Cootamundra Airport is a small airport in

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

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 also the venue for the annual GTR Challenge and Drag Battle motorsport event.

History

With the implementation of an

airmail 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 ...

service between Australia and Britain, owing to its location on the

Main Southern railway line The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Albury, near the Victorian border. The line passes through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and Riverina regions. ...

midway between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

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 ...

and proximity to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Cootamundra was chosen as the southern terminus. The airfield became the initial base for

Butler Air Transport Butler Air Transport was an Australian airline founded by C. Arthur Butler to operate air transport primarily among New South Wales airports in Australia, from 1934 until 1959.

, established as an airmail contractor in 1934 to operate a section of the route between Cootamundra and

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** C ...

, providing connection to

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

services between

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and Darwin. The company relocated its base to Sydney in 1938 following the withdrawal of the airmail contract. From 1991 to 2002 Country Connection Airlines offered regional flights from Cootamundra to Sydney, as well as to many other regional locations such as West Wyalong, Cowra, Forbes and Young.

RAAF Station Cootamundra

Cootamundra was chosen as a station for No. 1 Air Observers School and No. 2 Recruit Depot during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Numbers 60 and 73 Squadrons also operated from the base. Following the cessation of hostilities the airfield reverted to civilian use.

Accidents and incidents

* On 25 June 2001, an

Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (English: ''pioneer'') is a Brazilian general purpose 15–21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft designed by Embraer for military and civil use. The EMB 110 was designed by the French engineer Max Ho ...

operated by Airtex Aviation on a charter flight from

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Rid ...

suffered an engine fire en route. Believing the fire to be extinguished after taking initial action, the pilot elected to land at

Young Airport Young Airport is an airport serving Young, New South Wales, Australia. It is located northwest of Young and operated by Hilltops Council. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above sea level. It has one runway designated 01/19 ...

. On finding Young under fog, the pilot diverted to Cootamundra. Between the towns, the aircraft cabin filled with smoke from the fire which had flared up again in the engine nacelle. During the emergency landing, only the aircraft's right main landing gear extended and the aircraft skidded to a stop on grass next to the runway. The pilot and all 8 passengers evacuated safely, however the investigation revealed delays in the emergency response to the accident, including an Ambulance that was initially unable to access the airfield as the emergency gate was locked.

References

Airports in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-airport-stub

History

RAAF Station Cootamundra

Accidents and incidents

See also

References