Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Parafield Airport Ltd. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Adelaide | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Parafield, South Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 57 ft / 17 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°47′36″S 138°37′59″E / 34.79333°S 138.63306°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.aal.com.au/parafield | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parafield Airport (IATA: none, ICAO: YPPF) is on the edge of the residential suburb of Parafield, South Australia, 18 kilometres north of the Adelaide Central business district (CBD) and adjacent to the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of South Australia. It is Adelaide's second airport and the fifth busiest airport in Australia by aircraft movements.[2] Although owned by the Government of Australia, the airport is leased to and managed independently by Parafield Airport Ltd.
Parafield was Adelaide's only civil airport until Adelaide Airport was opened in February 1955 and is currently used for small aircraft, pilot training and recreational aviation. The airport is home to the Parafield Aviation campus of TAFE South Australia (TAFE SA) and to the UniSA Aviation Academy. The airport hosts a jet fighter museum and historic aircraft displays. The museum now houses an authentic flight worthy Wirraway There are also multiple flight training schools like the University of South Australia Aviation Academy, FTA (Flight Training Adelaide)formerly known as Australian Aviation College, Bruce Hartwig Flying School, AFTC (Adelaide Flight Training Center) and Forsyth Aviation, which is the only school that offers training for the Recreational Aviation Australia pilot certificate at Parafield. Parafield Squadron[3] of the Australian Air League, a National uniformed cadet organisation promoting and encouraging the interest of aviation and flying training in the youth of Australia, is also located at Parafield Airport.
History
The first powered flight in South Australia was of a Blériot Aéronautique monoplane in 1910, south-west of Salisbury. In the 1920s investigations began into construction of an airport in Adelaide. Land was initially purchased in Cheltenham but the cost of acquiring sufficient land, neighbouring residential development and the erection of power transmission lines all interfered with airport plans. In 1927, the Commonwealth government purchased 318 acres (129 ha) of land at Parafield from a family owned farming company for £17,000. The area had been used for fattening sheep on lucerne and other fodder plants. The airport was expanded in 1942, with the boundary extending west to the Gawler railway line.[4]
On October 1, 1927, H.C. "Horrie" Miller was the first to land on the site, ground preparation was completed on the 17th and flights began on November 26 by the Aero club of South Australia. The site was officially opened as an airport in August 1929 by Governor-General of Australia Alexander Hore-Ruthven.[5] The control tower opened shortly prior to World War II. Prior to the war Gúinea Airways was the main company flying out of the airport using:[6]
- de Havilland Fox Moth - DH83
- de Havilland Dragon Rapide - DH89
- Lockheed Electra Model 10A
- Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
- Messerschmidt Taifun
- Douglas DC-3
- Lockheed 18 Lodestar
- Ford Trimotor 5-A
During World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) occupied the airfield as a station for basic flight training and was home to No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 1 EFTS) between 1939 and 1944 until it moved to Tamworth, New South Wales. A relief landing ground was located near Virginia. No. 34 Squadron utilised Parafield to deliever supplies to operational bases and aerodromes in the Northern Territory and Western Australia between 1943 and February 1945.
After the war ended, transport was also handled by Australian National Airways and Trans Australia Airlines both moving to Adelaide Airport in 1955 which now handles all regular passenger transport. In 1983 a group of trees was planted by local high school students. When fully grown, from the air they clearly spell out the word "PARAFIELD". As of 2007 the trees had been removed.
See also
References
- ^ Template:WAD
- ^ 231,430 total aircraft movements reported for July 2007 to June 2008 placing it behind Sydney, Jandakot, Moorabbin and Bankstown airports
"Movements at Australian Airports,2008 Financial Year Totals" (PDF). Airservices Australia. August 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16. [dead link] - ^ Australian Air League - Parafield Squadron
- ^ Lewis, H. John (1980). Salisbury South Australia, a history of town and district. Hawthorndene, South Australia: Investigator Press. pp. 201–204. ISBN 0-85864-049-X.
- ^ Lataan, Damien (1992). Parafield: From paddock to airport. Hahndorf, South Australia: D&S Publications. p. 5. ISBN 0-646-11023-3.
- ^ Varley, G (1976). A study of Para Hills. Unpublished manuscript stored in the local history room, Len Beadell library Salisbury, South Australia.