Last week Mackay’s ATC tower marked 40 years in service. The octagonal building was opened by the then Civil Aviation Authority on 6 July 1972.
Back then, Mackay was one of the busiest regional airports in the country as the main gateway to the Whitsundays. Hamilton Island Airport did not exist and Proserpine was just a minor airfield.
Airservices Australia’s Mackay and Hamilton Island Tower Supervisor, Allan Maddison, has worked in Mackay Tower for 21 years. During that time there have been some significant changes in the technology, but Allan still remembers how excited the controllers were when they got their first piece of technology: a fax machine!
“We thought that was the greatest, but compared to what we have now, four computers, a surveillance feed, and two video cameras covering the apron and wider airport, [the fax] was really nothing,” Allan remembers.
“On the down side we no longer have the best view in town as high-rise buildings have made their way into Mackay ... although our panoramic views are still spectacular.”
The views come courtesy of special glass, which was imported from Belgium; each pane is 25 mm thick and weighs 272 kg. The tower was planned to ensure pillars between the glass did not block the view of the runway and to provide a clear line of sight for air traffic controllers.
On average, Mackay handles over 40,000 movements per year, ranking it as number 20 among Airservices 31 towered airports.
Airservices says the tower building will soldier on for many years to come as there are no plans to replace it, but it will be refurbished under a $1 billion, five-year plan to upgrade several facilities around the country.