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:o, A 20 year old local man has been charged over a couple of vandalism attacks at Rutherford, home of the Royal Newcastle Aero Club. There are quite a number of private hangars there now and aircraft nad vehicles stored in them. This young vandal broke into 10 or so of the hangars over 2 nights and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the hangars and aircraft and some vehicles stored in the hangars. He's been charged with trespassing on the inclosed lands of another, break and enter and criminal damage.

No word yet on whether he's part of any possible local organization? that is making noises about aircraft noise at Rutherford. There is a home and landowners association that is trying to get the airfield closed because of so called excess aircraft noise but the airfield provide the local council with too much in rates from the Aero Club and all those private aircraft and hangar owners for them to even consider that. Their folly has been in allowing residential and boutique winery development right up to the boundary fences.

When I learned to fly there 30 odd years ago the locals were fewer and farther betwen and none of them minded the aircraft flying over their territory. There was one family who had a house on the side of the hill just to the right of the approach to runway 10 who if they were sitting on their back patio used to wave to and smile at us as we approached past their house. Now we get the raised middle digit from the family who bought the house as the original owners passed on. Even their young kids are rude to us now as we approach from that direction. Back in the day we used to return the waves and smiles; now we're not game to return the pleasant? gestures we receive from this family.

The RNAC moved to Rutherford in 1961 from an airfield about a mile from my house. They had to move because until a couple of years later there was no TV station in Newcastle and even then most people liked to watch the ABC evening news. The fact that apart from NBN the nearest TV stations were in Sydney making tall aerials necessary. The RNAC's Broadmeadow field was already surrounded on 3 sides by houses and on the other by a heavy engineering works which still exists today. Now that old field is a sporting complex, harness racing track and rescue helicopter base so there is still some aviation activity there.

This vandal obviously didn't stop to think what he has just cost the owners of the hangars, aircraft and vehicles, or did he? I hope he feels the full weight of the law on his shoulders over this as he has just cost the owners their no claim bonus plus the excess charges. Good one sport.

Ross.

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Yeah, we've got similar noises being made about YVR and people complaining about the noise of the airliners... and all I can think of in response is, "you trying to say you didn't /know/ there was a big airport /right next to/ the house you're buying?

As for the vandal... I'd suspect he /did/ think about it, and meant to inflict as much (financial) damage as possible...

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Always funny that the people who Move Next to an Airfield, Airbase, Military Base or even an Airport.

Act as it they Never Knew Big Planes were going to fly by.

I heard a lot of it from people who moved next to MacDill back in the 80's and 90's.

Idiots next to an Active Duty (Heck even a Reserve unit makes noise)Base with over 100 F-16's who wonder what that screaming and rumbling is.

When I was a kid at Whidbey Island, Coronado Point and Corpus Christi I loved seeing the planes fly by.

Hell I even would ride my bike as close to the flight line and runway So I could see them closer and even feel them.

Yep I was addicted.

William G

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I can sort of understand people's opposition to military and large airliner noise if they live next to such an airfield and have moved in there long after the airfield was established, however they are still to blame for their stupidity moving in there in the first place. Rutherford is neither of those, it's a club airfield with some private activity and the biggest noisiest aircraft we ever get there is the occasional corporate jet and even they are fairly quiet these days. When I say occasional I mean very occasional, like we'd be lucky to get one of those each quarter so the local residents can't complain too much about jet noise as it's not all day every day like the airports Litvyak and William have described.

Most of the aircraft on the airfield are single piston engined types with a couple of twins and the Skydiving Club's Cresco turbprop single. None of these make all that much noise so it's really a no brainer NIMBY argument. Some of these whingers are trying to get themselves elected to council so they can try to force the closure of the airfield and force it to move further out. Fortunately so far they haven't got the numbers to do that and it's to be hoped they never will have. Unfortunately however the Aero Club management has to tread lightly in its dealings with the locals as to not do so could bring the wrath of council and more restrictions upon our heads. We can now no longer land there after 2200 unless it's an absolute emergency, we used to be able to take off and land at any hour of the day or night and do night circuits all night if we wanted to. We can't take off at first light like we used to be able to either, no take offs or engine runs before 0700. Period.

I soemtimes wonder what would happen if we were to become involved in another world war. During WW2 the RAAF took over all civilian airfields and built quite a few more as military airfields and did exactly as they wished with all those airfields. What would these whinging NIMBYS do if Rutherford suddenly became attractive to the military as an initial pilot screening and training base. It would make sense as the aircraft are already there as is a cadre of civilian instructors. There is also enough room on the airfield to build living quarters, messes and more hangars if necessary. Another alternative would be to build living quarters at the nearby Rutherford Army Reserve Base and bus the students to the airfield each day.

Ross.

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Here, here Ryan. Damo I'm aware of the opposition around secondary control zones, but Rutherford isn't and has never been a secondary control zone, as you would know, in the middle of a heavily built up area like Moorabin, Bankstown, Parafield Archerfied and Jandakot that is up till now. There is also now growing opposition to Cessnock Airport over the same issue; noise. It's a club airfield and the only crash I remember was a DH 84 Dragon back in the late 70s. There have been a few near misses over the years but I can't remember any air to air collisions, either since before I began to learn to fly there or since. Rutherford has been an operational airfield since 1961 but just a few miles up the highway at Luskintyre that is a relative newcomer in the aviation scene, is another operational airfield that doesn't seem to have any real complaints from the neighbours.

Ross.

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Here, here Ryan. Damo I'm aware of the opposition around secondary control zones, but Rutherford isn't and has never been a secondary control zone, as you would know, in the middle of a heavily built up area like Moorabin, Bankstown, Parafield Archerfied and Jandakot that is up till now. There is also now growing opposition to Cessnock Airport over the same issue; noise. It's a club airfield and the only crash I remember was a DH 84 Dragon back in the late 70s. There have been a few near misses over the years but I can't remember any air to air collisions, either since before I began to learn to fly there or since. Rutherford has been an operational airfield since 1961 but just a few miles up the highway at Luskintyre that is a relative newcomer in the aviation scene, is another operational airfield that doesn't seem to have any real complaints from the neighbours.

Ross.

Here in Adelaide with Parafield airport, I think the NIMBYs are being egged on by a developer who wants the land to build more houses.

I live under a flight path and the noise is not an issue.

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Here, here Ryan. Damo I'm aware of the opposition around secondary control zones, but Rutherford isn't and has never been a secondary control zone, as you would know, in the middle of a heavily built up area like Moorabin, Bankstown, Parafield Archerfied and Jandakot that is up till now. There is also now growing opposition to Cessnock Airport over the same issue; noise. It's a club airfield and the only crash I remember was a DH 84 Dragon back in the late 70s. There have been a few near misses over the years but I can't remember any air to air collisions, either since before I began to learn to fly there or since. Rutherford has been an operational airfield since 1961 but just a few miles up the highway at Luskintyre that is a relative newcomer in the aviation scene, is another operational airfield that doesn't seem to have any real complaints from the neighbours.

Ross.

A GA-7 Cougar went in doing night circuits at CNK in 1989 - 3 POB, all survived, although pretty beat up..The instructor taught me for a while in 1990.

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Frankly, I'd be happy to buy up the properties of the people who buy near an airport and complain about the jet noise... at 5 cents on the dollar. Hey...tough luck. You wanna complain and then try to recoup the loss? They deserve to be taken to the cleaners. Call it harsh, but don't expect sympathy. Frankly if you didn't notice an airport prior to your purchasing a home right next to it...there is no hope for you.

That also goes for those who buy across from the hospital and complain about ambulances running to the emergency ward. People who complain about the noise coming from a mall or any other entertainment location that has been there before they moved in.

Edited by The_Animal
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I live about ten miles from a civilian airfield. Up to ten,twelve years ago all types of aircraft were allowed to use the airport, which actually meant that most of the planes landing were older type planes with extremely noisy engines. If the wind was coming from that direction I would wake up at night from the engines warming up! every so often an Illushin 76 would have problems landing or taking off, and the roofing tiles of houses would fly in all directions. The take off weight of the planes was mostly guesstimated, and it's a real miracle no serious accidents happened. When something did go wrong, the buffer zone at the beginning and end of the runway proved to be adequate, all though one came close.

At that time, the concern of the people living around the airport was quite genuine and understandable. But the airport was slowly going downhill, and with building lots around the airport being sold dirt cheap at the time, quite a few people gambled, and built their home next to the airport they were sure would close down. Wrong.

With the sound regulations getting way more strict, the airport has found a new lease on life. It's busier then ever(I guess 5 to 10 planes a day :lol:/> ). A lot of 747 cargo planes, the occasional Antonov 124, charter passenger planes... None of these planes is noisy. My workplace is under the landing path, the planes pass at about 300 meters altitude, and I often stand and watch, perplexed at how silent these aircraft are. But the people who bought their houses/building plots on the cheap, they still try to close down the airport. They gambled, but can't accept they lost.

Edited by huntermountain
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Ryan, I live at Paralowie but we only get the P-3's overhead when they really extend their circuits. Then again, I work on the Hornets at ARDU so we are the noisiest neighbours anyway......:D

The Parafield Airport issue is getting ridiculous and as you said, it is all driven by morons who what to extend ticky-tack box estates like Mawson Lakes....:(

Cheers

Tony

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I hope he feels the full weight of the law on his shoulders over this as he has just cost the owners their no claim bonus plus the excess charges. Good one sport.

Well Ross, considering how soft our nation's law is, I suspect he'd get off pretty easily.

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We live close to a hospital and the helicopters come over all the time. People around here know the necessity of the helicopters though and no one I know of complains.

You'd be surprised...and the complaints will probably flood in pretty soon (We live on a main thoroughfare that leads to Surrey Memorial Hospital, which is also constructing a trauma unit which will be the focus point for all emergencies involving trauma south of the Fraser River) since the hospital about 2 blocks east of where we live is undergoing expansion. On the roof there will be a helipad which will accommodate air ambulances. I'm sure there will be some schmucks who'll complain about the increase in noise and in traffic. Frankly as far as I'm concerned, I could care less about the complainers whining. If it helps the people involved in accidents survive; there can be a continuous stream of helicopters going overhead towards the hospital.

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In a similar case the golf course my league is on on Tuesday nights is built right through a bunch of homes many of which in the 500k$+ range. They get complaints all the time that their homes are being hit by golf balls. Coincidentally the golf course has been there about 25 years. The homes maybe 10-15. You'd think they'd have known.

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I miss living near an active airport.

I used to live near Ardmore, Auckland NZ. I LOVED hearing the aircraft overhead.. the rare 'call' of the Merlin, the rarer call of the Ghost (Goblin?) The cry of the Harvard Sunset Patrol. And of course the seagulls of Cessnas and what-not.

Depending on the wind, you could even hear Auckland International 10miles away with the low-frequency rumble of engines (decelerating?)

Sigh. Nothing quite that interesting here in Perth.

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