser means.
Groan. Not the issue at all.
>There is opportunity for
>a range of home prices in a large development.
>As an example of what is possible, South of Perth is Port Bouvarde one
>of the highest priced areas of real estate in the coastal corridor.
>that area was developed from swamp along the lines of the gold coast
>developments. It targets wealthy yachties who want to live by their
>boats. It was created from nothing.
>Ignore those who think it isnt possible. for them it isnt.
Personally, I think most blokes are happy to drive a little way to the
airport. Can't imagine most wives/kids wanting to live near or on it.
>You need to be quite visionary to shake the earth at times.
>Have a go at shaking it.
Yeh.
>The worst you can do is fail
So? No probs.. the ones affected are probably more affected more that
I.
>.even in failure people will applaud the attempt.
No. Mostly they sit on their pathetic bums still doing nothing yet
complaining about their lot in life.

>So have a go.
That is exactly what I *am* doing.
Moreover, I do not come from the view that I want to maximise my
compensation from the Feds due to having a long lease from the feds on a hangar. I am simply after retaining safe flying in the Sydney basin for a lot of people in an area accessible to a lot of them. For a long
time to come.

>dont waste your time trying to preserve the status quo. spend your
>efforts shaping the future developments.
Sounds like one of my sayings to my staff: Forget the past, make the
future.
:-)

Thanks for the input.

Hoxton Park
 

Keep up the work Graham.

I learnt to fly at Hoxton Park in 1976 with Laurie McIver. Sadly he is gone. But the Airport must not. I have sent emails to pollies! stating my dissaproval with the sale as it stands. As you say we must all try to fight !!

:( :{

Meeting of YSBK Airport Business Owners and BAL
 

See further details of how the meeting went @ http://www.vpmag.com/yssy/viewtopic.php?t=2499

:)