Rognan Airport ( no, Rognan flyplass, ) is a private

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 surface ...

situated in the village of

Rognan Rognan is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Saltdal in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the innermost part of Skjerstad Fjord, called Saltdal Fjord. It is located about north of the village of R ...

in the municipality of

Saltdal Saltdal ( sme, Sálát) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rognan. Other villages in Saltdal include Røkland and Løn ...

in Nordland county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The municipal airport features a grass runway aligned 01/19. It is used for recreational flying and is operated by Saltdal Flyklubb. The airport was built by

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. Construction began in 1941 and the airport opened the following year, featuring a wood and concrete runway. It served mostly as a reserve airport for Bodø Air Station. Rognan Airport was abandoned as a military airbase after the end of the war.

History

An airport in Rognan was first considered by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during the Norwegian Campaign in May 1940, although the plans were never carried through. Instead, construction was carried out by Luftwaffe. Preliminary work started in late 1941 and the airport was completed the following year. It received a runway measuring , with a combined wooden and concrete surface. The Luftwaffe used the airport little, and it was mostly retained as a reserve airport for Bodø Air Station.Hafsten: 317 For a period a squadron of Junkers Ju 52 transporters were stationed at Rognan. After the war the airport was taken over by the municipality and has been used for general aviation. A contributing factor has been the high load on

Bodø Airport Bodø Airport ( no, Bodø lufthavn; ) is a civil airport in the town of Bodø in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the Bodø peninsula, it shares facilities with the mi ...

, which has caused restrictions on use by recreational aircraft. Especially sailplane activities were allocated to Rognan. Saltdal Flyklubb was established as a local aviation club in 1993. It took over the responsibility for operating the airport, although it remained owned by the municipality.

Facilities

Rognan Airport is located in the village of Rognan, west of population center. It is situated north and west of the river Saltelva and the

Nordland Line The Nordland Line ( no, Nordlandsbanen, ) is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø, Norway. It is the longest in Norway and lacks electrification. The route runs through the counties of Trøndelag (formerly Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndel ...

. The airport consists of a grass runway measuring . It is aligned 01/19, roughly north–south. The airport is owned by Saltdal Municipality and operated by Saltdal Flyklubb, the sole regular operator at the field. It has a reference altitude of

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. During the Second World War the airport consisted of a runway measuring . The offices, barracks and communications center was located in the village, southwest of the runway. There were two 20 mm gun positions in Rognan to protect the airport. Organizationally Rognan Airport was subordinate Bodø Air Station.

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control Airports in Nordland Airports in the Arctic Luftwaffe airports in Norway Saltdal 1942 establishments in Norway Airports established in 1942 Military installations in Nordland