Scone Airport

Scone Airport, (IATA: NSO, ICAO: YSCO) is a public airport in the Upper Hunter Valley, 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Scone, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to provide a public aerodrome replacing Nandowra aerodrome on located on "Nandowra", approx. 9 km south of Scone.

For Perth (Scone) Airport, see Perth Airport, Scotland.

Scone Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerUpper Hunter Shire Council
OperatorUpper Hunter Shire Council
ServesUpper Hunter Valley
LocationScone, New South Wales
Elevation AMSL745 ft / 227 m
Coordinates32°02′14″S 150°49′56″E
Map
YSCO
Location in New South Wales
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 1,404 4,606 Asphalt
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]

History

In 1937, No. 3 Squadron RAAF aircraft, including Hawker Demon and Avro Anson, together with an Aerodrome Defence Crew camped at Nandowra Aerodrome.

During World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force utilised Nandowra Aerodrome as an emergency landing ground.

Between 1988 and 2001, Yanda Airlines based an aircraft and pilots at Scone to operate commuter flights to Sydney via Singleton and Maitland. The company's fleet of PA-31 aircraft were also maintained by Scone Aircraft Maintenance at the airport until Yanda's grounding by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.[2]

Current facilities

There are currently no airlines serving Scone.

The airport is home to several businesses providing a range of services. These include: Scone Aero Club, a social club and Ultralight Flight Training Facility approved to conduct Recreational Aviation Australia instructor training [3] and which organised the "Warbirds Over Scone" series of Airshows in 1998, 2001 and 2003; Pay's Air Charter & Pay's Warbird Museum [4] Airspeed Aviation, an Air Charter operator and flying school;[5] Scone Aircraft Maintenance, an approved aircraft maintenance facility;[6] and AirPasture, an aerial application business.

In 2010, an agreement between the Upper Hunter Shire, State Government and local business owners secured up to $2 million in funding to update and expand the airport facilities. The upgrades include improved drainage, a runway extension and a new taxiway.[7] The runway extension was completed by May 2011. The Upper Hunter Shire has expressed an interest in attracting commuter airline services to the upgraded airport.[8]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 31 October 1982, a de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth preparing for a display formation involving two other aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and was destroyed by the post impact fire, killing both the pilot and passenger. The cause of the crash was determined to be a combination of factors attributed to pilot error.[9]

See also

References
  1. YSCO – Scone (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 05 Nov 2020, Aeronautical Chart Archived 10 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Report of Proceedings Before Standing Committee on State Development" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 28 August 1998. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  3. RA-Aus May 2012 Flight Training Facilities Archived 17 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Pay's
  7. Stratchan, J "Scone Airport Lands $2m Overhaul", The Newcastle Herald, 14 May 2010
  8. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-10/scone-airport-get-1-million-upgrade/2713842
  9. "Aviation Safety Investigation Report 198201428" (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 8 March 1984. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
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