Disused airfields - Queensland

graham_h · 16-06-2011, 07:35 PM

Anyone know of any within a reasonable drive of Brissy/Gold Coast where we can legally max our cars ? If we can find one and get approval to use it I reckon it'd be a great day out.

**Peuty** · 16-06-2011, 07:37 PM

Not ones that you'd want to drive on....

Tobey · 16-06-2011, 07:45 PM

Insurance would be a killer... Public liability and all that.

fasty73 · 16-06-2011, 07:51 PM

Sounds like fun, you could count me in.

Shelby1965 · 16-06-2011, 09:23 PM

Well it's not Queensland and was a few years ago.....

We ran at Avalon airport a couple of times in the years prior to Jetstar using it as a base.

Main runway was from memory around 3.1 km's long and the concrete apron running parallel was around the 2.7 km mark.
The bikes got too around 310kph and cars averaged 250 to 295 mark.
It was about $4300 ???...for around 6 or 7 hrs + pub/liability which was organised by the group.
Worked out at around $180 each all incl.
Vic.Pol were also doing their High speed runs on the side apron.

Using regional and local runways can be tricky because of their length your just hitting close to your runways braking point you know you've got to hit the brakes HARD to pull up,but you want that little bit more......more than a few have ended up over the end and in the fence or sand!!!

Wheels Mag did a couple of days at Avalon as well and Foxy has done a couple of high speed ride days for the cancer kids.
It's a shame there aren't any about like the TOP GEAR setup!!!!

flappist · 16-06-2011, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graham_h

Anyone know of any within a reasonable drive of Brissy/Gold Coast where we can legally max our cars ? If we can find one and get approval to use it I reckon it'd be a great day out.

You are going to need more than any of the bug smasher strips can offer.

To max out a FPV you will need at least 2000m and then about another 500m to stop safely.

In saying that the new freeway between Cooroy and Curra has no speed limits yet

.

I heard a story of someone driving along the section that bypassed Beerwah etc. 20 odd years ago the week before it opened at over 200km/h

.

flappist · 16-06-2011, 09:28 PM

Scherger is not usually very busy and it comes with it's own "captive audience".

Bit of a drive from Bris though.....

Or you could wait for the next NT election.......used to be fun....

AWD Chaser · 16-06-2011, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Or you could wait for the next NT election.......used to be fun....

Still was fun the other week in the hire car Camry...

**Professor Farnsworth** · 16-06-2011, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWD Chaser

Still was fun the other week in the hire car Camry...

still baffles me how many people think that they can get away with anything in a hire car.

flappist · 16-06-2011, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

still baffles me how many people think that they can get away with anything in a hire car.

First time I ever clocked the double ton in NT was in a hire commodore about 20 years ago.

And it scared the hell out of me so I slowed back to about 140 for the rest of the drive.

TheInterceptor · 16-06-2011, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

still baffles me how many people think that they can get away with anything in a hire car.

still baffles me how they dont die as soon as they go over 110...

**Professor Farnsworth** · 16-06-2011, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

still baffles me how they dont die as soon as they go over 110...

Seriously, don't enter into a sarcasm battle with me. I'm referring to the fact that most people think that because they're in a rental they believe they won't receive speeding fines, or fines of any type. From working in the rental industry for several years i came across this hundreds of times.

**Peuty** · 17-06-2011, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

still baffles me how many people think that they can get away with anything in a hire car.

The fastest gear in rental cars is usually reverse I have found.

Shelby1965 · 17-06-2011, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

The fastest gear in rental cars is usually reverse I have found.

.......and we've always found the rubber was pretty good on rentals it's amazing how quickly it gets sticky!!!

flappist · 17-06-2011, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

The fastest gear in rental cars is usually reverse I have found.

Rental cars, the equipment of choice to get to destinations where 4WDs fear to drive......

And you know some people reckon they get a bargain when they buy their ex Hertz XR6.......

Swordsman88 · 17-06-2011, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Scherger is not usually very busy and it comes with it's own "captive audience".

Bit of a drive from Bris though.....

Or you could wait for the next NT election.......used to be fun....

Very funny flappist....is a long drive indeed. Still, at a shade over 3km (10000ft in aviation speak) it would make for a nice little run i'm sure. Hardly used most of the year, and you could always get your pride and joy flown in on a c130 for a day of testing......

mrfordfairmont · 17-06-2011, 07:54 AM

you could all ways try amberley raf base and there is a captive audance and they will give you a race with a jet

my_gxl · 17-06-2011, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrfordfairmont

you could all ways try amberley raf base and there is a captive audance and they will give you a race with a jet

Amberly would be great, But since its turning into a super base, I doubt they would go for it...pity though.

AWD Chaser · 17-06-2011, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrfordfairmont

you could all ways try amberley raf base and there is a captive audance and they will give you a race with a jet

RAAF...

**Kingsley** · 11-02-2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrfordfairmont

you could all ways try amberley raf base and there is a captive audance and they will give you a race with a jet

I was a 'captive audience' at that RAAF base Christmas Eve/Christmas Day 1988. Let me just say I didn't think it was possible to get a VH Commodore wagon to go that fast..........or that airbourne!!!!

SteveJH · 11-02-2012, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluFGXR6

I was a 'captive audience' at that RAAF base Christmas Eve/Christmas Day 1988. Let me just say I didn't think it was possible to get a VH Commodore wagon to go that fast..........or that airbourne!!!!

Do tell.

graham_h · 17-06-2011, 12:27 PM

so no one knows any that are drivable ?

flappist · 17-06-2011, 12:35 PM

Maryborough Airport YMYB is hardly used except by bug smashers and the occasional blood bucket.

Good thing: It is 1700 x 30 and easy to get to
Bad thing: It is in the middle of Maryborough and owned by the FC Council who hold regular workshops in advanced "How to prevent anything happening anywhere ever especially if it might be fun".

Gayndah and Monto are used even less, might be worth a look.

Kingaroy & Gympie are full of gliders (pushbike riders of the air) so I suspect there would be a huge scream regardless of when you wanted to do it.

Toowoomba is too short and busy.

Stanthorpe is short, narrow and would be somewhat spectacular if there was an oops.

Maroochydore, Caloundra, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg are too busy.

The rest are either dirt, grass, full of jets or people with guns (or people with jets and guns).

graham_h · 17-06-2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Maryborough Airport YMYB is hardly used except by bug smashers and the occasional blood bucket.

Good thing: It is 1700 x 30 and easy to get to
Bad thing: It is in the middle of Maryborough and owned by the FC Council who hold regular workshops in advanced "How to prevent anything happening anywhere ever especially if it might be fun".

Gayndah and Monto are used even less, might be worth a look.

Kingaroy & Gympie are full of gliders (pushbike riders of the air) so I suspect there would be a huge scream regardless of when you wanted to do it.

Toowoomba is too short and busy.

Stanthorpe is short, narrow and would be somewhat spectacular if there was an oops.

Maroochydore, Caloundra, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg are too busy.

The rest are either dirt, grass, full of jets or people with guns (or people with jets and guns).

Maryborough does look good.

Can anyone ring the local council there ?
(I have no idea which council that is)

As for public liabilty insurance.. can't you just get everyone to sign a waiver ? You kill yourself.... your problem !! ?

flappist · 17-06-2011, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graham_h

Maryborough does look good.

Can anyone ring the local council there ?
(I have no idea which council that is)

As for public liabilty insurance.. can't you just get everyone to sign a waiver ? You kill yourself.... your problem !! ?

Fraser Coast Regional Council.

You will need insurance otherwise it will not go ahead.

P.S. if you are on finals in the pic you might want to go around .......

2011G6E · 11-02-2012, 01:56 PM

Insurance...and a shudder goes down my spine as the horrifying flashbacks begin to a simple bike display show we used to put on yearly in the motorcycle club I used to be the secretary of...

It's a frigging nightmare, full stop, even if you can find someone who wants to give it to you. "Get them to sign a waiver"...nope...not worth the paper they're written on. Someone gets injured and takes you to court, and you give the judge a waiver they signed in triplicate with a spot of blood to seal the deal, and he'll go "That's interesting", and screw it up and throw it away. They're more a thing to try and psychologically make people think they've given up thier rights to a safe environment to do whatever they're doing...doesn't work like that. You can't sign those rights away.

If you can find a strip, see the council first (and be prepared to be laughed at), and on the off chance they do say yes, then ring some of the big insurers...all of them if you can...as well as specialist insurers who deal with potentially dangerous stuff. As odd as it seems, see the local pony or horse riding club and see who does thier insurance...they were amongst the hardest hit when the insurance problem became really big, and will know what's what.

Of course the government could change it all with the stroke of a beaurocratic pen by making those waivers you sign legally binding and irreversible...

z80 · 12-02-2012, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

..Waivers etc...and a shudder goes down my spine as the horrifying flashbacks begin to a simple bike display show we used to put on yearly in the motorcycle club I used to be the secretary of...

..
Of course the government could change it all with the stroke of a beaurocratic pen by making those waivers you sign legally binding and irreversible...

You probably know this already 2011G6E..

The waivers are legally useless for a good reason, if someone is injured the cost is always borne by the taxpayer and the health care system..

A lifetime of wheelchair support can get expensive..

No judge wants that burden on the aussie taxpayer.

graham_h · 11-02-2012, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Maryborough Airport YMYB is hardly used except by bug smashers and the occasional blood bucket.

Good thing: It is 1700 x 30 and easy to get to
Bad thing: It is in the middle of Maryborough and owned by the FC Council who hold regular workshops in advanced "How to prevent anything happening anywhere ever especially if it might be fun".

Gayndah and Monto are used even less, might be worth a look.

Kingaroy & Gympie are full of gliders (pushbike riders of the air) so I suspect there would be a huge scream regardless of when you wanted to do it.

Toowoomba is too short and busy.

Stanthorpe is short, narrow and would be somewhat spectacular if there was an oops.
Maroochydore, Caloundra, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg are too busy.

The rest are either dirt, grass, full of jets or people with guns (or people with jets and guns).

Funny looking at this old thread....... I live at the end of the Stanthorpe airstrip !!

EL97 · 11-02-2012, 01:13 PM

Jim Goose · 17-06-2011, 03:20 PM

Wouldnt it be easier to use a drag strip??