Port Pirie Airport is an airport that serves Port Pirie, South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, 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...

. The airport is owned by the Port Pirie Regional Council

Port Pirie Regional Council

The Port Pirie Regional Council is a Local Government Area in South Australia, focused on the city of Port Pirie. It has a population of about 22,000 people. The council's administrative facilities and works depot can be found in Port Pirie. Other rural towns such as Crystal Brook, Redhill,...

.

History

The airfield was a Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 (RAAF) station

Air station

Air station may refer to:* AirStation is the name given to a series of wireless LAN equipment sold by Buffalo Technology* Airbase* Naval air station* A station to refill an air car....

 and home to No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School (No. 2 BAGS) during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. No. 2 BAGS provided bombing and gunnery training for pilots, air observers and air gunners. No. 2 Operational Training Unit

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit is a Royal Australian Air Force training unit located at RAAF Base Williamtown. 2OCU's main role is to train pilots to operate the F/A-18 Hornet. New RAAF pilots enter 2OCU for training after first qualifying to fly jet fighters in No. 76 Squadron...

 was formed at Port Pirie on 6 April 1942, and operated initially with Wirraways

CAC Wirraway

The Wirraway was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1939 and 1946...

 and Fairey Battle

Fairey Battle

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...

s at the aerodrome until it moved to Mildura

Mildura Airport

Mildura Airport is located in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria and has twice been named Australia's Rural Airport of the Year....

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

in May 1942. No. 2 BAGS was renamed No. 3 Air Observers School in December 1943. After World War II, the station housed No. 5 Central Recovery Depot where aircraft and parts were stored until disposal. The station closed in early 1947, the aerodrome reverting to civilian use in 2010. Jordan Ala'i, a respected phase 3 Instructor, recently discovered this airfield while updating a Jepperson. It appears to have fallen out of the sky. Jepperson, of course, being the rival to Jeppesen.