Who we are:
Far South Coast Airport Users Group is a group of pilots, aircraft enthusiasts, and anyone who sees the value that aviation gives to a community. We are based in Bega Valley but have members outside the area. We were formed in 2024 as a response to the Bega Vally Shire Council's plans for upgrading the airport which will, in effect, kill all general aviation and have negative effects on airlines and also regular passengers
Response to the Draft Master Plan:
The biggest and most direct concern is that it will, in effect, remove all general aviation services.
Despite initial mention of projected future use including general aviation aircraft using the airport for training and maintenance, the actual plans for the airport show that the council is not including any provisions for keeping GA services. Therefore any part of the Bega Valley community that relies on these services will become either; not possible, or will face increased costs and difficulty.
The plans show the existing facilities removed, which will leave Merimbula with no general aviation services. And once removed, the council will find them near impossible to bring back, especially the maintenance business. Aircraft maintenance is not as simple as the tyre business. Not only are there massive regulatory issues with setting up a new aviation business, but also a capital cost of easily a million dollars to run a business to charge less than an automotive mechanic. No one will be willing to take the risk, especially after the way council intends to end the residency of the existing aircraft mechanic.
If Merimbula airport loses the maintenance service, all local general aviation operations will be strongly affected. Even larger passenger services and freight operations will be affected by not being able to rely on emergency assistance at an away airport, but that is beyond the scope of this feedback.
The flight school/joyflight business (Merimbula Air Services) will likely not survive the double blow of losing their premises (and no replacement provided) and also losing maintenance services on site.
So the focus of our feedback is that the plan as is stands will be leaving the Bega Valley with no general aviation services and even the fuel bowser is in jeopardy of being made unfunctional.
We see the following impact on out local community:
Initially, we have the job loss, financial burden and unemployment the local people who are working at Merimbula in the Maintenance and Flight School businesses.
2nd, local pilots who depend on those services for regular maintenance and refresher training will be seeing higher cost and hassle to get these services from out of the shire. Some of these will manage to do this and stay local, but others will be forced to give up their passion or will move to other areas. Many local pilots are in the building trades, medical, and other important professions, and it will be a loss to the area for them to leave.
We will have no more student pilots. Many kids dream of leaning to fly, many people have a bucket list of learning to fly, and now they will no longer be able to do this in the Bega Valley.
Merimbula Aviation Services is a long standing organisation that has given many local young people the gift of flying. One of the local students went on to be the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
We would expect to see less people moving to the area because they are interested/involved in aviation and the Bega Valley has previously had good aviation services. This might not seem to be a big loss, but as mentioned earlier, many specialists and useful people are into flying.
Summary:
We are glad that the council is proactively planning for the future of aviation, but the plan they have presented us with is flawed in many ways.
It is our opinion that the planners have made a very serious mistake in treating air services as common businesses and not making it an express priority to ensure these services will remain.
It is our opinion that the same way council provides facilities for boats, they should also be providing facilities for aircraft.
We believe that that master plan needs modification to:
a: recognise the importance of the general aviation services, both flight training and maintenance.
b: recognise that there are currently CASA permits tied to the existing businesses that will be very difficult to replace if they are lost.
c: treat general aviation services as essential to the airport and ensure they remain available. It would likely mean the airport development fund will have to cover the cost of relocation of the services, and making premises available at an affordable rate.
It is our feedback as local pilots/aviation enthusiasts that these modifications will ensure that the plan will boost the local aviation community and will have net positive flow on effects for the broader community.
We make this feedback from a collective experience of observing and being involved in many airports over Australia.
Far South Coast Airport Users Group is a group of pilots, aircraft enthusiasts, and anyone who sees the value that aviation gives to a community. We are based in Bega Valley but have members outside the area. We were formed in 2024 as a response to the Bega Vally Shire Council's plans for upgrading the airport which will, in effect, kill all general aviation and have negative effects on airlines and also regular passengers
Response to the Draft Master Plan:
The biggest and most direct concern is that it will, in effect, remove all general aviation services.
Despite initial mention of projected future use including general aviation aircraft using the airport for training and maintenance, the actual plans for the airport show that the council is not including any provisions for keeping GA services. Therefore any part of the Bega Valley community that relies on these services will become either; not possible, or will face increased costs and difficulty.
The plans show the existing facilities removed, which will leave Merimbula with no general aviation services. And once removed, the council will find them near impossible to bring back, especially the maintenance business. Aircraft maintenance is not as simple as the tyre business. Not only are there massive regulatory issues with setting up a new aviation business, but also a capital cost of easily a million dollars to run a business to charge less than an automotive mechanic. No one will be willing to take the risk, especially after the way council intends to end the residency of the existing aircraft mechanic.
If Merimbula airport loses the maintenance service, all local general aviation operations will be strongly affected. Even larger passenger services and freight operations will be affected by not being able to rely on emergency assistance at an away airport, but that is beyond the scope of this feedback.
The flight school/joyflight business (Merimbula Air Services) will likely not survive the double blow of losing their premises (and no replacement provided) and also losing maintenance services on site.
So the focus of our feedback is that the plan as is stands will be leaving the Bega Valley with no general aviation services and even the fuel bowser is in jeopardy of being made unfunctional.
We see the following impact on out local community:
Initially, we have the job loss, financial burden and unemployment the local people who are working at Merimbula in the Maintenance and Flight School businesses.
2nd, local pilots who depend on those services for regular maintenance and refresher training will be seeing higher cost and hassle to get these services from out of the shire. Some of these will manage to do this and stay local, but others will be forced to give up their passion or will move to other areas. Many local pilots are in the building trades, medical, and other important professions, and it will be a loss to the area for them to leave.
We will have no more student pilots. Many kids dream of leaning to fly, many people have a bucket list of learning to fly, and now they will no longer be able to do this in the Bega Valley.
Merimbula Aviation Services is a long standing organisation that has given many local young people the gift of flying. One of the local students went on to be the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
We would expect to see less people moving to the area because they are interested/involved in aviation and the Bega Valley has previously had good aviation services. This might not seem to be a big loss, but as mentioned earlier, many specialists and useful people are into flying.
Summary:
We are glad that the council is proactively planning for the future of aviation, but the plan they have presented us with is flawed in many ways.
It is our opinion that the planners have made a very serious mistake in treating air services as common businesses and not making it an express priority to ensure these services will remain.
It is our opinion that the same way council provides facilities for boats, they should also be providing facilities for aircraft.
We believe that that master plan needs modification to:
a: recognise the importance of the general aviation services, both flight training and maintenance.
b: recognise that there are currently CASA permits tied to the existing businesses that will be very difficult to replace if they are lost.
c: treat general aviation services as essential to the airport and ensure they remain available. It would likely mean the airport development fund will have to cover the cost of relocation of the services, and making premises available at an affordable rate.
It is our feedback as local pilots/aviation enthusiasts that these modifications will ensure that the plan will boost the local aviation community and will have net positive flow on effects for the broader community.
We make this feedback from a collective experience of observing and being involved in many airports over Australia.