Katoomba Airfield
Katoomba Airfield | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
Operator | FlyBlue Management Pty Ltd | ||||||||||
Location | Medlow Bath, NSW, Australia | ||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (+10:00) | ||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | AEDT (+11:00) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 3,280 ft / 999 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°40′06″S 150°19′24″E / 33.66833°S 150.32333°E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Katoomba Airfield (ICAO: YKAT) is an Australian airfield located in the town of Medlow Bath, New South Wales. The airport is 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) by road from the Central Business District of the nearby city of Katoomba. It is a country airfield that has seen minimal use. The airfield is currently closed to airplanes and helicopters. The site remains available for use by emergency services.
The airport is Crown Land and is operated by FlyBlue Management Pty Ltd,[1] taking over the license of the site in February 2018[2] following the death of long-time lessee Rod Hay who was killed in a single engine plane crash in nearby scrub at the airfield.[3]
History
Katoomba airfield has a long history dating back to the Royal Australian Army in 1925 when a survey of the surrounding Blue Mountains region identified land suitable for an airport site. In 1959 the Blue Mountains National Park was formally gazetted meaning future development of the now protected site would require special government approval.[4]
In the mid 1960s, land was excised for the airfield with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service agreeing to exclude the airfield from land to be added to the national park at that time provided that the land was added to the National Park upon the expiry of the lease in 1988. The then Lands Department agreed to this process. This led the way for the site to be developed and officially opened in 1969 by Harold Coates MP (then State Member for Blue Mountains) and Ern Lesslie (then Mayor of Blue Mountains Council)[5]
From its opening in 1969 the airfield provided an air "Safety Ramp" for general aviation, being the only fixed aircraft landing area between Sydney and Central West NSW. In 2008 the commercial lease expired and the Government of NSW proposed the sale of airfield land, however Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) were opposed to the sale and reaffirmed its position that the land should be part of Blue Mountains National Park. An agreement was eventually reached and the land was then occupied on monthly arrangement until 2017. Minimal commercial activities occurred in this time and such the airfield began to fall into disrepair.[4]
In 2016 Katoomba Airfield's licensee, flying instructor Rod Hay, was killed in a single engine plane crash in nearby scrub at the airfield. In September 2017 following this accident, the Department of Primary Industry called for an Expression of Interest from parties interested to license the site. Blackbird Helicopters was the granted the licence from February 1, 2018.
web|url=https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5810825/katoomba-airfield-licensees-meet-with-medlow-bathers/%7Ctitle=Katoomba airfield licensees meet with Medlow Bathers|last=Lewis|first=B. C.|date=2018-12-14|website=Blue Mountains Gazette|language=en|access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref>
There has been community concern about the proposal. A 56-day public submissions period for the proposed development ended on August 4, 2019,[6] gaining over 1500 submissions,[7] and a petition of 12,200 signatures opposing the development was presented to NSW Parliament by local MP Trish Doyle.[8] On August 27, 2019, Blue Mountains City Council voted to oppose the development[9] in its submission to the Department of Primary Industry.
Operations
Katoomba currently does not have any companies based at the airfield, however if required for emergency services its use to support efforts such as a staging area for firefighting support cannot refused.[10]
Radio procedures
Katoomba has no control center and pilots communicate over a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Airport: KATOOMBA" (PDF). www.airservicesaustralia.com. Airservices Australia. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ Lewis, B. C. (17 October 2018). "Airfield take-off: New faces at Katoomba airfield, Medlow Bath". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "'Amazing' instructor killed in air crash". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Katoomba Airfield History and Background" (PDF). Blue Mountains Conservation Society. May 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Katoomba Airfield Information Pack" (PDF). FlyBlue Pty Ltd. March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Proposed lease of Katoomba Airfield - Crown land in New South Wales". NSW Department of Industry. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Dye, Josh (31 August 2019). "'Potential to scare tourists away': Bitter dispute engulfs Katoomba airfield". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "10,000+ signature petition - Ms Trish Doyle - from certain citizens requesting the Legislative Assembly incorporate the Katoomba Airfield into the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, to be managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as an emergency airfield". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Cunningham, Ilsa (28 August 2019). "Council opposes Katoomba Airfield commercialisation plans". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ "Proposed lease of Katoomba Airfield". industry.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 12 March 2020.