29/05/2026
DID YOU KNOW? On this day, 67 years ago, the first flying club on the Sunshine Coast was founded!
However, the club was originally founded with an ulterior motive...
Mr David Low MLA was trying to get a Sunshine Coast airport built— one with a runway suitable for modern aircraft — but he wasn't having much luck.
Mr Low reached out to a young pilot, Roy Kassulke, and asked him for advice on the best way to get an airport. Mr Kassulke advised him to "seek interest in the formation of an aero club." And that's exactly what happened.
On May 29, 1959, a meeting was held in Nambour attended by 120 people. As a result of the meeting, the Maroochy Aero Club was founded (now known as Sunshine Coast Aero Club).
Two years later, on August 12, 1961, the Maroochy Airport was officially opened — partly thanks to the formation of the Maroochy Aero Club, which helped lay the foundations for the Sunshine Coast's now-bustling aviation industry.
Flight Options was established in 2007 by Steve Padgett, who relocated his aviation business from Sydney and joined the Sunshine Coast aviation community in 1995.
Ever since then, Flight Options has proudly supported the local community and played a small role in shaping the future of aviation on the Sunshine Coast by training the next generation of pilots.
Who knows what this local industry and airport could look like in another 60 years!
📷: Photo by Rob Tonge, taken 1960
