Proposal for second ACT airport

[Buzz Killington]

THE ACT Government will explore the viability of building an airport at Williamsdale, with $50,000 earmarked for a feasibility study in Tuesday's budget.

The proposal has excited aviation enthusiasts lamenting the loss of Canberra's only flight school, run by Brindabella Airlines, last month.

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the mooted airport would be suitable for light aircraft, could house flying schools and serve as a base for aerial firefighters.

Canberra Region Aviators Association vice-president Michael Monck said demand for recreational flight facilities was outstripping supply.

''We've got somewhere in the order of 850 to 900 pilots, or people who hold some sort of aviation licence issued by Civil Aviation Safety Authority or Recreational Aviation Australia, and those guys are all sort of flying in and around Canberra,'' he said.

''I very strongly feel that we haven't even scratched the surface yet.''

The Williamsdale site was identified in 2004 as a prime location for a general aviation airfield.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times

[Bus 400]

Below is an interesting note to add to this story:

Airfield study 'could have saved flying school'
The ACT Government has come under fire from the owner of Canberra's last flying school which officially closed last week.

Tuesday's budget will include $50,000 for a feasibility study into a second airfield to cope with growing demand.

A site at Williamsdale on the ACT-New South Wales border has been earmarked for the recreational airport.

Brindabella Airlines closed its flying school on Friday citing high costs and congestion at the Canberra Airport. Fourteen instructors lost their jobs.

CEO Jeff Boyd says he has been pushing for a second airfield for years but the Government told him the prospect was unlikely.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/03/2888413.htm

WIN News mentioned that this airport study came a few hours after the Brindabella Airlines school closed.

[Snorzac]

After reading that I could kill certain members of the ACT government! My grandfather was just days away from paying for me to do my general pilots licence when they announced their closure, and then this comes out!