Ballarat Airport on display at open day

IT WASN'T quite Goose and Maverick's buzzing of the Top Gun tower, but the drone of aircraft over Ballarat Town Hall set pulses racing yesterday.
The fly-over signalled the countdown to Ballarat Airport's open day on Saturday.
Themed "Planes, Games and Automobiles," it will showcase the 27 recreational and professional organisations based at the Learmonth Rd site.
"It's just enormous," Learmonth Ward Councillor Wayne Rigg said.
"It's a great free day for everyone to come out and have a look."
Event highlights include the chance to marvel at historic World War II airplanes, two and four-wheel vehicle displays, and Ballarat's own model railway system.
Cr Rigg said most residents would be amazed by the number and variety of businesses involved.
"Ballarat people don't realise how lucky we are to have an airport the size that it is in the place where it is," he said.
"It's a mecca for community groups." Cr Rigg added a visit to the open day would illuminate Ballarat Airport's role in the city's rich history.
"The museums will be open, and some of the gear is quite impressive," he said.
"One is rebuilding an Avro Anson, which was a large spotter plane based at Ballarat Airport in World War II," he said. The open day will run from 10am-4pm.
The aircraft used in yesterday's fly-over were AeroVision's Cessna 337 and the Ballarat Aero Club's state-of-the-art Cessna 172.
The 337, a twin-engine piston aircraft, is used by the Country Fire Authority to detect outbreaks through central and western Victoria.
The 172, meanwhile, is used for flight training, navigation exercises and recreational flights.