TGA Location??

[Esme]

See,there is life after the HSC. Just as there are ways around obstacles, like lower marks. Use your Top Gear "training", think outside the box I'll put my mums voice away now and go play in the traffic.

[sluggabugga]

Originally Posted by stevanford1

If you think EC is a boring track you need to drive around it. Its awesome. I'm pretty sure that Bankstown aerodrome is still being used.

Er, yes, I think it's the third busiest airport in the country!

[mazdaddy]

EC is fun, but i was there yesterday at a Mercedes thing, and they said they are changing the first corner, which is more or less the most exciting corner, as well as a huge remodelling of the track

[SL65]

Originally Posted by mazdaddy

EC is fun, but i was there yesterday at a Mercedes thing, and they said they are changing the first corner, which is more or less the most exciting corner, as well as a huge remodelling of the track

Ha! Me too! Morning or arvo session?

[Esme]

Bankstown airport? I thought it was Camden - much quieter during the week.

[Motormouse]

Show hangar at bankstown airport, test track at Camden Airfield.

[kizzav]

I've read some bits & pieces here about the airstrip at Quakers Hill & hopefully shed some more light on it.

Google Map.

1. The airstrip at Quakers Hill was the old site of HMAS Nirimba.
2. The site is now called the Nirimba Education Precinct. Consists of Nirimba TAFE, University Of Western Sydney & 2 schools - Wyndham College (I went there) & Terra Sancta.
3. The airstrip has been abandoned for some time.
4. The airstrip is highly guarded (NOT) by a barbed wire fence, along the back of Wyndham College, that stands about 1m high with a sign stating something along the lines of "Government Property. Tresspassers will be prosecuted, bla bla bla".
5. Somewhere, not 100% sure where abouts, but they have/had driver training down near the TAFE. You could hear the screeching tires from the school.
6. Part of the runway has been built over, to make way for the 2 full size soccer/football fields for Wyndham.
7. The airstrip doesn't look like its in great shape anyway (der, no one uses it).

I was thinking that they could have used Nirimba as their test track. However, setting up a track on it, may not be as easy, as the runways chris-cross over each other.

[BlitzR]

There's also a huge airship hanger on the site. I don't think it's been completely abandoned, but the air strip hasn't been used in decades. Plus I think driver training, is just off the University campus in the area.

[AusMX5]

it is filmed at Camden in Syd, not only that, the Stig already has had a bit of a shock during filming when this happened!

he first solo NavEx for a Bankstown pilot will be one he never forgets. Flying a Liberty XL2, he departed Bankstown for a trip to Goulburn and back. On Departure from Bankstown, he experienced a bit of turbulence as he headed for Camden.

Suddenly, the starbord passenger's door came loose. The door is hinged overhead, along the centreline of the aircraft. It swung up, fully open, breaking the door frame and the window. Due to aerodynamic forces, the pilot was not able to pull the window closed at cruise speed. He elected to make an emergency landing at Camden.

Now it so happened that Camden's main runway 24/06, was closed at the time as a film crew was working on a motoring programme (Top Gear). It was the subject of a NOTAM.

The pilot saw the nice, long sealed runway and aimed for RWY 24. Because of the wind noise, he could not hear radio transmissions from other aircraft, or the Airfield Safety Officer warning him that the runway was closed. On he came, and made a successful landing on 24, seconds after a high powered sports car had turned onto the runway and blatted off in the 24 direction.

The pilot shut down and the aircraft was pushed out of harm's way. The damage to the aircraft appears to be limited to a new door, and a good hose down for the left hand seat. The pilot hails from the Sub-Continent, and is of a darker hue. It is said that when he completed his landing, his eyes were as wide as Locomotive headlights. His fundamental oriface was still puckering an hour later.

A job well done!

rest of the thread about the incident is here! the Top Gear crew are not popular with the flying fraternity at Camden!
thread is here

[plasticphyte]

I believe one of the primary drivers for the Camden airport being used wast that the 'shed' which it is filmed in is approximately one foot smaller in volume/size/whatever than the Top Gear UK 'shed'.

I'd love to see them get access to a very nice wide strait stretch of bitumen. The location currently used looks dismal for car work. You even see planes taxiing out around the place during the first episode...