Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport is a mostly

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 ...

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

for

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

located in between the southern

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburbs of Heatherton, Cheltenham,

Dingley Village Dingley Village is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Dingley Village recorded a population of 10,495 at the . ...

and Mentone. It also receives commercial airline service. The airport grounds are treated as their own suburb, and share the postcode ''3194'' with the neighboring suburb of Mentone. With a total of 274,082 aircraft movements, Moorabbin Airport was the second busiest airport in Australia for the calendar year 2011.

History

The airport opened in December 1949. Originally the intent was to name the airport "Mentone" but this was abandoned after a potential clash with the then French airport in

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

. Similarly, Cheltenham was discarded due to similarities to the

Gloucestershire Airport Gloucestershire Airport , formerly Staverton Airport, is a small airport at Churchdown, England. It lies west of Cheltenham, near the city of Gloucester and close to the M5 motorway. Its operator claims it to be Gloucestershire's largest g ...

near Cheltenham in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

. The name comes from the nearby (but not neighboring) suburb of

Moorabbin Moorabbin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Moorabbin recorded a population of 6,287 at the . Most of the ...

. The airport was renamed t
Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport
on 22 January 1989, after pioneering Australian aviator

Harry George Hawker Harry George Hawker, MBE, AFC (22 January 1889 – 12 July 1921) was an Australian aviation pioneer. He was the chief test pilot for Sopwith and was also involved in the design of many of their aircraft. After the First World War, he co-fo ...

, on the centenary date of Hawker's birth.

Accidents and incidents

* On 3 April 1953, an

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCA ...

plane crash landed at the airport. The five-man crew escaped unharmed. * On 19 October 1970, a Beech D50B light aircraft collided mid-air with a Bell 47G-3B-2 helicopter over the suburb of

while on approach to Moorabbin airport. Both aircraft subsequently crashed to the ground and burst into flames. All 5 on board both aircraft died in the crash. * On 14 February 1995, a Hughes 300 helicopter crashed into

Port Phillip Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is com ...

bay near Aspendale during a ferry flight from Geelong to Moorabbin airport for repairs. The tail boom failed in flight causing loss of control and subsequent crash into the shallow waters near the beach. The sole occupant, the pilot, died in the crash. * On 18 March 2000, a Cessna 210E performed a ditching into a quarry in Heatherton, near Moorabbin Airport after experiencing a loss of performance. The aircraft had been performing an evaluation flight near the airport when it experienced difficulties. The pilot and both passengers evacuated the aircraft safely, however one passenger drowned before reaching land due to being unable to swim. * On 29 July 2002, two Cessna 172Rs collided while on short final landing approach at Moorabbin airport following night circuit training. Both aircraft became entangled and crashed on the runway with subsequent fires. Both occupants from one aircraft evacuated safely, however the sole occupant of the other aircraft died in the crash. * On 27 August 2008, a Cessna 150M was involved in a mid-air collision with a

Piper PA-28 Cherokee The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...

near Moorabbin airport during training flights. Immediately upon the collision, the Cessna lost control and crashed into a garage in the suburb of Cheltenham bursting into flames and causing fatal injuries to the pilot, the sole occupant. The Piper was able to limp back to the airport where both occupants escaped injuries. * On 7 August 2010, a

Cessna 152 The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightly ...

was involved in a serious incident after crashing into a backyard of a home in Mordialloc while on approach to nearby Moorabbin airport. The aircraft's engine failed as a result of fuel starvation. Both occupants escaped with only minor injuries and the aircraft was written off after sustaining major damage. * On 11 August 2015, a

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.Piper PA-28 (VH-TXH) collided on the ground after TXH had a rough running engine and landed on Runway 22/04, After touchdown, TXH elected it would not be able to stop on the runway and began to overshoot onto grass, and onto taxiway Alfa, where EUU was taxiing. EUU was advised to stop by the SMC, but elected to continue to avoid a direct collision with TXH, TXH veered right in attempt to avoid EUU, However, the left wing of TXH then collided with the tail of EUU. The pilot of TXH was not injured. The pilot and passengers of EUU were treated for minor injuries. Both aircraft sustained substantial damage. * On 8 June 2018, a pilot of a light plane,

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.one of four in the city, serves the

needs for the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has five intersecting

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, concre ...

s, the longest being Runway 17L/35R with a length of . Usually, two parallel runways are used at the same time. The airport also has a control tower. The airport is home to the

Royal Victorian Aero Club The Royal Victorian Aero Club is an Australian aero club based at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne. History Founded by pioneer aviators in 1914 at Point Cook, the club is one of Australia's oldest flying training organisations. The Australi ...

, the

Australian National Aviation Museum The Moorabbin Air Museum is an aviation museum at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1962 as the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group, in an attempt to maintain a World War II-era Bristol Beaufighter aircraf ...

and several flight training facilities, including a campus of multinational pilot training organization CAE

Oxford Aviation Academy CAE Oxford, part of CAE Inc., is an ab initio flight training network. It provides integrated aviation training and resourcing services. Professional airline pilots have been trained at the Oxford Aviation Academy flight school since 1961. ...

Airlines and destinations

Master plan

The master plan for Moorabbin Airport was approved by the federal Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese MP, on 25 June 2010. The master plan provides a twenty-year horizon detailing the development of the airport and associated infrastructure. A draft Major Development Plan for Moorabbin Airport drawn up by the Australian company

Wesfarmers Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue o ...

was refused by Albanese, on 5 August 2013. The draft plan was for the development of large retail outlets on 4.8 hectares of airport land at the corner of Centre Dandenong Road and Boundary Road. The proposal had a floor area of 14,500m2.

References

External links