History of JCW

Photos and details of how a few original members turned a flooded sugarcane field into a sport aviation mecca in South East Queensland. Also a special thank-you to Dave Donahue (one of the original club members) for providing these great photographs.

This rare and historic photo shows the very first location for our club in the Jacob's Well area.

This first airfield is about 500 m away from our current location and importantly you can see quite clearly all of the different runways mowed into the grass. Back then the aircraft were not as sophisticated as they are now and a 5 knot crosswind was the absolute maximum upper limit for many of the aircraft designs which at the time were really basic ultralight aircraft like the Wheeler Scout. This is why there are so many runways going in different directions so you could always take off or land into the wind.

It is believed this photograph was taken in the late 80s or early 90s.

Our present airfield location is on the right-hand side of this photograph approximately 2/3 rds of the way up from the bottom of the photograph with many of the identifying features in this photograph still visible today including the cemetery, and the horse racing track in the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph. All of the original area where our first airfield was located has now been mined for sand and they are now large freshwater lakes.

Do you have any historic photographs of sport aviation flying on the Gold Coast ? if so please make contact here so we can include them on this page.

Please click on the smaller photo to view a large photo and caption, press the "N" button to continue to the next photograph or place your mouse on the right side of the photograph until the word next is displayed and then click. You will work it out.

GCSFC Life Member Lance Billman
	Waiting for more information please

GCSFC Life Member Roger Porter

Roder Porter receiving Life Membership Award

2008 Roger Porter and the Gold Coast Sports Flying Club are two names which seem to go hand-in-hand or side-by-side in the same sentence or conversation. Roger was one of the founding club members and has probably done more for the club than any other single person over the period from 1988 through to 2007. Much of this time Roger served as either president or vice president until October 2007 when he decided to stand aside and let others take over the running and responsibility for the club. Rogers efforts over the years have really made this club what it is today and without his contribution we would not have the fantastic facility which is now available to members. Since 'retirement' Roger now has more time to fly in his Glasstar aircraft and he still visits the club several times a week to oversee the activities.

GCSFC Life Member Ole Jensen
Ole Jensen receiving Life Membership Award	Waiting for more information

GCSFC Life Member Lloyd Salisbury O.B.E.    Over Bloody Eighty and still flying!!!

Roger Porter, Lloyd Salisbury, Rod Walden and David Donahue

April 2010 Lloyd is one of the lucky ones who, at turning 80 and still flying, has the right to call himself a UFO (United Flyers Octogenarians- those that are still flying past the age of eighty) That’s all very nice, but what Lloyd has given us as members is the important thing. Lloyd, along with a group of fellow pilots had the vision to create Heck Field. They worked their butts off, and as Lloyd describes it, still had the time for flying, friendship and a great social network. So to offer Lloyd life membership is but a small token of appreciation and thanks we can offer to our founding members – Thanks Lloyd, we, the members owe you and the other founding members ‘big time’!