Commercial Aviation in West Auckland:

Maurice Cronin, a regular visitor from Ireland to to NZ, writes: "I know I have been saying more than once that Parakai, its spirit, its people and its aircraft are among the very best exemplars of an operation run to encourage recreational flying that I have seen anywhere at any the 141 airfields, in 11 countries, at which I have been lucky enough to fly."

Overview: Parakai Airfield is owned by members of the Lockie family, 'The Parakai Story', Pacific Wings Magazine. They are continuing to develop the airfield to serve West Auckland, with a full range of aviation related services and all types of GA operation supported. The airfield manager, Simon Lockie, lives on the airfield to provide a good level of security for aircraft, buildings and equipment.

The Customer Reception desk and Pilot Briefing Room from the Clubrooms / Customer Waiting Rooms

Resource Management and Planning Consents: An airfield was established at Green Rd Parakai in the 1960s, and moved to the current site in 1984. Rodney County Council 'Planning Consent' (as it was called then) was obtained in May 1984, allowing for construction over time of a runway up to 1000m x 60m with aircraft manouvering areas, hangars, control tower, terminal and ancilliary buildings. In 2002 the Rodney District Council (RDC) added height protection for a 1:20 approach fan out to 1200m from each end of the runway, and when this was challenged in the Environment Court, the RDC obtained a judgement in March 2009 confirming the approach fans, as part of the RDCs requirement to prevent any change that would interfere with the operations of the airfield as an essential infrastructure amenity for the district. The existing sealed runway with hard grass extension to the East gives 860m of currently usable runway, and the terrain allows this to be economically extended to 1000m if a new operator requires more length for their operations.

Continuity and Exclusivity: Businesses operating on the airfield are guaranteed the right to continuity of operation for several years ahead in order to be certain of recovering establishment costs. Exclusivity is not granted to any business, including those operated by members of the Lockie family.

Parakai Airfield from the South West, May 2009. The property is rectangular, just over 1km long.

Commercial Operations, 2010: There are 12 to 15 people on the airfield many days, working for the various businesses based on the field. This is creating jobs in the area, and the rents and fees these businesses pay go a long way towards generating a sustainable income for the airfield to allow for improvements. Every business on the field attracts activity for all the others; eg, when the skydiving has built up to full time there will be enough people around to support a small cafe on the airfield, which will itself attract locals coming out for a coffee and to watch the activity. One thing leads to another.

Blue Skies Skydivers: Blue Skies operate from their own Skydive base building, which has a wide deck outside for those waiting for a jump or watching the activity. They're bringing a lot of tourist business into the Parakai/Helensville area for tandem jumps. When Skydiving is active the jump ship makes radio calls as required to advise other traffic.

Leading Edge Aviation: Bryn Lockie's aircraft engineering business operates from its own engineering hangar at Parakai. The Leading Edge engineers can also carry out minor jobs at an aircraft's home hangar at North Shore or Whenuapai airfields, or fly to remote airfields.

Aircraft being serviced at Leading Edge Aviation's maintenance hangar, Feb 09.

Parakai Flying School: The school handles training for Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) for Certified Aircraft, and Microlight Pilot Certificate for modern advanced microlights.

Flight training in the Cessnas is supervised by George Richard, and that in the Tecnam microlights by Dave Simpson, CFI of the Parakai Aviation Club, assisted by several instructors for each type of aircraft.

Bryn Lockie is a Sports Aviation Corp (SAC) and Recreational Aircraft Assn of NZ (RAANZ) Instructor, and Harvey Lockie a SAC Authorised Testing Officer (ATO) and RAANZ ATO Senior Instructor. Tim Lockie (CPL), helps out as required. Simon Lockie is a SAC instructor and handles some of the initial trial flights for prospective pilots, and does the bookings and management of the flight training, his freephone is '0800FlyWest'.

A Cessna 150 Aerobat and several Cessna 152 aircraft are available for Aerobatic or PPL/CPL flight training with appropriately rated instructors. Two Tecnam aircraft are available for advanced microlight instruction. All aircraft are avaiable for hire by suitably licenced pilots.

Aerial Imagery: In between his other tasks, Simon Lockie handles the aerial photography. Living on the airfield he can take advantage of small breaks in the weather to take aerial photos and his computer skills (Simon was a Computer Technician in a previous life) come in handy when images need manipulating to remove the neighbour's old cars from a photo.

Flight Hauraki provides scenic flights for one to twelve people, and aircraft charter flights to anywhere in NZ, from Parakai. Bookings taken by Simon Lockie on 0800FlyWest or 0800 359 9378.

Parakai Aviation Club (PAC) organises events for all aviators operating from Parakai, and for those who live nearby and have an interest in aviation. Their major event is the annual Parakai Fly-in, held on the last Saturday each February, which always attracts large numbers of local residents.

Northland Microlight Club (NMC) has Parakai as its official base airfield, holds organised club events each month either at Parakai or at nearby airfields.

Auckland Regional Microlight Aircraft Club (ARMAC), orginally based at Pikes Point, now operates from two airfields, with Mercer as its South Eastern base and Parakai as its West Auckland base. ARMAC members can operate from either field or both as they choose.

Outlook from the new deck on the Flying School Building (restoration in progress). The airfield courtesy car, available for visiting aviators (just replace the fuel you use), is parked against the white posts.

Flying School Building. As of March 2010 there is an opening for a PPL/CPL Flight Training organisation to be based at this building, to specialise in overseas or 'student loan' local flight training. The Flying School Building to the western side of the carpark is currently being renovated and has its entrance onto a verandah opening onto the carpark (above), with a customer reception area, office and two briefing rooms. The Cessna 150 ZK-TWT and Cessna 152 ZK-TUT, are available on the airfield for PPL/CPL and aerobatic training. The Parakai Flying School currently carries out both ML and PPL/CPL training, but is not set up to tap into the overseas student, or NZ 'student loan', flight training so these substantial markets are not currently provided.

New Business Ventures: The owners are happy to talk to anyone wishing to start a new Aviation Related venture on the airfield. Or to open a branch of an existing operation to tap into the large tourist population of Auckland City, and those Auckland residents (around 250,000 in West Auckland) for whom Parakai is the nearest airfield. Existing business on the airfield are willing to work in with a new business for combined pickup/delivery of customers etc.

New businesses wishing to establish at Parakai need to be adequately capitalised and have a simple business plan showing how they intend to promote the business to become fully viable in a short time.

Of most interest are those operators able to provide a 'complete package' to customers...  for example, rather than considering Scenic Flights to be just an aviation activity, flights should be considered part of a complete adverture package for tourists... with a significant advertising budget, professionally produced advert materials, organised pickup from hotels, photos of the passengers in the plane, and perhaps a Tee shirt for those clients wanting a momento, and delivery back to their hotel with brochures to give their friends.  Many of these services could be subcontracted out.  It is seen as important that all businesses operating out of the field have a polished and professional 'complete' package in order to be successful and enhance the development of the airfield.

2008: Looking west from the taxiway near the hangars. Visible in the distance is the Airfield Office and Clubrooms which is the building with the big windows partly obscured to the left of the hangars. The Manager's House is the curved roof building behind the helicopter. The threshhold of runway 07 is just visible to the left. The Skydive base, Hall and Bunkhouse buildings are out of sight behind the hangars, to the right of the grassed parachute landing area.

Facilities: A shared serviced office is available with customer reception desk and waiting area, kitchen, EFTPoS, phone, fax, copier, computer and printer, broadband, back office, briefing room and links or pages on this Parakai Airfield website. Avgas and Mogas are available. Once businesses are established there are separate offices available, and a large separate hall for events that are too big for the clubrooms.

Tauranga Aero Club Rally waiting for their briefing in the hall (Photo Trish Stevens, TG Aero Club)

Syndication Shares in the Airfield business and Land Ownership: For some types of operation, such as flight training of young overseas students where their parents require reassurance as to the stability of the training organisation, it could be a major sales advantage if the operator was also a part owner of the airfield. In this situation the Lockie family would consider sale of a small shareholding in the 'Lockie Properties Ltd' company that owns the freehold land, buildings and facilities, to a suitable aviation buyer who was able to bring significant business to the airfield. This would be subject to conditions that ensured the continuing availablilty of the property as an established GA airfield. A substantial majority of the proceeds of any such sale of shares would be reinvested in further development of the airfield.

Contacts:

-- For Airfield Operational Information, fuel sales, flight training, trial flights, aircraft hirage, new business enquiries, building of hangars, hangar space, hire of buildings or use of airfield land: Airfield Manager, Simon Lockie, Ph 021 354 458. Or 0800FlyWest. Email: Simon@ParakaiAirfield.co.nz

-- For Aircraft Maintenance, Repairs, Import/Export of aircraft: Bryn Lockie, Ph 021 681-900. Email: Bryn@ParakaiAirfield.co.nz