Broadmeadow Aerodrome

Broadmeadow Aerodrome
Broadmeadow, New South Wales
Opened	1929
Closed	1963

Broadmeadow Aerodrome was an

, Australia, operating from 1929 to 1963.

The Newcastle Aero Club (NAC) selected a site after careful consideration and began preparations and cleared the land at District Park in 1928, to create a grassed runway. The first aircraft to land at the aerodrome was an

, registered as VH-UBC, on 4 September 1929, which had Newcastle's Own painted on one side of the tail rudder and Spirit of Newcastle painted on the other side.

The first

in Australia delivered on 2 June 1935, registered as VH-UTD and named Halycon, was kept at the aerodrome by the NAC.

Early pioneering

visited the aerodrome during their flights up and down the east coast of Australia.

During

.

After the war ended the NAC purchased a Bellman Hangar from the RAAF and erected it on-site next to its main hangar. In 1953, the Newcastle Aero Club became the Royal Newcastle Aero Club, with permission granted by Queen Elizabeth II. During the 1950s the club was given notice by the Department of Civil Aviation to relocate from the field at Broadmeadow because the area had become built-up and high television antennae on the perimeter of the field interfered with landing approaches. In 1963, the club transferred its operations from Broadmeadow to its present airport at Rutherford, Maitland.

Crashes at Broadmeadow Aerodrome

• De Havilland 87B Hornet Moth biplane, Registration #VH-UYX, undercarriage damaged on landing.
• DC-3/C-47
• RAAF
  No. 2 Operational Training Unit RAAF
  ), crashed during take-off – 28 May 1944.
• RAAF CAC Wirraway
• RAAF
  Boston
• RAAF
  Kittyhawk
• RAAF Bristol Beaufort, Serial #A9-281 (No. 32 Squadron RAAF), crashed across Lambton Road, Broadmeadow during emergency landing - 11 October 1943 - converted to components.
• RNAC Cessna 172, crashed on take-off, ending up in storm water drain – about 1960

References

• Royal Newcastle Aero Club
• Australian Military Aircraft Serials and Aircraft History