Gympie Aerodrome, located 12 km south of Gympie town centre, is a community asset owned and operated by Gympie Regional Council (GRC). The aerodrome has been operating under the Aeroplane Landing Area (ALA) model since 1994.
During the Gympie Aerodrome Master Plan stakeholder engagement process, local residents expressed concerns regarding noise traffic and night activity at the aerodrome.
Furthermore, during meetings held between GRC and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), council officers were advised that there were concerns about aviation safety arising from a number of recent incidents.
Aviation Projects was engaged by Gympie Regional Council to investigate and report on the risks that arose from aircraft operations at Gympie Aerodrome and determine whether or not these risks were being satisfactorily managed.
The scope of work for this task involved preparing:
- An analysis of Council risk in airfield operations in the following areas:
- Operational safety at present and in view of proposed changes to aeronautical infrastructure
- Stakeholder and community safety
- Planning and regulatory requirements
- Community expectations, including noise levels and hours of operation
- A review of current management arrangements
- A review of potential future directions of the facility.
As a result of the review, a detailed set of recommendations was prepared and presented to Councillors for review, endorsement and subsequent implementation.
