Bacchus Marsh Airfield
Encyclopedia
Bacchus Marsh Airfield is located Bacchus Marsh
, Victoria
, Australia
.
The airfield is owned by the Shire of Moorabool
, but is operated by the Bacchus Marsh Airfield Management (BMAM). BMAM comprises representatives of the shire, the three resident gliding clubs (the Geelong Gliding Club, Victorian Motorless Flight Group and the Beaufort Gliding Club), and the Tarago Valley School of Aviation (a power flying school).
The airfield with an elevation of 520 ft above mean sea level, consists of two 5,000 ft sealed cross strips with wide grass verges on either side (alignments 01/19, and 09/27). The gliding clubs conduct a combined operation launching from the grass verges while the power school operates concurrently from the sealed strips.
fronts moving in from the south east. The higher terrain to the north and north west can lead to the development of wave and ridge lift especially during the winter months. Frontal lift is also frequently seen at the site.
The airfield is located in the rolling volcanic plains of western Victoria. The topography to the east and south consists of flat farming land extending to Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait
respectively. To the north the terrain dips initially into the Werribee River
valley, with the Bacchus Marsh township, before rising to the Blackwood Ranges; the foothills to the Great Dividing Range
. To the west the land is used mainly for agricultural purposes. An escarpment; the Brisbane Ranges, results in the terrain altitude increasing abruptly by 800', but is quite suitable for cross country flying at all skill levels.
Due to the proximity to Melbourne
, soaring at the site operates under a restricted ceiling of 4,500 ft. above sea level immediately above the site, however this ceiling steps to 8,500 ft. a few kilometres to the west and progressively thereafter to 20,000 ft. To the south the ceiling again steps up progressively. Operations to the east are limited by the decreasing height of the ceiling, and to the north by a combination of the mountain ranges and air traffic ceilings.
Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
Bacchus Marsh is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately west of Melbourne and west of Melton. The population of the urban area is estimated at over 17,000 people, while the central locality is home to 5,566 people...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The airfield is owned by the Shire of Moorabool
Shire of Moorabool
The Shire of Moorabool is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southwestern part of the state. It has an area of 2,110 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 25,474....
, but is operated by the Bacchus Marsh Airfield Management (BMAM). BMAM comprises representatives of the shire, the three resident gliding clubs (the Geelong Gliding Club, Victorian Motorless Flight Group and the Beaufort Gliding Club), and the Tarago Valley School of Aviation (a power flying school).
The airfield with an elevation of 520 ft above mean sea level, consists of two 5,000 ft sealed cross strips with wide grass verges on either side (alignments 01/19, and 09/27). The gliding clubs conduct a combined operation launching from the grass verges while the power school operates concurrently from the sealed strips.
Gliding
The site offers a variety of soaring conditions. Thermal conditions enable soaring for most of the year, and are sufficiently reliable to enable cross country flying from September to April. Late in the afternoon though, lift can be damped with sea breezeSea breeze
A sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
fronts moving in from the south east. The higher terrain to the north and north west can lead to the development of wave and ridge lift especially during the winter months. Frontal lift is also frequently seen at the site.
The airfield is located in the rolling volcanic plains of western Victoria. The topography to the east and south consists of flat farming land extending to Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
respectively. To the north the terrain dips initially into the Werribee River
Werribee River
The Werribee River is located on the plain west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The headwaters of a tributary, the Lerderderg River, are north of Ballan near Daylesford and it flows across the basalt plain, through the suburb of Werribee to enter Port Phillip. A linear park follows the Werribee...
valley, with the Bacchus Marsh township, before rising to the Blackwood Ranges; the foothills to the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
. To the west the land is used mainly for agricultural purposes. An escarpment; the Brisbane Ranges, results in the terrain altitude increasing abruptly by 800', but is quite suitable for cross country flying at all skill levels.
Due to the proximity to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, soaring at the site operates under a restricted ceiling of 4,500 ft. above sea level immediately above the site, however this ceiling steps to 8,500 ft. a few kilometres to the west and progressively thereafter to 20,000 ft. To the south the ceiling again steps up progressively. Operations to the east are limited by the decreasing height of the ceiling, and to the north by a combination of the mountain ranges and air traffic ceilings.