About Us
Who We Are
For just on seventy years the Warracknabeal Aero Club has nurtured and supported aviation across the Wimmera Mallee.
Many fledgling aviators have learned the skills necessary to become highly skilled and competent aviators over those many decades-through the Warracknabeal Aero Club. Learning to fly, either as personal fliers (as private pilots) or as a commercial aviators in the industry through the Warracknabeal Aero Club, the club is and always has been a strong supporter of training through the Wimmera Aero Club in its various forms over many decades. The Warracknabeal Aero Club was one of the earliest clubs formed in the region in the late 1940’s, with the Warracknabeal aerodrome constructed around 1950.
​The Warracknabeal Aero Club clubrooms and briefing room were built by the club and opened in mid 1953, at around the time of the construction of the two aerodrome runways (one sealed/one grass cross-strip). The aerodrome, situated just eight minutes south of Warracknabeal on the Henty Highway, boasts one of the longest (1400 metres) and heaviest load rated sealed runways in western Victoria and is the home of the Warracknabeal Aero Club. While aviation is the fundamental focus of the Aero Club, its members enjoy a strong social aspect to its operations.
A number of its current members trained locally and gained their pilots licences over sixty years ago and still continue to maintain their flying skills, always willing to share their enthusiasm for aviation and knowledge with their up and coming counterparts. The club co-ordinates TIF (Trial Introductory Flights) days, where prospective fliers can take a flight with a qualified instructor to gain an insight into learning to fly an aircraft with a private pilots licence and more. Club members own their own aircraft, a Cessna 172 four-seater aircraft, which is regular taken on club trips and is used by members for personal flights to nearly every state in the country.
​Two large aircraft hangers are situated at the aerodrome, one owned and operated by the club, the other owned by a private group, both are generally available for safe undercover aircraft hangarage. Members also provide fuel to visiting aviators to the aerodrome from the aerodrome fuel installation. The Club is quite active with numerous members meetings at the clubrooms on most Friday evenings, to share the news in aviation and plan for the next club ‘fly away’ trip, or just a few quick circuits or a local ‘crop inspection’! For any one with a passion for ‘reaching for the skies,’ club members will make anyone welcome, so call in on a Friday night or ring one of the contact numbers listed on this website.