Bankstown 14/08/2010

[Grahame Hutchison]

I was out at Bankstown this morning to look at the avionics in a few aircraft I am interested in, and took the camera along for the ride.
This is what I found on my way around ...

VH-BTN Aero Commander 680-FL(P) (1695-35) 1967 built - the cockpit has seen plenty of action
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-000.jpg

VH-XSN Warrior PA-28-161 (28-8016317) 1980 built and currently with Schofields.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-002.jpg

VH-MJT Archer PA-28-181 (28-7790256) 1976 build - I did my NAV training on a previous incarnation of this aircraft, some great trips
to Canberra. Currently with Schofields.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-003.jpg

VH-SFA Archer II PA-28-181 (28-7690364) 1976 built and currently with Schofields.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-004.jpg

VH-NFR Warrior PA-28-161 (28-16068) 1988 build and currently with Schofields.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-006.jpg

VH-AFB Cessna 172A (47647) 1960 build.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-007.jpg

VH-RWV Cessna 172P (17275710) 1982 built. This aircraft has a camera fitted on either side of the rear cabin shooting out through the
lower fuselage (below the P of Par Avion).
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-008.jpg

VH-ISM Beech Sierra 200 C24R (MC-670) 1979 build - retractable undercarriage.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-009.jpg

VH-ZRA SEAREY (IDK410C) 2006 build. They were of on a trip up to the Central Coast at a very leisurely 75kts cruise and GPS equipped.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-010.jpg

VH-ZRA - Close up of the ROTAX engine.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-011.jpg

[Grahame Hutchison]

VH-TAD SEAREY (IDK420C) 2007 built - this rego previously belonged to an Australian Airlines A300 that from memory served some time
with Air Niuguni.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-012.jpg

This is a very neat looking aircraft and what a bonus to be able to land on water where ever you like. The wheels retract upwards.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-013.jpg

VH-EAJ PAC 750XL (0132) 2007 build - under going pre-flight and refueling.
http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/D300-2010-08-14-014.jpg

[Noel White]

Thanks Grahame. Always look forward to your camera visits to Bankstown. :)

Pity you didn't get that bloke standing along side VH-EAJ to correct the hexcode for that aircraft. It's displaying 7C1445, when it should be 7C1449.

[Russell D]

Awesome pics and info as always Grahame.

Yesterday I am pretty sure I saw SFA fly overhead my house in Erskine Park (near the white roofs next to Kennett Strip). It was maintaining 1500', heading in a NW direction. I was in the backyard, and was watching it (as i do with just about any plane that is flying nearby lol). And if i am not mistaken, it appeared to flash its landing light a couple of times in two brief pulses. Of course, it could have just been the Sun glare just shimmering of the nosewheel. But for a second, i was like "OMG, Schoies even know where I live".

On another note, I've seen VH-EAJ a number of times near the Air BP apron at BK while taxiing past of pre-flighting my a/c. And I've always wondered what EAJ is used for? Is it some sort of charter service or something? At one stage I thought it might be involved with aeromedical flights, but in your pic below I'm probably inclined to think more along the lines of cargo/freight. Still, I just find it one of the more unusual looking a/c at BK.

Cheers and hope to see you around Schoies sometime soon. Perhaps next weekend, cause I see your name on the booking sheet for Sunday, and I have my GFPT with the CFI Bill at 12.30.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Hi Russell, I have a contact at Combat Dragon who operate from the same hanger as the PAC 750, so I will see what I can find out. From memory it was being used on Mining Charters, but I will see if I can confirm this and the Hex Code for Noel. At present I am planning to fly out to Bathurst and Orange next Sunday, my niece and her husband work at the Newcrest Gold Mine, so hopefully the weather is good. There have been so many bad weekends over the last few months (rain, high winds or fog). Good luck with your GFPT.

I forgot to mention that the two Searay's taxied over to the T Hangers where a third Searay appeared. I have seen these three fly over my house before, they sound like a swarm of bees.

[Russell D]

Hey Grahame,

I did a little research, and seems like the PAC 750 is used for a number of roles, one of the main ones being skydiving. However, it also seems to be quite popular for use in cargo/freight on short-haul regional/GA routes.

Enjoy your time in Orange. Yes the past weeks have been terrible regarding weather. My GFPT has already been cancelled 3 times already, so hopefully it will be 4th time lucky next Sunday.

Cheers for the best wishes.

Happy flying

[Jason H]

Nice photos Grahame, nice to see XSN and NFR still getting around. Was flying them earlier in the year....they were good except for XSN's non ability to climb, and NFR being out of balance the second you put the pilot in :D

[Peter Agatsiotis]

looking at Grahame's photos and the replies reminds of my brief stint at flying lessons (1992 with Navair) plus a few endorsement flights with other guys that needed 'weight' to finalise endorsement.

I took these photos in August 1981 and the young fellas can see what Bankstown looked like back then.

[Mick F]

Fantastic Peter. It's sad the look at places like Bankstown now, and see the lack of aircraft, compared to the number of aircraft in your photo's.

Sadly, GA is in a very sad state now, no thanks to the governments who have no idea about the importance of GA.

Selling airports, rising regulation costs, rising air service costs, increasing regulation beyond what is sensible, some of the many reasons why GA is dieing in Australia.

Perhaps when they find there's no one to pilot their flight to Canberra one day, and they ask why, they'll then realise the importance of this part of the industry in Australia.

Mick

[Adam P.]

Is that a RWY18L I spy there??? :cool:

I think I see a threshold for a grass RWY18R next to it.

More importantly - look at how many aeroplanes are parked on the aprons. You don't see anything like that anymore.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Thanks Mick

Yes big change and even with Hoxton Park closed the numbers are reducing. Haven't been to Camden for many years but I think a few have moved there and other places like Wedderburn, Warnervale.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Yes Adam that's them; they're still marked I think and in all the times I have been to Bankstown I have never seen them used.

[Adam P.]

Nope - RWY18 (the sealed one) closed maybe four or five years ago. It's now a taxiway.

I think there used to be a RWY23 there as well - you can still see the (obliterated) threshold markings for that one on one of the particularly wide taxiways leading to what's now RWY29R.

[Grahame Hutchison]

When I was a student pilot back in 1968, Runway 05/23 was gravel and 18/36 was grass. It was a long taxi in the C150 from Illawarra, near the current terminal, to the 05 threshold near Chieftan where the old Schofields were. The runway actually had a hollow in middle, and when on approach to Runway 25, we would turn onto final above the water tank on the hill. I can remember doing, circuits on the 18/36 grass.

Things were very busy back then, and the main hangers near the current terminal had the Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft dealerships, GA was quite healthy back then. When I was training with Illawarra, they had a Sea Fury that was used to tow banners and targets and would park amoungst the C150s/C172s. There were some great characters around then, one of my instructors was Sonia Robey (wife of Sir Keith Robey), then there was Barry Sargeant (Qantas & DOT), and Eric Greathead (who flew the Sea Fury). The C150 was $12/hr solo, a very different world today.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Nice memories Grahame. Just looking at my photos I recall that 11R/29L which is the 'touch & go runway' was gravel back in '81.

In 1992 C150 was $112 per hr (dual).

Visited the 'dealers' many times in my early spotting days; all the big twins would be ferried in and the single engined types came in crates with the 'reg' marked on the crate.

Following on from Adam's point, there looks like another runway was in op earlier (close to 29L); you can just see the 'threshold' markings.

[Adam P.]

Long shot - anyone got an ERSA for the time?? (or whatever they called them then - maybe airfield info was carved onto stone tablets?? :D)

[Grahame Hutchison]

Peter, it does look like 18L & 18R but I only remember 18/36.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

I can see those two Grahame, this marking is just below the Hawker(Boeing) buildings next to 11R/29L

[Grahame Hutchison]

Found this one of Bankstown in 1965, more how I remember it with only 29R/29L, 05/23 and 18/36. No evidence here of any other runways.

http://www.condellpark.com/bear/1965rw2a.jpg

http://www.condellpark.com/bear/97runw256a.jpg

[Richard U]

Hi Everyone,
Just quickly back to EAJ.This aircraft is used for survey/photographic work.Has been spending a lot of time recently back and forth over YSSY at 6000FT.

Cheers

[Russell D]

And now its around $170/h solo for a C152...plus throw in a $10-12 landing fee as well. Add an instructor, and you're tipping yourself into the $230+ per hour range.

By the way, I loved reading your accounts of BK back in the "golden days of GA".

Richard U wrote:

Just quickly back to EAJ. This aircraft is used for survey/photographic work. Has been spending a lot of time recently back and forth over YSSY at 6000FT.


Cheers for that Richard. I'll have to keep an eye out for it next time I taxi past.

[Maikha Ly]

Have just caught up to this thread.

Have had four lessons booked consecutively now since today that have been cancelled due to the winds (Trying to go Solo). Frustrating yes, but I figured if I could control the weather, there wouldn't be a drought!


Thank you to all who've posted content about Bankstown back in the 'good ol' days'. I certainly would wish I could be born in an earlier decade to enjoy the likes of Australian aviation as it was back then.

[Russell D]

I'm a bit curious with the previously mentioned notion that BK a few decades ago used to have a much greater volume of traffic than today. I think Grahame and Mick might have alluded to this.

I was just wondering whether this is consistent at most other GA airports around Australia (and in other parts of the world for that matter).

Can anyone vouch for traffic volumes at some other main GA hubs (e.g. Moorabin, Jandakot, Archerfield, Parafield, etc) a few decades ago compared to today??

Apart from BK and Camden, I haven't really had much of an opportunity to experience operations at other locations, especially in terms of traffic volume. If memory serves me right, I believe Jandakot seems to have exploded in traffic volumes over the last decade or two. Not sure about the other main one though.

Also, one of the biggest GA gatherings annually is the fly-in festivities at Oshkosh. I would think if a decline in GA world-wide was occurring, monitoring trends in traffic volume at Oshkosh would allow a comparison from year-to-year?