Scone Memorial Airport, (IATA: NSO, ICAO: YSCO) is a public airport in the Upper Hunter Valley, 4 km (2.5 mi) north-west of Scone, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to provide a public aerodrome replacing Nandowra aerodrome on located on Nandowra, approximately nine kilometres south of Scone.
Scone Memorial Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Upper Hunter Shire Council | ||||||||||
| Operator | Upper Hunter Shire Council | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hunter Valley | ||||||||||
| Location | Scone, New South Wales | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 745 ft / 227 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°02′14″S 150°49′56″E / 32.03722°S 150.83222°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  YSCO Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
editIn 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 Cessnock, Singleton and Maitland.[2][3] 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.[4]
Current facilities
editThere 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[5] and which organised the Warbirds Over Scone series of airshows in 1998, 2001 and 2003; Pay's Air Charter and the Warbird Museum[6][7] Airspeed Aviation, an charter operator and flying school;[8] Scone Aircraft Maintenance, an approved aircraft maintenance facility;[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
Accidents and incidents
edit- 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.[12]
References
edit- ^ YSCO – Scone (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 13 June 2024, Aeronautical Chart Archived 10 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Yanda Airlines timetables Timetable Images
- ^ Airlines of Australasia Directory Australian Aviation issue 173 June 2001 page 64
- ^ "Report of Proceedings Before Standing Committee on State Development" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 28 August 1998. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ RA-Aus May 2012 Flight Training Facilities Archived 17 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Home Pay's
- ^ Home Warbird Museum
- ^ http://www.airspeedaviation.com.au
- ^ http://sconeaircraft.com
- ^ Stratchan, J Scone Airport Lands $2m Overhaul Newcastle Herald 14 May 2010
- ^ "Scone airport get $1 million upgrade". Australia: ABC News. 9 May 2011.
- ^ "Aviation Safety Investigation Report 198201428" (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 8 March 1984. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
