Gloucester Strip

Gloucester strip is 5 km SSE of the centre of Gloucester township. The strip may be found at lat. 32.04 deg. S., 152 deg. E., 83 km from Williamtown airstrip on a bearing of 10 deg. true. It lies on the east side of the broad valley running north-south from Stroud Road to Gloucester and is most easily found by keeping the Barringtons on your left, following the railway (which has the road beside it) north to the outskirts of Gloucester, then making a gentle right turn as the strip is 2 .5 km east of the railway, until suddenly finding yourself surrounded by flying machines of all sorts, some of which are using VHF on the local frequency and no two of which are the same. Barring rain or high winds, we'll be there. Even with high winds, you often get some nice wave off the Barringtons in winter. The strip faces north-south.

Mate,
zer strip at Gloster iss 1 km long, minimal gradient and undulation, grass kept mown by Kevvy, surrounded by flat green fields occupied by placid dairy cows who watch the aircraft cartwheeling by with complete unconcern. Your exhaust pipe will make a charming chimney ornament in the clubhouse, the prop will be a fine fan, the wing stubs will do for shade on a summer's day and your prosthetic legs will do for umbrella stands when it rains. Ah, nature.
You're aware no doubt of the cafe by Loch Ness?

Al.

Sirrah,
               I wouldn't like you to laugh but this is one of the few airstrips around with a functioning carrier-type arrestor system for  unwary aircraft. One end of this runway serves as a low cow route or blowflyover. Four times a day (pre and post each milking) a stream of bovine beasts like punk yaks files across the strip one hundred metres from the north end enroute to/from the milking bails and the eastern paddocks. You could develop a dairy allergy real fast at these times if landing long. Part of the game is to hook the electric fence strand which crosses the runway at these times with your undercarriage and see how far you can take it, eg Camden. If no file of cows, no electric fence (unless cow cocky is pissed, hungover or bored). A flypast first is recommended if uncertain. The cowpath is obvious enough. It continues from the access road into the aerodrome.

          There are no hills north or south of the runway ends, only a kilometre east and five kilometres west (the Glarghhsta Bucketts, of milkmaid fame). In fact the land descends gently to a creek off the north end, and the paddocks off the south end undulate limply and luxuriantly like overfed dugongs until a patch of low trees a kilometre away followed by an opencut coal mine two kilometres south of the strip, a useful eyesore, sorry landmark.

          People don't actually fly here when the wave's on, but stand around the field in small knots looking at the lines of lennies with loathing from the security of their tied down gliders. Wave camps must be the best excuse for travelling with an esky since HG. The rotor does indeed reach the ground on occasion, then we go up in trikes and you discover why the Wright bros.' great leap forward was not aerofoil development or propellor design but the invention of three axis control surfaces instead of weight shift. You must come for a flap in the Buzzard if these conditions strike, I know you're keen to have a go. Heavy Kevvy, CFI and chief runway mower, can give you the details on 02 65 58 12 74.

          Well, what would you call a cafe next to Loch Ness?

             Al.

 

---

NesCafe