Port Pirie Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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Bellman hangar at the airport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Port Pirie Regional Council | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pirie East, South Australia [1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 39 ft / 12 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°14′20″S 137°59′42″E / 33.23889°S 137.99500°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  YPIR Location in South Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Port Pirie Airport ( IATA: PPI, ICAO: YPIR) is an airport that is located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south [2] of Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia. The airport is owned by the Port Pirie Regional Council.
History
The airfield was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) station and home to No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School (No. 2 BAGS) during World War II. No. 2 BAGS provided bombing and gunnery training for pilots, air observers and air gunners. No. 2 Operational Training Unit was formed at Port Pirie on 6 April 1942, and operated initially with Wirraways and Fairey Battles at the aerodrome until it moved to Mildura, Victoria in May 1942. No. 2 BAGS was renamed No. 3 Air Observers School in December 1943. After World War II, the station housed No. 5 Central Recovery Depot where aircraft and parts were stored until disposal. The station closed in early 1947, with the aerodrome reverting to civilian use thereafter. [3] [4] A Bellman hangar is still standing at the airport and is in good condition, it remains in use by light aircraft based at the airport. [5]
See also
References
- ^ "Search result for "Port Pirie Aerodrome, AF" (Record no SA0040648) with the following layers selected – "Suburbs and Localities"". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ a b YPIR – Port Pirie ( PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 21 March 2024, Aeronautical Chart
- ^ RAAF Museum details for Port Pirie
- ^ Fairey Battles buried at Port Pirie
- ^ Newsletter of the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology Inc.
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