Board of Management

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Airfield Council

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Brisbane Valley Airshow - RAAus Sport Pilot Magazine Coverage.

The October Edition of Recreational Aviation Australia's Sport Pilot Magazine featured a great report of the Brisbane Valley Airshow, written and photographed by Alan Betteridge.
Click here to download the report.

Air Display Director's Report

by James Crockett.

Well we did it. I'm pleased to report that the inaugural Brisbane Valley Airshow was a massive success. Built on the hard work done in creating the Festival of Flight, the All-In Fly-In and the Gathering of the Eagles, The Brisbane Valley Airshow was keenly taken up by the flying community, the public from all over Southeast Queensland and further afield. Clearly we have tested the water and as expected we have highlighted that the broader community will support this type of event going forward.

The air display itself was as planned, safe, relaxed and a professional event that showcased Watts Bridge and assets from our region. We had one or two minor issues with non air-display aircraft attempting to enter or depart Watts Bridge during the air display, however on a whole it ran very well. CASA also commented on the event in a very positive way and are looking forward to assisting us again in the future.

The airshow saw many aircraft participate in the event and even more fly in. Over 225 aircraft flew in for the weekend.

Attributing numbers to the inbound motor vehicles was not as easy. Cars arrived and departed throughout both days. At the lunch break on Saturday an aerial photo indicated around 2000 motorcars and 200 campers.

Clearly the image also shows cars arriving and departing. Unfortunately without a dedicated gate counter we will never know the exact number. Total ticket sales were over 7500. This number included a little over 1000 family tickets. From these figures alone we are confident that we saw north of 10500 people over the weekend. Considering the additional free entry of;

I would like to highlight the hard work and months of sleepless nights endured by the main stakeholders, the sub committee, volunteers, aircraft owners, pilots and everyone that made the Brisbane Valley Airshow a success

One member in particular who deservers extra recognition is Phillip Cooper. As the airshow organiser, he took on a very complex task. Phillip had the foresight to take many items to the BoM that some would no doubt back down on. He believed in the Brisbane Valley Airshow's success from its inception. This together with his overall management and his resolve secured the airshow into the history books of WBMA, as the largest and most profitable event ever held.

Fundamental to the success of the Brisbane Valley Airshow was the commitment and dedication of the volunteers before during and after the airshow. Our volunteers spent every waking hour over the weekend, making sure the event run as it did and was a success. They didn't have time to rest, or enjoy the air displays as many did. Given the overall lower than anticipated number of volunteers who participated, it's a credit to them, how much they achieved. The total number of volunteers was unfortunately low and as a group it is one area we will need to improve on.

“WBMA recognizes the Vintage, Sports, Warbird and Aviation Communities

The greater WBMA membership should also recognize the local Vintage, Sports, Warbird and Aviation community. Each aircraft owner and pilot volunteered not only their wonderful assets for us to marvel, but also their professionalism and generosity. Generally speaking as an airshow pilot myself, displaying aircraft usually requires some sort of remuneration. Clearly the local aviation community got behind this event and have helped Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield, secure it future as a hub for local recreational aviation.

One of the main reasons we saw such high number attend at the airshow was the Advertising and Marketing package that was put together by Brad Bishopp the CEO and owner of Bishopp Outdoor Advertising. Brad is a keen aviator, with a growing collection of aircraft including the P-51D Mustang. As a member of WBMA he took on the roll under the sub committee to ensure the marketing and advertising was completed to a high standard. Bishopp Outdoor Advertising donated over $20,000 in free advertising via the 96.5 Family Radio package. They also donated free airtime on their digital billboard in Fortitude Valley. We obviously also had the free use of his assets during the air display. The Watts Bridge community should thank Brad, next time you see him floating around the airfield.

So in the wrap up many positives have come from this event. WBMA now has an asset that can and will create an ongoing income. I know many people want to know when we will hold the next airshow. This decision lies with you the general membership. We will in the coming weeks ask this question.

Graham Orphen the editor of Classic Wings recently wrote "An Unparalleled Success" "If this is anything to go by, there will be much to look forward to in the future as the show matures and grows. Our congratulations to everyone involved in this very successful inaugural event"

Kubota ZD Series Mower

A brand new Kubota ZD Series Zero-Turn Mower, which features a 72" rear discharge and a 29.1hp diesel engine was delivered to the airfield on the 18th November.

The Kubota was chosen because of its features and a plan to standardise the product make of the airfield's mowing equipment.

A rear discharge machine has been the choice for 2 main reasons. It will allow close mowing to obstacles on both sides of the deck and will greatly reduce the propulsion of object such as rocks into buildings which has been a problem on a few occasions in the past.

Mowing the airfield runways, taxiways and building areas is a major airfield maintenance task made that much easier by utilizing appropriate modern equipment.

Watts for Breakfast

25th Sept 2016

The fifth Watts For Breakfast fly-in was held on the last Sunday in September. The radar showed showers coming through from the West so there was a lot of upward gazing from ground level. Luckily, the weather didn't hang around and the day turned out just fine.

Despite the early weather, the final count was 23 aircraft. The Focke Wulf replica showed up along with aircraft from Gympie and Oakey. There were also a number of repeat attendees and a lot of socialising with new and old acquaintances. Late shows were students from Caboolture RA on a cross country exercise.

Watts For Breakfast continues in 2017. Watch the Calendar for the January and future month's dates. Thanks for all the support throughout the year. If you have any feedback or want to become involved, please contact the organizer markpurdie@yahoo.com

Queensland Aerobatic Championships

29th - 31st July 2016

The 2016 AAC Queensland State Chapter's Championships, held over the weekend 29th to 31st of July was fantastic; beautiful winter weather, blue skies, plenty of sunshine, warm days and cool nites. We could not have asked for better conditions, on the ground or in the air.

We had 15 starters for the competition; not a large field but very competitive in all grades. Thanks to Steve Hudson our Competition Director, who with the help of Competition Judge Greg Diedrich, kept the comp running smoothly over the three days.

Place getters of the Advanced Level 1st to 3rd were Cassandra Moller, Peter Townsend and Chris Lee. Congratulations all. With Peter and Cassandra having a spanking brand new Extra 330 SC, they will no doubt be taking home lots more trophies in the future.

Intermediate Grade saw two of our members fight it out over the weekend with Scott Yates taking out first place and Martin Woodhouse in second place. Well done gents.

The Sports Person level was won by Natalie Korrum from Victoria, 2nd place by our own Peter Bess, and 3rd place Moray Clowes from NSW. Natilie also had the overall highest percentage and her name will go on the Tony Gordon memorial trophy. Well done ladies and gents. I would also like to thank all competitors, judges and other volunteers for their time to compete, travel, and help make our state championships a great success.