Lethbridge Airpark is a privately owned

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

located north of the rural township of

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

between the regional cities of

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

to the south and

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

to the north in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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 site caters to private and recreational pilots, and offers flight training. Current facilities at the airport include several

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s, an aircraft maintenance workshop, and basic amenities including toilets and showers.

History

The Airpark was established in 1992 as a private venture with the support of the

Golden Plains Shire The Golden Plains Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018, had a population of 23,120. It includes the towns of Bannockburn, Dereel, Gheringhap, Le ...

on a site that was carefully selected to take advantage of unrestricted airspace, existing transportation links and distance from urban development. The first tenant was the Geelong Sports Aviators Club, relocating to Lethbridge in the same year, following the sale and closure of the airfield at

Lovely Banks Lovely Banks is a northern suburb of Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Once an agricultural and rural area, the suburb is quickly developing into a residential area adjoining the Geelong suburbs of Bell Park, Victoria, Bell Par ...

. An aircraft maintenance provider has operated at the airfield since 1993. From 1996, safety improvements including an observation tower to assist with flight training and fire fighting services including a water reserve and increased pumping capacity were progressively added. By 2002, traffic had grown to a level to warrant the establishment of a discrete

Common traffic advisory frequency Common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is the name given to the VHF radio frequency used for air-to-air communication at United States, Canadian and Australian non-towered airports. Many towered airports close their towers overnight, keeping ...

to allow pilots to co-ordinate movements on and around the airfield. In 2006 Alpine Aircraft Sales, the Australian distributor for

Alpi Aviation Alpi Aviation srl ( en, italic=yes, Alps Aviation Limited) is an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Pordenone. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of kits for Homebuilt aircraft, amateur con ...

and Just Aircraft relocated operations to a purpose-built hangar at Lethbridge Airpark. By 2008, there were 50 aircraft based at Lethbridge.

Expansion

In July 2013, the

Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

announced a grant of $1 million to help fund upgrades to the facilities at Lethbridge Airpark. The funds will be used to create a × sealed surface on runway 11/29. The upgrades which also include the installation of a Pilot Activated Lighting system, construction of over 100 hangar sites, a sealed helipad and parking areas will allow larger aircraft such as the Beechcraft B200 King Air used by Air Ambulance Victoria all weather access to the field. A water delivery system for fire fighting aircraft operating for the

Country Fire Authority The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a volunteer fire service responsible for fire suppression, rescues, and response to other accidents and hazards across most of the state Victoria, Australia. CFA comprises over 1,200 brigades organised in 21 ...

who regularly use the airfield as a staging location is also planned as part of the upgrade, with the remaining costs to be paid by the operator. The planned upgrades are expected to create more than 100 ongoing jobs, and position the airport as an important year round hub for emergency services aircraft. It is also hoped that aviation related businesses such as aircraft assembly, sales and service will be encouraged to establish themselves at Lethbridge.

References

{{Airports in Victoria (Australia) Transport in Geelong Airports in Victoria (state) Airports established in 1992

History

Expansion

See also

References