Small planes: Sydney Airport opens to recreational pilots during epidemics | Australia News

Lack of landing of commercial aircraft Sydney Airport It has been a disaster for airlines and workers, but the epidemic has provided lifelong opportunity for recreational pilots.

Quieter than regular runways Private pilots have been offered the opportunity to land at the international airport for the first time.

He received a warm welcome when Sydney Aviation College Club captain Tim Lindley issued an invitation. Eventually arranged to fly into 14 light aircraft Sydney About 40 people were at the airport Sunday.

“For many of the pilots involved, including myself, landing at such a large international airport was a childhood dream – like airplanes,” Lindley said.

His crew departed from Bangstown Airport, where several private pilots regularly fly, arrived via Sutherland and landed at Sydney Airport. Although the runways were not busy, Lindley and his crew still had to fly some big planes.

“A lot of pilots were waiting for passenger jets on the side of the runway, which should have been so much fun to watch, these tiny little planes coming in,” he said. “When I was taking a taxi, there was a Jetstar Airbus in front of me and an Air China 767 behind us. We were all waiting for another plane of the club to land.”

Lindley, who flew the Cessna 182 with three passengers on board, confirmed with airport staff that the pilots knew what to expect and how to approach an airport of such size.

“Landing at an airport like that … there are a lot of optical illusions because it’s a long runway, because it’s so wide,” he said.

“The thing is, the airport is designed to seat the pilot 30 feet in the air, so we’m sitting in a small plane, you’m sitting a foot away from the ground, with no signs targeting you, so this is really an incredible diversion.”

The main runway is about 4 km. Stretches up – much longer than small planes have to land.

Australia’s largest airport usually has a busy schedule, making it almost impossible for private pilots and entertainment enthusiasts to land. Some private planes have landed there in the past, but the airport’s operations supervisor, Nigel Cochlear, said the epidemic allowed the runway to remain open as before.

“Because our airport was much quieter than usual due to the coveted, we were able to review and provide access to every request, which is a once in a lifetime experience for a lot of recreational pilots,” Cochlear said. “We were able to open conversations with lighter pilots because our airspace was much quieter than usual.”

The airport is currently experiencing 60-90 flights a day, a big drop from 800-900, typically using runways. That “significant fall” has had a major impact on the aviation sector, Cochlear said.

For Lindley, this is the best use of a difficult period. “It was really about turning lemons into lemons,” he said. “It’s a terrible situation with Covid, it’s a very challenging time on the plane.

Pilots had to submit a flight plan and book a landing. Koklan and his crew then had to adapt with small planes and guide through unfamiliar territory.

“We’re definitely not used to small planes, so they keep us on their toes when they arrive,” he said. “Because they are small they are harder to see than jets and turboprop. They do not make much noise. This poses a positive challenge to all of us at the airport.”

For some entertainment, he admitted, “We make their dreams come true.”