Hezarfen Airfield ( tr, Hezarfen Havaalanı) is a privately owned airport for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

in the

Çatalca Çatalca (Metrae; ) is a city and a rural district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the largest district in Istanbul by area. It is in East Thrace, on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea. Most people living in Çatalca are either farmers or ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. One of the four airports in Istanbul, it is named after Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi, a legendary Ottoman aviator, who flew across the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...

in the 17th century, as told by a contemporary traveler

Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...

. The airfield is on a peninsula surrounded by

Lake Büyükçekmece Lake Büyükçekmece ( tr, Büyükçekmece Gölü) is a Liman (landform), liman formed at the point where the river Karasudere flows into the Marmara Sea. The lake is located south of the Çatalca district, west of Istanbul, Turkey. It is used as ...

to the south and by the motorway to the north. It is west of Istanbul. Since 1992, it has served as the first internationally acknowledged private airport in Turkey. Its asphalt runway is long and wide. There are four

taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel ...

s parallel to the runway, a concrete

ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

, and another paved one. It also has a

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

circuit, a long model airplane field, and a

heliport A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...

Hezarfen Hobbyland

The airfield, called also "Hezarfen Hobbyland", offers facilities for

model aircraft A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models. Aircraft manufactur ...

flying,

model car A model car, or toy car, is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in this general category. Because many miniature vehicles were originally aime ...

racing,

motocross racing Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

(cars and motorcycles), car and driver testing and flight simulation. In addition to "Istanbul Aviation Festival" held each year in June, the Hezarfen Airfield hosts also the open air music festival

Rock'n Coke Rock'n Coke was the biggest open Turkish rock festival sponsored by Coca-Cola. It was traditionally held at the Hezarfen Airfield in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous headliners like Limp Bizkit, Motörhead, Travis, Moby, Nine Inch Nails, Muse, Franz Fe ...

, held since 2003 annually in September for two days attracting around 30,000 music fans. The airfield is home to an

aviation school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a st ...

training air traffic controllers, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter pilots. Turkey's only civil

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

school and team is also based here. Another school at the site is for training motorcycle racing. Other social facilities offered by the Hezarfen Hobbyland are a restaurant and premises for business conventions, fairs and exhibitions. Its public recreational area include also a playground for children, a

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

ground, and a course around the airfield for jogging and biking, in addition to a picnic and barbecue ground.

Gallery

File:Hezarfen_Airport_Karakas-1.jpg

References

External links

Hezarfen Airfield official website

hezarfen Airport at the Airport Guide
{{authority control Hezarfen Heliports in Turkey Model airplane fields Music venues in Istanbul Motorsport venues in Turkey Sports venues in Istanbul Entertainment venues in Istanbul Büyükçekmece Buildings and structures in Istanbul Province Transport in Istanbul Province Privately owned airports

Hezarfen Hobbyland

Gallery

See also

References

External links