1971
30 April 1971
AERO CLUB OPENS PILOT ACCOMODATION
The Mudgee Aero Club will be host to Cudgegong Shire Councillors and Mudgee Municipal Council Aldermen at an afternoon tea party on Sunday.
The Councillors and Aldermen have been invited to inspect the recently completed extensions to the Club’s premises at the Mudgee Aerodrome.
The extensions cost more than $8,000 and will provide accomodation for pilot trainees attending the Mudgee Flying School.
They comprise a bedroom, lounge/study, office, and shower and toilet facilities.
The rooms have been comfortably furnished with chairs, tables, built in cupboards, reading lamps and bunk beds.
Except for the bathroom which has brown and white tiles, the area is carpeted throughout in a sandy/olive colour.
Along with natural wood fittings, green walls, dark rust coloured bedspreads and green and white curtains, the premises provide a satisfying colour scheme.
The club also has a number of collapsible beds for emergencies when pilots may be stranded as a result of bad weather.
The new rooms run off the large briefing room and kitchen.
Deep frozen meat and vegetables along with eggs, bacon and other basic food requirements are kept in the kitchen, so that trainee pilots and instructors who may be living in the new quarters are self sufficient.
The Mudgee Aero club was originally formed before World War II and like many other clubs throughout the Commonwealth was disbanded during the war.
It was reformed in 1946 and membership has now grown to about 80,of whom 60 hold current flying licences and approximately 14 members own their own aircraft.
Patron of the club is Mr. Colin Lindeman, a former Wing Commander in the R.A.A.F.
President is Mr. Ron Nelson and the secretary is Mrs. J. Hulme.
Chief Flying Instructor for the club since it was reformed in 1946 has been Mr. George Campbell.
Mr. Campbell conducts a flying school and instructs at Katoomba, Bathurst, Wellington as well as at Mudgee.
At present there are approximately 60 trainees attending the school on either a full time or part time basis.
The trainees come from Victoria, Queensland, Sydney as well as locally.
As a result of the increase in the number of trainee pilots during the last few years, Mr. Charles Polain joined the Flying School as an instructor in December 67 and Mr. John Cale became the third instructor approximately 18 months ago.
The flying school contracts a number of Aero club member’s planes for use in training the trainee pilots.
The Aero club built a hangar in about 1956.
This has been leased by Mr. Campbell and is used as a workshop for servicing aeroplanes.
A permanent engineer is employed for this purpose.
Mudgee is frequently used as a stop-over aerodrome for pilot trainees from Bankstown and other centres on cross country work.
Last Sunday, three aeroplanes from the Mudgee Aero Club provided the fly past during the ANZAC service in Robertson Park.
The fly past was led by Mrs. J. Hulme in her 1.50 Cessna aircraft.
She was flanked on either side by two Cessna Skyline aeroplanes.
On that day, the aerodrome was a hive of activity with small aircraft arriving and taking off with great regularity.
Two planes took off for Thursday Island, while others arrived in from Sydney and other centres on training runs or just visiting.
Members described the activity as “quite usual” for a weekend.
With such activity, it is quite apparent that runway lighting for night flying is needed1
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