A growing interest in the use of Whakatāne’s airspace for flight training purposes has prompted a trial next week to evaluate noise impacts from night flying.

Whakatāne District Council Manager Transportation Martin Taylor says the trial will run over two nights on 21 and 22 January, weather permitting, with flights operating from dusk till 1.00am.

“Flight paths that avoid flying over residential areas will be used wherever possible and we will measure noise levels in a range of locations in the vicinity of the Airport.”

Mr Taylor says that if Whakatāne Airport is to be used more extensively for flight training, the Council needs to understand the potential impacts which could result. “Night flying is an important part of flight training and this trial will provide accurate information which will allow us to assess whether it would create a noise nuisance for people living in the surrounding area.”

The trial will involve aircraft and pilots from Hamilton-based CTC Aviation Training (NZ) Limited. CTC’s Chief Financial Officer, Julian So, says the company is looking at a several possible locations to establish a new training base, including Whakatāne Airport. “There are a number of issues which would need to be resolved before a base could be established at Whakatāne and this trial is a first step in that process,” he says.