Drag Racing at Casino Airport

July 15, 2010

Hard-working AOPA director Peter Rejto has been in close contact recently with members affected by drag-racing at Casino airport. Peter is arranging for AOPA to support local members in opposition to a development application that would support four drag-racing events at the airport each year. Local AOPA members advise that each previous event has resulted in loss of use of the airport for three days and caused damage to the airport pavement and grassed surfaces.

Peter is also battling to help locals at Caloundra save their airport from greedy developers and the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. The council appears to believe it can ignore the provisions of the Commonwealth deed under which they were originally given ownership and control of the airport. The deed effectively says that the airport cannot be closed and that it must be used as an airport, yet the council is refusing to renew leases on the airport and has issued a position paper for the area which says “Until the Caloundra Aerodrome is relocated…”.

Peter is also supporting the spirited campaign to save Australian GA airports also under way by Ben Morgan and Paul Phelan of the Aviation Advertiser, and encourages members who are interested in the subject to also support their letters of objection to Minister Albanese.