An aviation hotspot

The area is in quite complex airspace, seeing much widely varied activity. The drop zone, a 5nm radius of the airfield up to 14,000ft (FL 140), is adjacent to RAAF Amberley’s all heights restricted areas and impinges it by 2nm. It lies directly under the main civil air routes to the northwest of Brisbane near the IBUNA waypoint, and overlaps the circuit area at nearby Watts Bridge – another interesting place. Just north, Kingaroy hosts diverse activities ranging from large scale civil UAV operations to gliding, with altitudes around 20,000ft reached in mountain waves over the adjacent Bunya Mountains.

When Amberley is inactive – primarily at weekends when jumping peaks – the club gets an airspace release.

Each day around 15 to 20 international and 20 civil jets, plus up to 20 Dash 8s, FIFO jets and turboprops, and GA use the area. EMS helicopters and the odd C-17 or F/A-18 on low level navexs also transit.

In quiet periods civil jets are given a requirement to reach FL150 by 33 DME Brisbane, some of the heavier climbs requiring a vector to avoid the area, but when overflyers predominate parachute aircraft are stepped up under them on individual clearances.

The myriad Toogoolawah/ Watts Bridge activity uses a discreet CTAF frequency, but it all occurs in airspace handled by Brisbane Arrivals, a very busy sector which handles traffic arriving/departing Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast – which has parachute areas under both approach paths – plus several smaller places.

The Ramblers centre averages over 12,000 jumps a year. The visit of the Skysisters greatly increased traffic, despite formation drops from multiple aircraft often being undertaken. Around 1700 jumps were made by the Skysisters over the weekend.

Two rare aircraft accompanied the ladies to Toogoolawah.

Shorts Skyvan VH-IBS, one of three left in Australia, is a jumper’s favourite due to the ability to make mass jumps off the rear ramp.

Eighteen Skysisters jumpers regularly exited IBS.

The other visitor, Caravan VH‑ XLV, is fitted with a 900shp Garret TPE331 engine in lieu of the standard Pratt & Whitney PT6A 600shp engine, a conversion commonly applied to the larger Grand Caravan for parachute work overseas. The TPE331 is lighter than the PT6 and is flat rated, enabling better climb rates. Carrying 17 jumpers, it regularly reached 14,000ft in under 12 minutes and can hold 1500ft/min to a fair height under hot conditions.

Nearby Watts Bridge has seen much varied activity, the annual All-In Fly-In attracting up to 140 aircraft. Low level work by Army STOL types and Caribous occurred for many years, and Army helos, warbirds and homebuilts are now common. Insitu Pacific flies new Scan Eagle UAVs there – resulting in the odd curious lightie trying to engage them in radio contact.

Over the same busy period, to the west, Toowoomba’s upgraded, lengthened runway reopened, and closer by approval for Gatton’s Airpark was granted. Both are seeking RPT links to Sydney – albeit partly from the same catchment area.

The area’s next big attraction after the Skysisters is the internationally popular annual UAV Outback Challenge at Kingaroy in September.

All up, an amazing mix and level of activity, and aspiration, in a small corner.