Northern Rivers Aero Club rebuilds after devastating Lismore floods

Lismore's aviation community is starting from scratch nearly a month after planes were washed away in record-breaking floods. As the community looks to rebuild, a younger generation of pilots is leading the way for the future. The Northern Rivers Aero Club has been a training ground for up to 600 commercial, defence, and recreational pilots since the 1960s. The club has withstood many floods, but following the recent one, it faces devastation. When the community of Lismore were told to brace for flooding, the crew at the club prepared by going through their usual routine. “Now you can’t fly these little airplanes in that sort of weather safely, not allowed to, even in an emergency, so all the aircraft were moved onto the mount,” Head of operations at the club Bill Kiernan said. Despite the crew’s best efforts to move the planes to higher ground, it failed to protect them from the floods, which reached record-breaking levels.