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“IT’S hard to concentrate, isn’t it?” Andrew Badullovich said as a remote controlled plane buzzed above Newlyns Estate, near Wolumla.
Mr Badullovich, Ian Gordon, Dave Paxton, Jeff Smith and Garry Thornton were a group of residents from the area around the estate who gathered on Wednesday to discuss their concerns about Sports Aviation Australia’s (SAA) proposal to build a flight school for Chinese student pilots at Frogs Hollow airfield.
While the men were aware SAA was still searching for investors for the flight school and the development application has not yet come before Bega Valley Shire Council, they wanted to inform the public about the effects the school could have on the lives of the people who lived nearby.
They have lived in the area for various lengths of time – one since April, one for about 20 years – but all moved there for the relaxed lifestyle and the serenity.
The men did not mind if the airstrip was used by the Frogs Hollow Flyers recreational aero club or remote controlled airplanes, as those groups only used the airstrip occasionally.
However, they were concerned about the “consistent” noise that would come from the proposed flight school, which would have aircraft with 100 horsepower engines used by 10 squadrons of 36 student pilots each.
The group disagreed with SAA spokesperson Norm Boyle in his claim that noise from the Princes Hwy would be louder than the flight school’s airplanes, pointing to the remote controlled airplane that flew overhead during their Tuesday meeting and how its small motor could be heard above the highway’s traffic.
As the proposed flight school’s students will be learners, a major concern to Mr Badullovich was that they could crash their plane into the house he was building at Newlyns Estate and harm his family.
Hobby flyers who take off from the Frogs Hollow airfield already come too close to his house, he said.
“They are coming so low that I’m frightened they’re going to clip these trees, and I’m frightened they’re going to crash on my house and kill my children,” he said.
As the flight school’s students will live in accommodation at the airstrip, Mr Badullovich said they will not invest in the area by spending money on places to stay or buying food, while the residents who lived there did put their money back into the local economy.
“They won’t spend locally,” he said.
“They’re not going to invest in the area, but we will.”
Mr Gordon estimated about 400 people lived under the flight school’s proposed flight paths and thought all disagreed with the idea of the school.
“Every time I speak to someone about it, they are horrified,” Mr Smith said.
“[SAA spokesperson] Norm Boyle has stated that flight training over the Bega Valley will be pleasant for student pilots due to its scenic beauty.
“These same scenic qualities which are currently enjoyed by a great many shire residents will be greatly diminished due to loss of ambience as a result of his proposed actions.”