After months of no email response from the “mythical” Sports Aviation Australia, and having my entries on their Facebook page continually deleted, he has given us a human face to this proposed environmental disaster.

Unfortunately, as the company consultant for Sports Aviation Flight College, it is not long before Mr Boyle begins a long-winded publicity spiel, telling readers all about the great things his “unlisted public company” will be doing for Bega, and the Chinese aviation students who will spend three months at the proposed college, before going home to take on bigger and better things! 

What he fails to mention is the money the “opportunists”, and investors would make from such a project. 

After all, they are not doing for nothing.

Moving on to what the college actually proposes, Norm tells us that each student will spend a total of three months at the proposed Frogs Hollow location, and out of the total of 480 hours training, only 40 hours will be flight time.

If his information was meant to reassure or appease the locals/neighbours, he has failed completely.

This would actually mean, with only 10 students, there would be 400 hours of flight time each three-month period. 

Every three months, those who lived within a 4km radius of the small rural landing strip could expect to hear the equivalent of 16.6 days of light aircraft noise directly above them (or 33.33 days if they only fly in daylight). 

This light aircraft noise coming mainly from “circuit training” or non-stop “landing and take-off” - regardless of the time it occurs, it is the noisiest part of flying!

However, in an earlier Bega District News article (24/2) Mr Boyle clearly stated “The proposed Sports Aviation Australia flight school at Frogs Hollow is proposed to eventually involve 10 squadrons of 36 Chinese student pilots each”. 

So forget about only 400 hours of ear piercing light aircraft noise, multiply the 40 hours by 10 squadrons by 36 students per squadron!

Clearly the result would be unbearable by anyone’s standards.

Towards the end of his long-winded “exposition”, Norm goes on to insult our intelligence by explaining the airfield has been “used by a sports aviation club for the past 25 years”. 

As a local, for almost that period of time, I am very much aware of the almost non-existent amount of noise that has come from weekend enthusiasts. 

I don’t see any connection between the present usage and the loud unstoppable noise that his grotesque proposal would bring.

Furthermore, I don’t understand why Mr Boyle tells us “the airfield property at Frogs Hollow is approximately 100 acres and is zoned SP2 – Air Transport Facility”.  

We all know that it is currently an Air Transport Facility, used by quite a few local enthusiasts, but the size of the block has nothing to do with the noise pollution and discomfort the proposed flight college would inflict on the existing, neighbouring residents.

It is impossible to reduce noise pollution coming from directly overhead, and it certainly won’t be restricted to the airfield boundaries.

Finally, while Mr Norm Boyle and his “opportunist cohort” are looking to make money out of the development of a Chinese flight college at Frogs Hollow, the current residents, who live here specifically for the rural ambience, see this as a blatant attempt to completely destroy their lifestyles, and all they have worked for.

Perhaps, instead of “working closely with the existing property owner”, Mr Boyle should come out and speak to the people whose lives will be ruined if the monstrosity should go ahead.

PS.   Wouldn’t it be great if the BDN sent a reporter out to see what would be lost, and to get the “human side” of this proposal. 

Ian Gordon

Wolumla