Hastings Aerodrome
Encyclopedia
Hastings Aerodrome is a small airport
located in Hastings
, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
. It is sometimes referred to as Bridge Pa Aerodrome. It is owned and operated by the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club Inc.
The airport is situated on the Heretaunga Plains
and there are two eighteen hole golf courses adjacent to it. The settlement of Bridge Pa
is located close by. The aerodrome is located two nautical miles southeast of the Hastings central business district.
Scheduled airline services in and out of Hawke's Bay are generally handled at the nearby Hawke's Bay Airport in Napier
.
New Zealand Aerial Mapping Ltd purchased its first plane in 1936 - a Monospar ST25
. NZ Aerial Mapping has been based at Hastings Aerodrome ever since, and it is New Zealand's oldest aviation company. The company headquarters are located in the Hastings CBD
.
In 1939 when World War II
broke out, pilot training stepped up to provision trained pilots for the Air Force. Hawke's Bay received an initial quota of 12 trainees, which was supplemented with an extra five pilots every eight weeks. The Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club linked with the Air Training Corps and in line with a national move agreed to give the Government its planes in the event of war. With the outbreak of war the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club effectively went into hibernation. By March 1940, 32 of the clubs trainees had joined the RNZAF
, the RAAF
or the RAF
.
The operations of the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club resumed in January 1946 with the end of the war.
In 1968 the Hawke's Bay Skydiving Club was born based at the Hastings Aerodrome, and in that same year the Hawke's Bay Gliding Club built its hangar base at Hastings Aerodrome. In 1976 full runway strip lighting was installed for the main runway. Two years later in 1978 the main runway was sealed when New Zealand Aerial Mapping sealed a 1000 metre landing strip to accommodate its new and larger aircraft.
Although the airspace surrounding the Hastings Aerodrome is uncontrolled by Air Traffic Control
, nearby Hawke's Bay Airport - servicing at Napier City
and only a few minutes flight time away from Hastings Aerodrome - is controlled by an Air Traffic Control tower. This is due to the fact that the busy airport at Napier handles the airline services for the Hawke's Bay area.
Air Hawke's Bay, a wholly owned subsidiary
of the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club, is a registered aviation college and air charter
company that specialises in full-time integrated fixed wing
pilot training for both domestic and international students, and air charter services. It was the first New Zealand air academy to be accredited with CAA
Part 141 and is also approved for Air Transport Operations conducted under CAA Part 135 certification. Air Hawke's Bay has NZQA
accreditation and the Academy is also a Signatory to the Code of Practice for International Students. The Academy trains forty percent of its pilots from overseas.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in Hastings
Hastings, New Zealand
The city of Hastings is a major urban settlement in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, and it is the largest settlement by population in Hawke's Bay. Hastings city is the administrative centre of the Hastings District...
, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is sometimes referred to as Bridge Pa Aerodrome. It is owned and operated by the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club Inc.
The airport is situated on the Heretaunga Plains
Heretaunga Plains
There are two places in New Zealand called Heretaunga. For the suburb of Upper Hutt see Heretaunga.The Heretaunga Plains are an area of flat land in the eastern North Island of New Zealand....
and there are two eighteen hole golf courses adjacent to it. The settlement of Bridge Pa
Bridge Pa
Bridge Pā is a rural Māori settlement and surrounding area in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, located approximately 10 kilometres inland from Hastings. The pā itself comprises approximately 70 households, a school, a meetinghouse of the LDS Church, two marae , a cemetery and a disused quarry...
is located close by. The aerodrome is located two nautical miles southeast of the Hastings central business district.
Scheduled airline services in and out of Hawke's Bay are generally handled at the nearby Hawke's Bay Airport in Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
.
History
The Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club was New Zealand's second aero club, being incorporated on 12 November 1928. On 3 August 1932 the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club purchased an 80 acre block of land next to the Hastings Golf course for a new aerodrome, and on 20 January 1933 the Aero Club opened a new club house, which still exists on site as the old club house, several hundred metres away from the current modern club house.New Zealand Aerial Mapping Ltd purchased its first plane in 1936 - a Monospar ST25
General Aircraft Monospar ST-25
The General Aircraft Monospar ST-25 was a British 1930s light twin-engined utility aircraft.-Design and development:The Monospar ST-25 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fabric-covered metal structure. The monospar name came from the use of a single spar in the wing structure that had been...
. NZ Aerial Mapping has been based at Hastings Aerodrome ever since, and it is New Zealand's oldest aviation company. The company headquarters are located in the Hastings CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
.
In 1939 when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, pilot training stepped up to provision trained pilots for the Air Force. Hawke's Bay received an initial quota of 12 trainees, which was supplemented with an extra five pilots every eight weeks. The Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club linked with the Air Training Corps and in line with a national move agreed to give the Government its planes in the event of war. With the outbreak of war the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club effectively went into hibernation. By March 1940, 32 of the clubs trainees had joined the RNZAF
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
, the RAAF
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
or the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
The operations of the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club resumed in January 1946 with the end of the war.
In 1968 the Hawke's Bay Skydiving Club was born based at the Hastings Aerodrome, and in that same year the Hawke's Bay Gliding Club built its hangar base at Hastings Aerodrome. In 1976 full runway strip lighting was installed for the main runway. Two years later in 1978 the main runway was sealed when New Zealand Aerial Mapping sealed a 1000 metre landing strip to accommodate its new and larger aircraft.
Operational Data
Hastings Aerodrome is an uncontrolled airport. It has three runways. 01L/19R is sealed and is 1075 metres in length. It is often referred to as the 'main runway' or the 'sealed runway'. 01R/19L is a parallel grass runway to the sealed runway and is 880 metres in length. It is often referred to as the 'grass runway 01' or 'grass runway 19'. There is also a cross runway, 11/29 which is 884 metres in length. This runway is sealed for 295 metres on the 29 threshold until it meets the main sealed runway, and then the rest of the runway is grass.Although the airspace surrounding the Hastings Aerodrome is uncontrolled by Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
, nearby Hawke's Bay Airport - servicing at Napier City
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
and only a few minutes flight time away from Hastings Aerodrome - is controlled by an Air Traffic Control tower. This is due to the fact that the busy airport at Napier handles the airline services for the Hawke's Bay area.
Activity
Hastings Aerodrome is busy and is used by a diverse range of operators. In addition to the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club, other organisations based at Hastings Aerodrome include a Microlight Club, Gliding Club, Skydiver Club, two Helicopter Operators, two aerial Agricultural Operators, Hawke's Bay Avionics Ltd aircraft avionics and engineers, New Zealand Aerial Mapping Ltd, and an Aircraft Servicing and Sales Business. There are many privately owned aircraft at Hastings Aerodrome along with a group of amateur aircraft builders.Air Hawke's Bay, a wholly owned subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the Hawke's Bay & East Coast Aero Club, is a registered aviation college and air charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
company that specialises in full-time integrated fixed wing
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
pilot training for both domestic and international students, and air charter services. It was the first New Zealand air academy to be accredited with CAA
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand is the government agency tasked with establishing civil aviation safety and security standards in New Zealand....
Part 141 and is also approved for Air Transport Operations conducted under CAA Part 135 certification. Air Hawke's Bay has NZQA
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is the New Zealand government crown entity tasked with providing leadership in assessment and qualifications....
accreditation and the Academy is also a Signatory to the Code of Practice for International Students. The Academy trains forty percent of its pilots from overseas.