Derby Airport is located southeast of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

History

The site of Derby airport was first set aside for aviation uses in 1922. The airfield played a key role in the search for

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

's ''Southern Cross'' following a forced landing in the Kimberley region during 1929 in an incident that would become known as the "Coffee Royal Affair". Aviation pioneer

Norman Brearley Sir Norman Brearley, (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia. Early life Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, ...

used aircraft of his

West Australian Airways West Australian Airways was an Australian airline based in Geraldton, Western Australia. Established on 5 December 1921 as Western Australian Airways by World War I pilot Norman Brearley, it was the first airline in Australia to establish a sche ...

in the initial search effort flying outwards from Derby. In 1938, it was proposed that Derby to be used as a base for flying boat services carried

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...

from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to Australia via Egypt and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

References

External links

Airservices Aerodromes & Procedure Charts
Kimberley airports Airports established in 1922 {{WesternAustralia-airport-stub

History

See also

References

External links