GC11YPZ Parafield ATC (Traditional Cache) in South Australia, Australia created by chameleon77

This cache has been archived.

inspicio: One or more of the following has occurred:

No response from the cache owner.
No cache to find or log to sign.
It has been more than 28 days since the last owner note.

As a result I am archiving this cache to keep from continually showing up in search lists and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements.

If you wish to repair/replace/make available the cache sometime in the near future, just contact a reviewer (by email), and assuming it still meets the current

guidelines, the reviewer will be happy to unarchive it.

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GC11YPZ ▼

A cache by chameleon77 Message this owner

Hidden : 4/6/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

A nice parking spot to view the traffic - Air traffic that is!
Be Aware: The cache is under the watchful eye of Air Traffic Control
ATC Parafield

Parafield Airport- A bit of history

Parafield Airport is located 18 km north of the Adelaide CBD and enjoys the facilities that come with being one of the busiest General Aviation (GA) airports in Australia.
It was first used as an "all over" aerodrome in 1927, when Miller Aviation Company (later MacRobertson Miller Airways in Western Australia) and Australian Aerial Services moved from "the main aerodrome" at Albert Park.

* On 26 November 1927, the Royal Aero Club of South Australia built a hangar at Parafield, and bought two aircraft for passenger and training purposes.

* On May 29, 1929 two De Havilland Hercules Airlines, carrying 21 passengers, arrived at Parafield from Perth on the inaugural flight of the East-West Service.
* On October 1, 1929, 16 aircraft landed at Parafield in the course of the East-West Air Race from Sydney to Perth.
* On July 1 1936, Australian National Airways was formed with passengers flying from Parafield to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney as well as country centres in South Australia.
* During World War II, Parafield Airport was used by the RAAF as a Flying Training Unit using mainly Tiger Moth aircraft, with occasional use by a heavier general service aircraft such as the Liberator Bomber.
At the end of hostilities in World War II, the airfield plus numerous buildings were handed back to the Department of Civil Aviation and it continued to operate as the only civil airport for Adelaide until Adelaide Airport was opened for regular public transport (RPT) operations on February 16, 1955. Parafield was to become the secondary airport and training field.

In the early 1980's the Federal Government was laying the foundation for privatisation of its airports. The final stage of the program took place at midnight of 28 May 1998 when PAL commenced the long term leasing of Parafield, inheriting identified staff, facilities and equipment.

Some other facts.......
* The main building area, covering 19-20 hectares is located in the northern area of the airport, and mainly accommodates commercial lease properties.
* The facilities include:
- aircraft hangars
- workshops
- student accommodation
- flying schools
and a range of non-aeronautical facilities (e.g. clubs, sporting/recreational reserves etc.)
* The Commercial Estate is the most recently developed precinct of the airport, providing approximately 17 hectares of serviced commercial land in the north-east corner of the airport.

Did you know ?

An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used.

IATA tag

And now for something a little out of the ordinary.....

Ouch!!

A doctor surgeon from Whyalla, South Australia found the battery dead in his Piper Saratoga (a powerful single engine aircraft) at Parafield Airport on the night of August 26th 2001. A planned night flight from Parafield to Whyalla and the discovery of a flat battery should have been enough to go and find something else to do for the night. Night flights over water with any electrical problems should be avoided at all costs. But no... The good doctor-pilot proceeded to hand start the engine by turning the prop. While this is actually not illegal it should be approached with the utmost of caution and is really only used in remote areas where there is no help or decent pub within a long walk. To make matters worse, he did not chock the wheels or check that the handbrake was engaged, which makes one wonder what he had had to drink prior. Anyway, the engine fires up at about 2000 rpm and the aircraft starts taxiing toward the runway on its own. The only problem with that is that there were four Piper Warriors and a twin engine Seminole (the sliced plane in picture) in its way. So at a steady rate of forward movement similar to a fairly upset Hippo during breeding season, the Saratoga proceeds on its stately way. Ah, yes, the pilot. After being knocked down by his own plane, he's now hanging on to the tail of his aircraft trying to stop it going any further and watching in horror as bit by bit it shreds the tail and body of the most expensive aircraft in the vicinity. He thinks that any minute the engine will stop and the nightmare will come to an end. But no. The Saratoga then makes a sharp right hand turn and without conscience heads toward the second most expensive aircraft in its way. Hundreds of litres of avgas spewing out of the damaged aircraft and the pilot barely hanging onto the Saratoga is surely a recipe for total disaster, but, in fact things finally did come to an end. The University of Adelaide lost one plane completely and and the use of four others(just freshly painted) for some time to come, all because of a flat battery and a really bad decision. The pilot was not badly hurt, except in his pride and his insurance company's wallet ($1.5 million).
Ouch2!!

Replacement Cache Contents:
5 x Christmas stamps(45c ones)
3 x Assorted keyrings
2 x Aboriginal dot art badges
5 x Assorted temporary tattoos
1 x tweezers
1 x bulldog clip

P.S. Check out the "Pilots weather forecasting stone" while you're there. (picture below)

There are toilets located about halfway along the road between the Kings Rd entrance and GZ(West side of road, signs are in place)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Qba’g ‘puhgr’ gur zrffratre VA GUR ONPX, rira vs ur VF qerffrq nyy va erq naq unf 4 zbhguf. !!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

This cache has been archived.

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Parafield ATC Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

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Geocache Description:

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