Hood Aerodrome

Last updated

Hood Aerodrome
Summary
Airport typeGeneral aviation
Owner Masterton District Council
OperatorMasterton District Council
Serves Masterton, Carterton, Martinborough
Location Masterton, New Zealand
Elevation  AMSL 111 m / 364 ft
Coordinates 40°58′30″S175°38′00″E / 40.97500°S 175.63333°E / -40.97500; 175.63333
Website http://hoodaerodrome.org.nz/
Map
NZ-NI plain map.png
Airplane silhouette.svg
MRO
Location of airport in North Island
Hood Aerodrome
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
06C/24C1,2504,101Asphalt
06R/24L1,0603,478Grass
06L/24R4501,476Grass
10/281,0423,419Grass

Hood Aerodrome( IATA : MRO, ICAO : NZMS) is an aerodrome, located in Masterton, New Zealand, it is located 1 NM South West of the town centre in the suburb of Solway. The aerodrome was named after George Hood, a pioneer Masterton aviator who died trying to make the first Trans-Tasman crossing in 1928. [1] The aerodrome is used extensively for general aviation flights, and has also been used for commercial flights, Air New Zealand stopped serving the airport from 5 February 2014. Two new airlines have looked at re-instating a service to Auckland using larger aircraft but the runway will need to be lengthened to 1,400 m and widened to 30 m first before it can start. [2]

Contents

History

The Masterton Aerodrome was opened in 1931. Historically, Hood Aerodrome has been served by South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand in 1962–1966 and two locally based carriers, Wairarapa Airlines which linked Masterton with Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Nelson and Christchurch from August 1981 to January 1997. [3] Then a new airline Air Wairarapa briefly flew to Auckland via Paraparumu in 2002. [4] Between February 2009 and February 2014, Eagle Airways, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand Link flew to Auckland from Masterton. The flights were operated by 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. In September 2013, Air New Zealand announced the airline would withdraw all services to Masterton from 5 February 2014, due to a lack of demand. [5] The airport is working on a plan to reinstate an air service to Auckland with an invitation to the airlines underway. [6]

Grass runway 06L/24R closed in November 2019 following an independent review of operations at the aerodrome. [7]

Work to widen the main runway and expand the apron is in the planning stage. The budget set for this project is $17 million. [8] [9]

Air Chathams said in February 2024 that they are interested in serving Masterton to Auckland once the aerodrome upgrades are complete. [10]

Other Uses

The aerodrome is the home of New Zealand's 'Sports and Vintage Aviation Society', which has had a hangar on site since 1978.

Since 1999 Hood Aerodrome has held a biennial airshow, Wings over Wairarapa. The eleventh such event took place on 26–27 February 2021, [11] the final scheduled display on 28 February being cancelled due to a change in New Zealand's COVID-19 alert level.

The aerodrome land also hosts a purpose built dragstrip.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland Airport</span> International airport serving Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 16 million passengers served in the year ended August 2023. The airport is located near Māngere, a residential suburb, and Airport Oaks, a service-hub suburb 21 kilometres (13 mi) south of the Auckland city centre. It serves as the principal hub for Air New Zealand, and the New Zealand operating base for Jetstar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch Airport</span> Airport serving Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch Airport is an international airport serving Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1940 and became New Zealand's first international airport on 16 December 1950. It is New Zealand's second busiest airport, after Auckland and before Wellington by annual passengers, and the second busiest, after Auckland, by aircraft movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington Airport</span> Airport serving Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington International Airport — formerly known as Rongotai Aerodrome or Rongotai Airport, or simply Wellington Airport — is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. It lies 5.5 km south-east from the city centre. It is a hub for Air New Zealand and Sounds Air. Wellington International Airport Limited, a joint venture between Infratil and the Wellington City Council, operates the airport. Wellington is the third busiest airport in New Zealand after Auckland and Christchurch, handling a total of 3,455,858 passengers in the year ending June 2022, and the third busiest in terms of aircraft movements. The airport, in addition to linking many New Zealand destinations with national and regional carriers, also has links to major cities in eastern Australia. It is the home of some smaller general aviation businesses, including the Wellington Aero Club, which operates from the general aviation area on the western side of the runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whangarei Airport</span> Airport in Whangārei

Whangārei Airport is an airport 4 nautical miles to the south east of Whangārei city, in the suburb of Onerahi, on the east coast of Northland in the North Island of New Zealand. The airport has a single terminal with two gates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Airways</span> Defunct regional airline of New Zealand (1969–2016)

Eagle Airways was a regional airline based in Hamilton, New Zealand and was wholly owned by Air New Zealand, operating regional services under the Air New Zealand Link brand. The airline was disbanded on 26 August 2016, with staff absorbed into Air New Zealand's other subsidiaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmerston North Airport</span> Domestic airport in Milson, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Palmerston North Airport, originally called Milson Aerodrome, is an airport in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand, serving Palmerston North and the Central North Island regions. It is located in the suburb of Milson, on the outskirts of Palmerston North, New Zealand, approximately 5.5 km (3.4ml) NE from the central business district of Palmerston North. The airport is 100% owned by the Palmerston North City Council and covers an area of 208ha. The airport is New Zealand's 8th busiest and handled a total of 515,727 passengers in the 2016 financial year. The airport handles around 30 commercial passenger flights per day to and from Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton and Nelson as well as cargo flights on week nights between Auckland and Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tauranga Airport</span> Airport in Tauranga

Tauranga Airport is an airport serving the city of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located adjacent to Tauranga Harbour in the suburb of Mount Maunganui, approximately 3 km northeast of Tauranga CBD. The terminal is located to the north of the runway, on Jean Batten Drive, and consists of a two-storey building with four tarmac gates. Air New Zealand serves the airport, with flights to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. A further two regional airlines also operate to the airport, as well as scenic and charter flights, skydiving operations and general aviation.

Hokitika Aerodrome is a small, uncontrolled aerodrome located 1.9 km north east of Hokitika in the suburb of Seaview on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is also the closest domestic airport with scheduled flights to the town of Greymouth 40 km further north, the largest settlement on the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrier Air</span> Airline of New Zealand

Barrier Air is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983 by Jim Bergman as Great Barrier Airlines. The head office is located at the Domestic Terminal at Auckland Airport in Māngere, with additional offices in the terminal buildings at Great Barrier Aerodrome, Kaitaia Airport and North Shore Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenstown Airport</span> Airport in Otago, New Zealand

Queenstown International Airport is an international airport located in Frankton, Otago, New Zealand, which serves the resort town of Queenstown. The airport handled 2.10 million passengers as of 2024 making it the fourth busiest airport in New Zealand by passenger traffic. The airport is known for its scenery and challenging approach to land due to the nearby high terrain and proximity to housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawke's Bay Airport</span> Airport in Napier, New Zealand

Hawke's Bay Airport, commonly referred to as Napier Airport, is Hawke's Bay's main commercial airport, serving domestic flights to the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and smaller centres such as Gisborne. The airport is located in the north of Napier and 20.7 km from Hastings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Aviation</span> 1992–2014 airline in New Zealand

Vincent Aviation was an airline based in Wellington, New Zealand. It operated air charter, freight and subcontract flights with a hub at Wellington Airport. It was founded by Peter Vincent in 1992. In May 2014 the Australian business was placed into receivership, followed in October 2014 by the New Zealand division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapiti Coast Airport</span> Airport in Paraparaumu, Greater Wellington region

Kapiti Coast Airport, also spelt Kāpiti Coast Airport and previously called Paraparaumu Airport, is on the Kāpiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island, between the Wellington dormitory suburbs of Paraparaumu Beach, Paraparaumu to the east, and Raumati Beach to the south. The Wharemauku Stream flows through part of the airport's land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Pearse Airport</span> Airport in Timaru, New Zealand

Richard Pearse Airport, also known as Timaru Airport, is located off the Pleasant Point Highway, 4 km north of the suburb Washdyke in Timaru, New Zealand.

Whanganui Airport, named Wanganui Airport until 2016, is the airport that serves Whanganui, New Zealand. It is located to the south of Whanganui River, approximately 4 km from the centre of Whanganui. The airport has a single asphalt runway and three grass runways, and its single terminal has two gates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moncrieff and Hood disappearance</span> 1928 disappearance of New Zealand aviation pioneers

Lieutenant John Moncrieff and Captain George Hood were two New Zealanders who vanished on 10 January 1928 while attempting the first trans-Tasman flight from Australia to New Zealand. Radio signals were received from their aircraft for 12 hours after their departure from Sydney, but despite a number of purported sightings in New Zealand, and many land searches in the intervening years, no trace of the aviators or their aircraft has ever been found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solway, New Zealand</span> Suburb of Masterton, New Zealand

Solway is an old-established residential suburb near the Waingawa River in the south-western part of Masterton, the principal town in the Wairarapa Valley of New Zealand's North Island. It was a small part of Manaia run on which Masterton is built. It takes its present name from Solway House built in 1877 for W. H. Donald.

Kaikohe Aerodrome is an airfield south-east of Kaikohe in the Northland region of New Zealand. Built in 1942 as a US Marines bomber base, is the largest grass strip in the Southern hemisphere used now by general aviation. Other than powered aircraft, gliders use the airfield, and an area next to the runways is used by model airplane flyers. There are skydiving operations as well, with a landing spot near the old terminal.

Te Anau Airport, Manapouri serves the towns of Te Anau and Manapouri. It is not to be confused with the former and now closed Te Anau Aerodrome located just south of that town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangere Aerodrome</span> Historic aerodrome previously on the site of Auckland Airport

Mangere Aerodrome, named after a nearby suburb, was the original home of the Auckland Aero Club. It is now the site of Auckland Airport. Mangere Aerodrome's claim to fame was as the arrival point for New Zealand aviator, and aeroclub member, Jean Batten's solo flight from the United Kingdom in 1936. The RNZAF requisitioned the aerodrome from 1939 until 1944, renaming it RNZAF Station Mangere. In 1961, the Auckland Aero Club moved to Ardmore aerodrome and Mangere Aerodrome closed. The new Auckland Airport opened in 1965.

References

  1. ↑ Bowling, Kerri (16 August 2003). "Aviator's family plot restored". Wairarapa Times-Age. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  2. ↑ Walt Dickson (30 October 2013). "Masterton Runway Extension Needed". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ↑ L, Steve (7 November 2010). "3rd Level New Zealand: Wairarapa Airlines Revisited".
  4. ↑ Airline has no illusions – Wairarapa Times-Age [ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Air NZ pulling out of Wairarapa". Wairarapa Times Age. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Moves afoot to revive hood". Wairarapa Times. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Council closes grass runway at Hood aerodrome". RNZ . 18 November 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Aerodrome Masterplan". Wairarapa Times. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hood Aerodrome infrastructure project re-scoped - Masterton District Council". www.mstn.govt.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  10. ↑ PARTRIDGE, MARLEE (27 February 2024). "Air Chathams keen to land Masterton". Wairarapa Times-Age. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ↑ https://www.wings.org.nz/, accessed December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.