The newly approved Lockyer Valley Regional Airport (see Australian Flying Sep/Oct2011 print issue, pg10) has announced that a parcel of land at the nascent airport has been provided to the Lockyer Regional Council to establish an emergency helicopter pad for the express purpose of allowing operations to be conducted in the region in support of fire, flood or other emergencies. The pad area will be self-contained with a refueling capacity and crew rest facility. The airport is planning to erect large water tanks to assist in local firefighting as required, and additional water will be available from the nearby dam. A helicopter base was identified in the recent Flood Commission as being a critical piece of infrastructure required for community support.
There’s really no excuse for all us GA pilots not regularly getting along to one of CASA’s periodical AvSafety seminars – which are held all over the country on a regular basis and are helmed by CASA’s Aviation Safety Advisors. But the regulator has now made attending these important seminars even simpler through a new, easy-to-use online registration system on its website. To register for a seminar, all pilots have to do is go to the CASA website and fill in a simple form. Locate the AvSafety seminar in your area and register now.
If you’re planning a trip to the US, and California in particular, in the near future, you might be interested in dropping into the Museum of Flying next door to Santa Monica Airport. Every Sunday the museum runs a program that lets volunteers get up close and personal and hands on with a wide range of vintage aircraft and exhibits to help restore them to their original states. Volunteers are able to help out every Sunday with restorations of exhibits, artefacts and the nearly two dozen aircraft the museum owns including a: · Replica of a Wright Flyer; · Replica of a Lockheed Vega; · BD-5 Microjet; · Boeing Stearman; · 28-foot nose section of a Boeing 727; and · B-17 RC model with an eight foot wingspan. The museum is reopening its doors to the public in early 2012. If you’re keen, you can obtain a volunteer application form by emailing info@museumofflying.com.
Airservices Australia has commissioned into service a transportable terminal area radar (TAR) at Sandra’s View, near Hume, ACT, to provide air traffic surveillance while a permanent radar at Mt. Majura is upgraded. The commissioning of the temporary radar cleared the way for upgrade works at Mt. Majura to commence on schedule on October 31, with the upgrade expected to be completed by May 2012. The transportable radar comprises a tower with co-mounted primary and secondary radar antenna and mounted lightning protection. Other facilities include an equipment shelter, a small demountable office and power supply system.
With the fire season fast approaching, operator Sydney Metro Airports is advising pilots using Bankstown and/or Camden airports that there will be an increase in large helicopter activity on both airports in the coming months. This year the Erickson Sky-crane helicopters that operate from Bankstown will be based on Taxiway ‘W5’ in the southwest sector of the airfield. The airport operator will cone off the grassed parking area west of the drain to ensure aircraft are not impacted by rotor wash. The first Erickson Sky-crane will be on site from mid-November and is contracted for three months.
We all know the likes of golf legend Arnold Palmner, Hollywood icons Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman and, of course, John Travolta, are aviation enthusiasts in their spare time, and we’ve just learnt that the globally revered Jackie Chan is in the same boat – or plane, as it were. Brazilian manufacturer Embraer recently announced the international film star and martial arts expert as its official brand ambassador. While we’re not actually sure if Chan is a pilot himself (all of the above-mentioned are), he has an Embraer Legacy 650 biz jet on order, which apparently will be adorned with a paint scheme partially designed by Chan himself, which sports his name, initials and several elements that evoke his Chinese connection and the image of a dragon. Given the predictions of explosive growth in GA in China, this is a pretty wise move by Embraer… .
The FAA in the US has launched a new section on its website where pilots and the public can report incidents of laser pointers being aimed at aircraft. We realise there’s a massive gap in the size of the aviation industry in the US and Australia, but we wonder whether something similar could/should be pursued by CASA… .
With Jackie Chan as its new ambassador, Embraer should make a huge splash in the burgeoning Chinese business aviation market.
