Port Pirie Airport
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. 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.
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.
- ^ YPIR – Port Pirie (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 13 June 2024, Aeronautical Chart
- ^ RAAF Museum details for Port Pirie
- ^ Fairey Battles buried at Port Pirie
- ^ Newsletter of the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology Inc.