Hood Aerodrome

Meeting started at 1900 hours

PRESENT
Kerry Conner, Alan Flynn, Gene de Marco, Hughan McKay, Tony van Dyk, Bill Dittmer, Phil Patterson, Karen Stevens, Sandy Preston

APOLOGIES
David Holmes, Trevor McKeown, Jeff Sayer, Robert Thurston, Tom Williams for being late, Tony van Dyk for not being at the last few meetings due to gliding competitions.
Apologies accepted Alan Flynn

MINUTES FROM 12th January 2009
Read by Kerry Conner, and moved to be accepted as a true and correct record.
Seconded Gene De Marco

MATTERS ARISING FROM MINUTES
• Good to see Tony van Dyk back
• Council needs to be asked for written evidence how they came up with the costings for the water and sewage and how a leaseholder would recover the cost if they move on. These items need to be brought up at the next HUG/Council meeting.
• Alan is to ask the Fire Department to estimate what their water requirements would be if there were a fire somewhere along South Road.
• Bill Dittmer is to compile a list of all the locations of septic tanks and water tanks and add to an aerial map of the aerodrome and also the houses along South Road.

CORRESPONDENCE
• To be covered under general business items.

GENERAL BUSINESS
• Fire Trailer
The hose reel the HUG has been donated is no good for a small pumping unit and is not suitable to the project at this stage. Hughan is to check with John Fraser to see if he can do anything about the hose reel problem. A lie flat hose is required for a small pump.
 The Chinese/Honda motors are guaranteed to run okay until hot and then they are not reliable and are therefore not very good. It is far better to buy a genuine Honda motor.
 A decision needs to be made on exactly what the user’s require so that grant applications can be applied for.

• Emergency Plan
 Phil Patterson suggested all the aerodrome contacts need to be listed in the emergency plan.
 Mike Bennett suggested having a copy of the plan available in every hanger
 Trevor McKeown suggested forming a group of 2 to 3 HUG representatives to go through the emergency plan rather than getting bogged down at the HUG monthly meetings on this  matter.
 Individual Fire, Ambulance and Police emergency plans (as it affects the aerodrome) need to be incorporated into the aerodrome plan so all user’s will know what actions the respective  emergency services will initiate on arrival to an incident/emergency at Hood.
 The HUG need to add a chapter (HEP Draft 2, Page 19, 6.1 General) on a general aviation emergency. Tom Williams is going to check with Roydon McLeod to see if he will write  something on behalf of the users, as this is his profession. Alan will then send him a copy of  the council plan.
 
• Noise Contours
Alan Flynn is a member of a residents group who are opposed to the scale and dBA levels of the council’s noise contour plan. A noise contour puts restrictions on the land under them and the use of the airspace within it.
 Alan showed graphically comparison between Paraparaumu (PP) and Masterton noise contours. PP has recently reduced their contours, while the MSDC are trying to increase  the noise contours for Hood Aerodrome. As the current noise contour stands at Hood – it is 1.5 times larger than the current contour at Ardmore.

The noise an aircraft makes will impact on an aircraft operator due to the fact that some of the aircraft that operate from Hood Aerodrome may exceed the decibels allowed for in the still to be written noise management plan. For example MSDC has set the outer noise contour to 50 dBA, while PP has a limit of 58 dBA, while other airports have between 55 to 65 dBA. MS is potentially the only mixed use (fixed and rotary wing) aerodrome in the world with such a low dBA limit.
 Time restrictions for flying activities may be imposed on operators or the number of  movements on a particular runway may be restricted.

This issue needs to be raised at a HUG/Council meeting to see if the noise contours can be raised to 55/60/65 dBA to align with other airports within NZ. The outer limit of 55 dBA would then be the same noise value as a rural area being used for agricultural uses. Phil also would like to see the reasoning from council as to the implementation of the 50 dBA area, and are they definitely going ahead with this noise level.
 
Alan suggested the ideal was for an outer noise contour of a higher value (say 58 dBA as in use at PP) set closer to the boundary of the aerodrome. This would result in less area/time that an aircraft is subjected to noise restrictions. Once an aircraft was beyond the outer noise contour, no restrictions apply and an aircraft in flight is no longer subjected to any District Plan rules. Conversely, the further the contours go out, and the lower the dBA level, the more operators will be subjected to any future restrictions and a higher number of residents will be able to lobby Council to increase restrictions. The reason put forward for the need for a larger area under the contours being to reduce encroachment by new houses etc. is invalid as the area is already restricted to minimum subdivision size of 4 Ha.

Tony van Dyk suggested the future extension of 28 needs to be represented on the noise contour plan.

 Tom Williams suggested that users get a better understanding of the noise contours and the noise management plan, and agrees with Alan that both should be written together.

 Gravel Road
 Trevor McKeown raised the issue of the gravel road producing dust and suggested watering during periods of heavy use. Bill Dittmer suggested using lime rather than gravel.
 This item is to be brought up at the next HUG/Council meeting.
 Trevor also asked about the proposed speed limit signs and where these had got to.

• Naming of the Terminal
 Phil Patterson was upset by the naming of the new terminal “Trust House Masterton Airport” and should have it changed to “Trust House Masterton Terminal.” This issue to be  raised at the next HUG / Council meeting.

• Airspace Use
  Ross St George suggested all users are to use the published runways and not land on the taxiways.

• HUG AGM
 16th March 2009. Phil Patterson is to put advertisements in the Wairarapa Times Age.
• Upcoming Event Dates
            Motorplex March 14th and 15th 2009
 May 23rd – aerodrome closed 12.30pm to 1600, Ag re-union air display
 April 25th – TVA Air Display, aerodrome closed for 3 hours time to be advised.
 Central Districts Gliding Competitions – 16th to 23rd January 2010 approx.

• Next HUG/Council Meeting
 Kerry to send a letter to Garry Daniel to organize another meeting with David Holmes,  Jonathan Hooker, David Hopman, Tony Heyward, Wes Ten Hove, and council management

• Runway Maintenance
Tom Williams fells the HUG should have an opinion on “MSDC Notice to Aerodrome Users” comment regarding the deferral of the resealing of the runway. Tom feels that these deferrals are on-going and keep happening. This issue should be raised as a point at the HUG/Council meeting. Tom suggested that the MSDC should approach the other councils for money to help with the sealing.

• Meeting closed  2120 hours

• Next meeting, AGM on 16th March 2009, 1900 hours at the Aero Club

• Next normal meeting 20th April 2009, 1900 hours at the Aero Club