Bourke Airport is an airport located north
of
Bourke,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The airport is located at an elevation of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. It has two
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
s: 05/23, an
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
runway long, and 18/36, a
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
runway long.
Facilities
As part of the unemployment relief grant from the Civil Aviation Department made money available to build a second runway at the Bourke Aerodrome.
The airport was opened for access in 1943 as a base for World War II.
A radio location service was intended to be installed at the airport by August 1946. Inquiries were also being made about lighting. Butler's
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
was now making regular flights into Bourke by April 1946.
May 1949 saw a tender awarded to
Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia)
AWA Technology Services, name based on former name Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd, is an Australian provider for technology related services. Throughout most of the 20th century AWA was Australia's largest and most prominent electronics o ...
to install a radar-style distance measuring beacon, with 'DME', an omni-radio range installation.
Butler Air Transport Limited sought to have the airfield upgraded to support a possible change from the Douglas DC-3 to the
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
The Visc ...
, otherwise the Sydney–Bourke route was not economically viable.
The airport on Friday 7 December 1962 saw the town turn out to welcome Commonwealth Games high jumper medalist
Percy Hobson (athlete)
Percy Francis Hobson (5 November 1942 – 4 January 2022) was an Australian high jumper. He won the men's event at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, making him the first Indigenous Australian to earn a gold medal at the ...
on his return.
An April 1964 meeting discussing a twenty-four hour service by
air ambulance
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
across NSW was met with skepticism as Bourke was not equipped for night landings or radio navigation beacons.
By 1965 Airlines of NSW was running flights to and Sydney on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Also at this time it was noted:
: The engineer at Bourke airport is Percy Weatherilt, 86, the oldest practising aircraft engineer in the world. He still services some 40 private small aircraft which are owned by graziers in the Bourke district and used daily on their properties.
The 1970s saw complaints about the standard of toilet facilities, namely a small block.
The airport was used by the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
to bring in supplies during the floods in 1976 and 1990.
Airlines and destinations
Gallery
File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-Airport reception building-2021.jpg, Airport reception building (2021).
File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-Airport apron-2021.jpg, Airport apron (2021).
File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-RDFS aircraft VH-VPX-2021.jpg, Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
VH-VPX Beech 300 Super King Air 350 (2021).
File:AU-NSW-North Bourke-NSW Fire VH-TNG-2021.jpg, NSW Rural Fire Service
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales.
The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the land area of New South ...
helicopter (2021).
See also
*
List of airports in New South Wales
This is an incomplete list of airports in the Australian state of New South Wales.
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List of airports
The list is sorted by the name of the community served, click the sort buttons in the table header to switch listing order. Cities in b ...
References
External links
Bourke Airport
Airports in New South Wales
{{NewSouthWales-airport-stub