Gathering of Eagles

29th - 30th August 2015

Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield Inc. invites all aviation enthusiasts to be a part of our annual fly-in the "Gathering of Eagles - Australia" which is being staged across two days, the 29th - 30th August 2015. Overnight camping on the airfield is encouraged.

It is anticipated that Saturday 29th will see the highlight aircraft and other activities on the field. Expect to see a huge variety of aircraft types including warbirds representative of WW1 and WW2, vintage, aerobatic and homebuilt aeroplanes as well as a wide cross section of general aviation and light sports aircraft.

In addition to the attending aircraft, there will be many vintage cars and military vehicles on display, WW1 and WW2 military re-enactors and other exhibits in keeping with a major fly-in.

On-field catering will provide a wide assortment of tasty snacks and meals including a 3 course dinner on Saturday evening and breakfast on Sunday morning. Coffee and cold drinks will be available all day with refreshments available to accompany the Saturday evening dinner. Pre-booking the evening meal is essential for catering purposes.

100LL AVGAS is available from the airfield bowser.

The Gathering of Eagles 2015 Poster

Admission for pilots and aircrew flying into the "Gathering of Eagles" is free with no landing fees. Visitors driving into the event on Saturday will pay an entry fee of $10 with children under 12 years of age being admitted free.

For more information contact: Bruce Clarke 0427-699-239

Saturday Evening Dinner & The Watts Bridge Bar

Saturday evening sees a sumptuous 3 course dinner served up in Hangar 1.
Booking for the dinner is essential - so Download the Brochure for all the details.

To book: Contact Liz Cook 0419-369-963 or email info@wattsbridge.com.au

The Watts Bridge Bar will open at 6:00pm serving a range of ice cold beers, wines, soft drinks and water. Please note that the Saturday Evening Dinner is not BYO drinks.

BVSAC Fun Fly Poker Run

4th July 2015

Early July sees pilots and navigators from all over S.E. Queensland battle it out to be the champion of the Brisbane Valley Sport Aviation Club's Fun Fly Poker Run. In this game of pure chance the players find their way to three airfields in the district and select a card in an envelope. Last stop is Watts Bridge where the poker hand is completed by the two cards drawn at random by the house.

Perfect flying conditions saw an excellent turn-out with 30 participants enjoying a great morning's flying, culminating in a BBQ held at the BVSAC Clubrooms.

And so the clear winner of the coveted Fun Fly trophy for 2015 was John Nooyan flying his red hot Savannah - Jalapeno.

John was the runner-up for 2014, so it's good to see that he has been hard at work improving his playing skills to elevate himself to the winners circle with a competition crushing hand of three 10's

Click here for the Fun Fly Poker Run photo gallery.

All-In Fly-In 2015

30th May 2015

Since the first All-In (which was held in 2010, the) Fly-In has been increasingly well patronized, coming to be known through out S.E. Queensland as the "must attend Pilot's Picnic." In keeping with the airfield's semi-official slogan, "If It Flies -It's Welcome At Watts Bridge" the fly-in unashamedly aims to attract all manner of aircraft, regardless of size, performance, complexity or mission.

And so to 2015: Good weather is the key to a good fly-in. Not just on the day itself, but also well prior to the event. Most pilots seem to have decided to attend (or not) by mid-week. This year there was a full two weeks of glorious weather leading up to the big day, though at this time of year there is always a chance of a heavy fog.

Saturday dawned fine with just a few wisps of fog hanging over the Brisbane River. By 7am hangars all over the airfield were opening with local aircraft taxiing to take up the prime spots on the parking area tie-downs. The caterers were busy setting up their BBQ's and food stalls, with Watts Advisory already monitoring a swarm of inbound aircraft.

By mid-morning it was quite evident that this All-In Fly-In was going to surpass the expectations of even the most optimistic aviator. The main aircraft parking area was already full, with the overflow parking areas being called into service by the team of volunteer marshals. Peak attendance was just after midday with no fewer than 130 aircraft parked and on display. Allowing for late arrivals and early departures it's conservatively estimated that no fewer than 160 aircraft flew in for the day.

Most notable was the sheer diversity of aircraft on the flight line. There was no mistaking the fact that the warbirds were back in abundance. They are always absolute crowd pleasers due to their spectacular appearance, copious smoke and the wonderful radial rumble. A large contingent of de Havilland Tiger Moths and other assorted biplanes recalled the bygone golden era of aviation. And then there were the one hundred or so general and recreational aviation aircraft - too numerous to mention individually but proudly on display in the photo gallery.

But best of all was the unparalleled community support for the event. There were so many people out and about enjoying a wonderful Autumn day, witnessing first hand the positive aspects of sport aviation. The Kilcoy District Chaplaincy did a great job keeping everyone well fed with a delicious range of BBQ meals. In summary it's fair to say that the All-In Fly-In for 2015 was an unqualified success - enjoyed by pilots and public alike!!

Click here for the All-In Fly-In 2015 photo gallery.  
 

Sport Pilot coverage of the All-In Fly-In 2015

The Recreational Aviation Australia's magazine Sport Pilot featured a great four page story with text and photo's by Alan Betteridge.

Red Thunder 2015

14th-17th May

This weekend saw Watts Bridge seemingly invaded by a squadron of Eastern Block aircraft.

In reality Red Thunder offers warbird operators a great opportunity to refine their piloting and flying skills with activities such as flour bombing, streamer cutting and formation flying.

Female Komrades (Natasha's) can partake in a variety of social occasions such as a seafood luncheon, art gallery and antique shop visits. Everyone comes together for the Red Air Squadron Dining Inn Night held at the Toogoolwah Hoteliski.

Though warbirds, these aircraft - predominantly Yak's and Nanchang's - are really colourful with many sporting "nose art" themed on their country of origin. But best of all is the sound of those big thumping radial engines. A formation of 10 or more flying overhead is quite awe inspiring!

Click here to read the Red Thunder feature and to view the Photo Gallery.

Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield is strongly committed to a "Fly Neighbourly" policy ensuring good working relationships with other land owners in the district.

Pilots are requested to download the Fly Neighbourly Chart to be aware of and avoid where operationally possible, noise and over-fly sensitive locations adjacent to the airfield.

Download the Fly Neighbourly Chart.

Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield requests that all members and visitors using the airfield's internal roads adhere to the signposted maximum Speed Limit of 20kph.

The Speed Limit maximises safety for all motorists and pedestrians, significantly reduces damage to the airfield's roadways and minimises the generation of dust which has an adverse affect on aircraft, buildings and human health.

Download the Drive Neighbourly Information Sheet.

© 2003 - 2024 Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield Inc.
PO Box 98, Toogoolawah, Queensland, 4313, Australia

Phone: 0427 699 239 
Email: info@wattsbridge.com.au

Page Top