Local aviation businesses and users are concerned after the airfield was closed and used to film videos for an amateur YouTube channel.

‘Motor Fools’ films their videos at Lismore Regional Airport and uses the runway to perform burnouts and skids.

Whilst a commercial airline is not currently flying in or out of Lismore, the airport is still used significantly by pilot training schools, private flyers, air ambulance services, and Care Flight.

David Wright owns one of the private hangars and has been using the airfield longer than most people. He couldn’t believe that the airport would be used like this.

“When we're trying to promote the airport… when we're trying to make the airport functional, usable, and ultimately profitable through the business that it brings to town… it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

“[We’ve] got one of the best IFR training schools in the country here... for him to be out of action for the whole day would have been costly.”

“I’ve been flying off this airfield longer than anyone here I think… if you could have seen the efforts we went to in years gone by, to get the runway extended, to get the other terminal built on the far end, and all the other stuff over the last 30 years.”

“To do what they did to it is sacrilegious… simple as that.”

“On the days that they leased it to the scallywags to put black strips all over it… were there any transiting pilots planning to land here and get fuel?”

“Imagine if you went and closed the boat ramp at the river on a Saturday or Sunday or somebody to make a YouTube clip.”

Operations Manager of Rotorwing Helicopter Services Michael Barnes agreed and was also worried about the impact it would have on businesses

“What it does do is dramatically lower the professionalism of the airport and makes it less attractive to aviation businesses,” he said.

The YouTube channel has only four episodes uploaded onto their site, with their ‘host’ Jimmy boasting in the first video about how good the airport was.

“2-kilometres of dead-straight tarmac… we can do anything we want here, and no problems with the boys in blue,” he said.

“It took two years of hard work to get here, but we didn’t give up… Australia is full of a lot of red tape, so it was a mission to get this place.”

It would seem the mission was short-lived, as a Lismore City Council spokesperson told The Lismore App:

“Lismore City Council recently reviewed Motor Fools’ use of the Lismore Regional Airport and has informed the producers of the show that it can no longer be used.”

The Lismore App also asked Lismore City Council what costs were involved in the hire of the site, whether the group were covered by insurance, and whether it would cover revenue lost by businesses. Council only provided the above statement.