Bathurst Airport (Australia)
Encyclopedia
Bathurst Airport is an airport
serving Bathurst
, New South Wales
, Australia
.
Located in the Central Tablelands
, Bathurst Airport is presently serviced by one airline, Regional Express Airlines
(Rex). The airports history dates to just prior the second world war when local politicians campaigned for an airport for Bathurst. The war prompted the Federal Government to establish the aerodrome during the war years, immediately following the war commercial air services commenced with passenger flights to Sydney. Today several flying schools operate at the airport and it is used frequently by trainee pilots during their navigation training. There are no landing charges for aircraft under 2000 kg which makes it a popular option as a destination for many pilots, mostly trainee pilots from Bankstown
and Camden Airports in the Sydney Basin
.
The airport has two primary runways: one sealed and one brown gravel (with large grass area either side of gravel). The airport also has one secondary runway used for glider traffic. The sealed runway, taxiway and apron have lighting facilities which are pilot-activated.
There were 8,000 landings in 2010 which include recreational flying, business jets, charters, regular passenger flights, emergency services, and Air Force flights. The airport is owned, managed and maintained by Bathurst Regional Council
.
The Airports history starts between 1937 and 1939 when the municipal council investigated several sites considered suitable for an aerodrome
, what finally forced the federal government to act on a site was the second world war, in 1942 a military airfield was opened to take overflow traffic and aircraft parking from the overcrowded Richmond Air Base in Sydneys west.
A chronological list of events that document the development of the airport are listed below;
The local PJ Moodie Bathurst Aero Club and the PJ Moodie Memorial Drive into the airport facilities are memorials to Alderman PJ Moodie who campaigned constantly for an airfield to be buillt at Bathurst.
(REX) flies Bathurst to Sydney three times daily. The airline is based in Wagga Wagga with its major NSW hub in Sydney. REX flies Saab 340
, 34 seat turboprop aircraft on the Bathurst route.
*extrapolated figures from published Q1 and Q2 figures
(AAFC) is based at the Bathurst Regional Airport, parades and training sessions are held in rooms located in the Airport grounds. Squadrons from around NSW converge on Bathurst for gliding training during school holidays at four, two week gliding courses each year operating primarily on the grass 17/35 strip and the grass on either side of the gravel 08/26 runway.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Located in the Central Tablelands
Central Tablelands
The Central Tablelands in New South Wales is an area that is between the Sydney Metropolitan Area and the Central West Slopes and Plains. This area has a part of the Great Dividing Range running through it, including the Blue Mountains...
, Bathurst Airport is presently serviced by one airline, Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Pty Ltd is an airline based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, North Queensland and Tasmania...
(Rex). The airports history dates to just prior the second world war when local politicians campaigned for an airport for Bathurst. The war prompted the Federal Government to establish the aerodrome during the war years, immediately following the war commercial air services commenced with passenger flights to Sydney. Today several flying schools operate at the airport and it is used frequently by trainee pilots during their navigation training. There are no landing charges for aircraft under 2000 kg which makes it a popular option as a destination for many pilots, mostly trainee pilots from Bankstown
Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport is a general aviation airport and business park located in the City of Bankstown, from the central business district of Sydney, Australia...
and Camden Airports in the Sydney Basin
Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a sedimentary basin on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks...
.
The airport has two primary runways: one sealed and one brown gravel (with large grass area either side of gravel). The airport also has one secondary runway used for glider traffic. The sealed runway, taxiway and apron have lighting facilities which are pilot-activated.
There were 8,000 landings in 2010 which include recreational flying, business jets, charters, regular passenger flights, emergency services, and Air Force flights. The airport is owned, managed and maintained by Bathurst Regional Council
Bathurst Regional Council
Bathurst Regional Council administers the Bathurst Region Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 200 km west of Sydney and has a population of 37,001 . It is on the Great Western Highway, Mid-Western Highway, Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway...
.
History
An event that occurred earlier than the opening of the present airport has significance - on 2 December 1920 one of the earliest flights to land in Bathurst arrived with mail from Sydney, the aircraft owned by the Bathurst Aviation Service Company, landed on a paddock at Kelso.The Airports history starts between 1937 and 1939 when the municipal council investigated several sites considered suitable for an aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
, what finally forced the federal government to act on a site was the second world war, in 1942 a military airfield was opened to take overflow traffic and aircraft parking from the overcrowded Richmond Air Base in Sydneys west.
A chronological list of events that document the development of the airport are listed below;
- 1945: First Groundsman appointed and Ben ChifleyBen ChifleyJoseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
(MP) assisted Council with representations that Bathurst Aerodrome should be used for civil air services - 1946: Officially opened as a civil airfield on 14 December 1946 by Prime Minister Ben Chifley No facilities or services were yet provided
- 1946: First regular commercial passenger flights commenced by Butler Air TransportButler Air TransportButler Air Transport was a limited liability company created by Cecil Arthur Butler to operate air transport primarily among New South Wales airports in Australia, from 1934 until 1959.-History:...
Pty. Ltd. on 16 December. - 1947: Butler Air Transport Pty. Ltd. used a DC-3 aircraft named Warrumbungle on the service to Bathurst, previously used in wartime service Air fare £1 10s.
- 1948: Representations were made to the Minister for Air to secure land alongside the Aerodrome for aero club training purposes, a shelter shed and other buildings
- 1952: New buildings erected at the Aerodrome and Council agrees to connect water supply
- 1953: Radio navigational aids installed, and minor improvements to shelter shed
- 1954: Her Royal Majesty The Queen arrives by plane at Bathurst Aerodrome
- 1954-55: A local 'Air Safety Committee' was formed to act as observers and to arrange assistance for pilots in difficulty
- 1956: Approach made to the Minister for Civil Aviation seeking lighting of Raglan Aerodrome, and lengthening of the runway to take Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
passenger planes - 1956-57: representations to the Post Master Generals office to have a public telephone installed at the Aerodrome - application was rejected
- 1957: The ATC Hut was officially opened and the Bathurst Aero Club dropped leaflets from aircraft over the city, advertising joy flights
- 1959: the Commonwealth transferred the Aerodrome to City of Bathurst from December. The runway at that time was an unsealed pavement, and the aerodrome was situated in the Turon Shire.
- 1963: Landing charges proposed
- 1963: Airlines of New South WalesAirlines of New South WalesAirlines of New South Wales callsign "NEWSOUTH" was an Australian domestic regional airline that operated from 1959 until its merger into Ansett in 1993. It was formed by Reg Ansett's takeover of Butler Air Transport...
introduced Fokker F27 Friendship aeroplanes - 1964: New terminal building completed with Airlines of NSW the first tenant, airport lighting now installed
- 1967: Submissions sent to Department of Civil Aviation for a new taxi-way to access the hanger area and an apron for light aircraft, and Airlines of NSW stops its service to Bathurst and East West AirlinesEast-West Airlines (Australia)East-West Airlines was an Australian regional airline founded in Tamworth, New South Wales in 1947. It operated to major regional city-centres and connected these centres to various provincial capitals. It was purchased from its original founders in a share buy-out by Bryan Grey and Duke Minks...
commences services - 1967: Aerodrome closes for 11 months to allow reconstruction of the runway
- 1969: BP Australia hosts the BP Australia Air Race for home built aircraft and the entrance road is named the PJ Moodie Memorial Drive
- 1972: Air AmbulanceAir ambulanceAn air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
Services commenced operations - 1973: East West Airlines reports 16,348 total one-way passengers for 1973
- 1974: Groundsman’s Cottage constructed
- 1977: A bus service was introduced by East West Airlines between the city and airport for passengers and freight
- 1979: Runway resealed
- 1981: The Southern Cross Air Race to Melbourne commenced from Bathurst Aerodrome
- 1987: The basic structure for a Control Tower was erected at the aerodrome by Council and others for the 1987 October Car Races
- 1993: Runway resealed
- 1994: The aircraft apron was extended
- 2001: 12/9/2001 Hazelton Airlines parent company Ansett closes down and all Hazelton flights are temporarily suspended, recommencing several weeks later on a reduced service
- 2002: Rex Group took over services to Bathurst from the Administrator operated Hazelton Airlines on 1 August 2002
- 2010: Regional Express Airlines report carrying 24,000 passengers per year from Bathurst
- 2011: New runway lighting and Precision Approach Path Indicator installed on runway 17/35 including backup power supply - original runway lighting installed in 1960's
The local PJ Moodie Bathurst Aero Club and the PJ Moodie Memorial Drive into the airport facilities are memorials to Alderman PJ Moodie who campaigned constantly for an airfield to be buillt at Bathurst.
Timetables
In their May 1964 timetable Airlines of NSW were operating a morning and an evening flight each way to Bathurst, then on to Parkes, using a Fokker Friendship aircraft.Regional Express
Regional Express AirlinesRegional Express Airlines
Regional Express Pty Ltd is an airline based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, North Queensland and Tasmania...
(REX) flies Bathurst to Sydney three times daily. The airline is based in Wagga Wagga with its major NSW hub in Sydney. REX flies Saab 340
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
, 34 seat turboprop aircraft on the Bathurst route.
| Year | Passengers | Yearly Growth % | Cumulative Growth % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/03 | 12,690 | - | - |
| 2003/04 | 14,848 | 15 | - |
| 2004/05 | 19,636 | 24 | 36 |
| 2005/06 | 21,206 | 8 | 40 |
| 2006/07 | 24,217 | 22 | 48 |
| 2007/08 | 25,004 | 3 | 49 |
| 2008/09 | 23,038 | -8 | 45 |
| 2009/10 | 24,957 | 8 | 49 |
| 2010/11 | 27,371* | 9* | 64* |
Charter Air Services
Several companies provide charter services from the Bathurst Airport including; Panorama Airways and SmartairBathurst Aero Club
Bathurst Aero Club is a social club and training business founded in 1938 which has a club house beside the passenger terminal. The club has regular fly days and cross country excursions.Australian Air Force Cadets
No. 328 Squadron of Number 3 Wing Australian Air Force CadetsAustralian Air Force Cadets
The Australian Air Force Cadets , known as the Air Training Corps until 2001, is a Federal Government funded youth organisation. The parent force of the AAFC is the Royal Australian Air Force...
(AAFC) is based at the Bathurst Regional Airport, parades and training sessions are held in rooms located in the Airport grounds. Squadrons from around NSW converge on Bathurst for gliding training during school holidays at four, two week gliding courses each year operating primarily on the grass 17/35 strip and the grass on either side of the gravel 08/26 runway.
Facilities
Navigational Aids- Automatic Weather Station
- Non Directional Beacon Radio Transmitter (NDB)
- Aerodrome Frequency Response Unit “Beep Back” (frequency identifying Bathurst Airport)
- Private Aircraft Hangars
- Air conditioned Passenger Terminal
- Unrestricted Car Park (security video surveillance)
- Public Transport – Taxi Stand
Accidents and incidents
- 7 November 2008 - a Piper PA-31-350 ChieftainPiper PA-31 NavajoThe Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also licence-built in a number of Latin American countries. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and...
crashed shortly after takeoff, the aircraft attempted a return to the airport but crashed 3 km short of the runway. The aircraft was flying from Moorabin in Victoria to Port Macquarie with a refueling stop at Bathurst. Four persons were killed.
- 5 October 2006 - a BAC Strikemaster aircraft took off from Bathurst, NSW, for a 25-minute adventure flight with one passenger. The flight was to include high level aerobatics and a low level simulated attack routine. Two persons were killed when the aircraft broke up in the air 20 km north east of Bathurst. Separation of the right wing was precipitated by pre-existing fatigue cracking in the right wing upper main spar attachment lug.
- 31 May 1974 - East West AirlinesEast-West Airlines (Australia)East-West Airlines was an Australian regional airline founded in Tamworth, New South Wales in 1947. It operated to major regional city-centres and connected these centres to various provincial capitals. It was purchased from its original founders in a share buy-out by Bryan Grey and Duke Minks...
Flight 752/753, operated by a Fokker F-27, was scheduled to fly from Sydney to Orange, Bathurst and back to Sydney. The flight was uneventful until approach to Bathurst; the first officer made a late decision to change from landing on runway 17 to runway 35 due to a light shower in the approach path. On late final the aircraft drifted to the left of the runway centreline and with rain increasing and moderate turbulence the pilot ordered a go-aroundGo-aroundA go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach.- Origin of the term :The term arises from the traditional use of traffic patterns at airfields. A landing aircraft will first join the circuit pattern and prepare for landing in an orderly fashion...
just prior to the runway threshold. The aircraft impacted the runway 1240m past the runway 35 threshold and slid on the ground for 625m tearing the starboard engine from the wing. It was determined following investigation that during the climb, performance of the aircraft was adversely affected by an unpredictable encounter with a large change in the horizontal wind componentWindShearThe Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
, and an associated downdraft, at a height too low to effect recovery. There were no serious injuries however the aircraft was written off.