Lethbridge Airpark near Geelong will be upgraded with help from a $1 million grant from the Victorian government.
The grant money will be used to fund stage 1 of a significant upgrade, which will include realignment and sealing some of the movement areas, creating a concrete helipad and installing a water-delivery system for firebombers. A pilot-activated lighting (PAL) system will also be installed.
In announcing the grant this morning, Gordon Rich-Phillips, Victorian Minister reponsible for the aviation industry said: “Infrastructure upgrades to Lethbridge Airpark will deliver significant economic, commercial and social benefits to the Lethbridge community and beyond.
"Regional Aviation Fund support will help upgrade the existing runway capacity, meaning the air link can be used by larger aircraft like the Beech KingAir 200 – used by Ambulance Victoria – or by larger commercial aircraft.
“This improvement will make flying safer, help safeguard the local community and will be more attractive to business and recreational flying."
The upgrades will enable Lethbridge to:
- be used for some of the repetitive circuit training required for commercial pilot training
- provide all-weather services for emergency services
- place runways further away from the nearest houses, creating a larger noise barrier; and
- expand its current aviation educational services program.
Lethbridge owner Garry Baum will fund the remainder of the upgrade, which is set to see the airpark, 32 kms north-west of Geelong, become a central hub for flight training in the area and possibly even a destination for charter operators servicing the Geelong area.
The expansion of Lethbridge was heralded in a study released in 2011 and is expected to compensate for the loss of general aviation access when Grovedale Airport closed. A deal brokered with Avalon Airport to take GA traffic has not been successful.