Farewell Airside Tarmac Tours
 

tours
 

Sad to see it go. I went one the tour in 2004 and it was great.

I bet the camera ban was the final nail in the coffin.

Thank you Kurt for reminding of this tour.

I'll be back in Sydney for a few weeks, so I will definitely take the tour for the first, and sadly the last time.

Anyone have up to date info on the cost of it, and how exactly I go about booking a tour? :)

Thanks for letting us know Kurt - I am sure many board members will make sure we do the tour one more time before the end.

It is a shame SACL didn't support it as much as they could have. There was nothing on their website about it - a little support like that would have spread the word. All the enthusiasts will miss it but I think it is a shame that the groups of school kids I saw on the bus won't get that chance anymore.

It was truly a unique tour considering the security around airports these days. I agree with Ryan though, the camera ban really did affect them.

Thanks to all the team behind it from day one - your passion and enjoyment for your job came out in every tour, I wish I could have that job! Thanks for sharing a different side of the airport not just for enthusiasts, but for people who know nothing about aircraft. :)

what a shame!

Syd was one of a handful including maybe 2 European airports LSZH? which had a tarmac tour in operation.

one does wonder what the real reason is as whenever ive seen the tours running they are 3/4 full or more..

Either way thanks to everyone involved- Ive done numerous tours before the camera ban and it was absolutely amazing to video the takeoffs/landings and stand by the gen holmes drive overpass as a jet roared over... imagine doing that now with a MEL repositioning A380 flight- would be bliss! Not to be:(

What disappointing news!

We too did the tour in the days of Ian’s involvement, it was fantastic.

Totally concur with Sarah’s comments.

I will look forward to trying to get another one in before June.

Thank you to all that contributed to this wonderful opportunity.

Well done.

Kind regards,

Geoff

I note I cant get onto their website, anyone know a reason, or are we all doing the same, trying to book something? Thks. G

This is very sad news. I think I've been on 5 tours including one birthday party :) and each one was inspirational for me!

Ryan, I'm keen to see how you link this statement with the one in Kurt's original post...

Sounds like SACL is winding them up, not that they (Airside Tarmac Tours) are volunteerimng to wind the business up.



Sarah, I'm pretty sure the SACL did have reference to the tarmac tours on the homepage for quite some time but I don't know when it got removed. Having said that, I'm not a regular trawler of the site...

Why?
 

Why should we accept this? If we want it to continue shouldn't we agitate with both Macquarie Airports as well as our local member of Parliament?

I have done this tour twice and my son's school, and numerous primary schools, have this as a well attended annual excursion for year 2 boys. It is an important part of educating the community about how a major airport works and is surely good PR for the airport as well?

I agree with Phil on this one. Why just accept it cos thats what SACL wants to do ?
Are we going to lie down and accept it or stand up and be counted ?


However, on a flip side and I don't know whether this would be a factor or not, but the last tarmac tour I did; the bus stopped and there was commentary going on. He had stopped too close behind a B747 that was about to push back and we were holding them up. We got shifted rather smartly.

Amongst other things, holding up airport operations could be a reason why Airport Tarmac Tours no longer fits into SACLs 'business plan'?

Rod,

I could be wrong but I highly doubt that's the reason. The bus drivers are all highly trained/versed and know the airport back to front, as well as the fact that they have a transciever and communicate with Sydney ground etc.

Besides, they mostly use access roads and backpaths rather then taxiways and ramps besides when going past International and a bit of domestic.

If the SACL had all companies/individuals removed for driving indiscretions, then it'd be a pretty quiet ramp...:rolleyes:


Matt, it's one thing that they have a radio on board, but whether, while doing the commentary thing and with all due respect, they choose to properly "listen" to it at any time other than when they cross live taxiways or traverse the western perimeter road is another matter. It's easy to zone out from what's being said, especially if there's a lot of standard radio traffic being broadcast.

And also, highly trained/versed or not, people make mistakes. Making an error is one thing, but repeating that error over and over would then be a cause for concern.

To Clear up some Misconceptions
 

Hi All,

I am one of the drivers at Tarmac Tours. I am on this forum at the request of the owners Frank and Sherrie Monardo. They asked me to clear up some things.

1. SACL is closing the tours. The Tarmac Tours company is viable and pays all its debts.

2. I was the driver who has been discussed here. I can inform you that we all get very good at working full duplex, IE we can talk and listen at the same time. The incident in question there was no radio communication, it was a ground engineer who moved us on as I could not see the Anti Collision beacon when it came on. However this incident has not been used by SACL, indeed they say we are very good out on the airfield.

3. The camera ban, while there was an effect on passenger numbers, this was only on the weekend tours. Mid week tours (mainly school groups) were uneffected.

4. The owners have decided to fight to keep the tours going. any help that you can render would be appreciated.

I have permission from Frank and Sherrie to provide the minutes of the meeting with SACL if you want to read them. It is a word document.

I appologise if I have made any mistakes here. I am a newby to this.

Phil Mcleod

Hi Phil,

Thank you for joining, and clarifying some things. This is greatly appreciated.

My suggestion to our members, is if you wish to seek or clarify further information relating to Airside Tarmac Tours, please address those enquiries direct to Phil via form of Private Message.

Thank you.

Phil,

PM Sent

Hi guys,

A very sad time, but for my brother inlaw, who's job as a coach operator, is going to rub salt into wounds big time. As the company I work for, who currently does a lot of contract work for Sydney Airport, is tacking up this role. Our guys based in Sydney have already commenced training on airport operations, includuding runway procedures - as during the quiet time in the early arvo they will be using the runway when available. But as the company is already contracted to the airport, its not going to cost them any extra, but they will make all the money, instead of someone trying to make an honest dollar and educate the public. Unfortunatly I'm not allowed to mention the company, due to privacy orders on the contract, but it wouldn't take a genious to work out, as there is only 1 private coach operator allowed airside without restrictions.

Oh that is an absolute joke.

I hope the guys take some kind of legal action, from what I've seen what was said at the meeting would be more than enough to get some money out of SACL at least.

Somehow I find this difficult to believe, especially seeing as SACL has severely restricted the number of people and companies with Cat 4 ADA's (required to operate on a runway). Even the Airservices Australia techs can't go on a runway without an escort for routine localiser checks...and they had Cat 4's (previously Cat 3's) for years before that restriction was put in place. The grounds maintenance staff are another group who no longer have access to the runways without escort, yet they used to be able to call themselves on and off the runways too.

There'll be some serious questions raised from many quarters if a 'coach operator' is suddenly granted access to the runways...

Maybe he means under escort.

From whom?

that's really sad :(

Hey Guys,

I found out via Peter Bamford (founder), who was talking to Frank about a month ago that this might happen this year. The original contract to run Airside Tarmac Tours at Sydney Airport was for ten years expiring around the middle of this year (yes it did run for about 2 years before a formal contract was drawn up). It looks to me that SACL has simply decided to not renew the contract. Perhaps they see no benefit in a company that contributes no significant amount to the bottom line.

I don't think that they have looked hard enough at the benefits that a tour like this has provided in the last 12 or so years.

I would estimate (based on my own rough calculations) that the tours have shown over 180,000 school children and close to 40,000 adults over the last dozen or so years, what really happens inside the fence at Australia's busiest and most important airport. In my time driving around the airport, I have carried people who could sway a bit of opinion if they wanted to throw their weight around. Peter Overton was a more than one time visitor and I believe that he has a pretty close connection to a fairly reputable current affairs program who might like the human interest content in a story about a hard working husband and wife business being snuffed out because a huge corporation didn't think. Ernie Dingo, Kieran Perkins, Mike Whitney, Michael Pascoe, and others. These are all people who have stepped off the tour bus and said "that was great/awesome/spectacular".......you get the picture. I once got an email from a bloke who came on the tour when he was at school and it inspired him to become a pilot he was letting me know that he just got passed his CPL. Who knows how many people have been affected in a positive way. Who knows if someone has been at a dinner party listening to someone prattle on about how aircraft have no place in a city bringing down the real estate price and said "Hang on! I've been out there and I've seen what goes on and did you know that that place contributes in some way to the creation of 1 in every 8 jobs in this city?" and so on.

If anyone out there is a budding Tropfest doco maker, what a great piece of subject matter. If someone knows how to get on to some of these celebs then please let us know maybe one of them will get on the band wagon and we can actually do something about this.

I drove tours of the airfield at Sydney Airport for both Peter and Frank & Sherrie for close to ten years and I literally had the time of my life doing it. To see them come to an end because of short sightedness would be a dead set tragedy.

I will try to find some email addresses and see if anyone will take up the fight but I'm sure an avalanche of emails would make more of an impact.

Cheers for now and I will try to stay in touch.

Ian McManus

Sorry to prattle on so long.......Hey Amsy, long time no see.

Yep, runways will not be entered, but a few of us are cat4 certified already. I am due for site induction and will be given relevent paper work soon ready for august. I will scan and post the core stuff to clarify.

Again, I fail to see what need a bus/coach driver has with a Cat 4 at Sydney...at any time. The RESA project will be completed by April or May at the latest, so there'll not even be a need for crossing the 07 threshold when the runway's active (which when the road's open at the moment you can do with a Cat 2 anyway).:confused:

I'm curious as to who you're doing your 'training' with. i.e. who's getting you out on the taxiways and runways. I'm also curious as to which 'coach operator' has drivers with Cat 4's running around. I can't remember the last time I saw a coach (in more than a decade) driving unescorted across runways at Sydney...

Sorry, but I'm having trouble believing what you're saying:rolleyes:

This bus/coach operator seems to fit the description:

http://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists/nat.php?info=CAR

very sad to see airside tarmac tours go
 

It is quite sad to see airside tarmac tours go. I did a tour back in 1999 when the concord was here and it was great. We did the tour and had a BBQ afterwards. I agree that I heard when they stopped allowing cameras on tours I believe the numbers did drop off but all plane watching people would not mind. I go down to brighton beach with the family and watch planes there and also go right up to the perimeter fence too and its fantastic. I do hope that the Macquarie Airports Group do reconsider and allow the tours to continue. I was going to suggest it to my son's school to do a tour before the finish in June.

Do you want to help keep YSSY Airside Tarmac Tours going?
 

Hi All,

As I have said previously Tramac Tours will close 30 June 2010.

The owners have decided to fight. Your assistance may help to keep it going.

If you want to help keep it going please write to: CEO, Sydney Airport Corporation Limited, Ulm Building, Sydney Airport. Mascot. NSW.

The letter will get there with this address. We may not be able to stop the closure, but at least we can try.

I thank you in anticipation.

Phil McLeod
Tour Driver

Going out on a bit of a long shot here, BUT one of our Trustees at work is also a 'Media and Communications' person within SACL... Would there be any benifit of putting in a CC to him as well??

Happy to assist in anyway I can...

Could be a big ask, but maybe a signed petition may be the way to go?
I would imagine everyone at the spotting weekend would be willing to sign... Maybe also getting schools and social groups involved might also help? I also can't help thinking a phone call or email to the likes of A Current Affair or Today Tonight might also stir some publicity...

Just a couple of ideas...

Cheers,
Neil.

a facebook group maybe?

TV is the better option, TT / ACA love to hate Macquarie Bank, except for the guy busted perving at Miranda Kerr GQ shots on his screen yesterday whilst Channel 7 did a cross regarding the Interest Rate Hold. That guy should be given a promotion :)

Could someone please pm me with a rundown of the service. I know that these guys do alot of school visits and other charity work. The lack of pictures airside could limit the TV coverage for a decent story, however the Daily Tele also loves to take a swipe at Maq Airports ???

Go to Allan Jones 2GB, he's a great advocator :)
His strength is rattling the cages & getting results!

Well Said everyone.I never did a tour due o seeing Syd airport airside many times.But i do know that the people who did them enjoyed them very much.Richards tours in BNE were nothing short of amazing as well.Did a few of them and the price for the hours which he gave spotters were unbelievable.David Knudsen could back me up on that.

Was this in October? We may have been on the same tour!

Yup. Can't remember exact dates. On the tour I was on there was some function going on in a QF hanger under an A380 if that rings a bell.

Too right Ray, they were a different beast all together- $50 could get you a couple of hours sitting right next to the runway, free to roam outside the van to get the angle of your choice (as long as there were no people onboard actually wanting the tour). Of course those were in the "good old days" pre 9/11.

Yep, that was it, some sort of family day or something going on.

Just doing my bit to help

Save Sydney Airport Airside Tarmac Tours

I have a bus tour coming up in Canberra in march, many transport enthusiasts are also quite fond of aviation happenings so I will pass around a petition. I might see what I can do on the Canberra airport open day as well.