A bit about Bathurst Airport by Erik Mol
The first aeroplane to land in Bathurst was at the Showground in 1912, a Bleriot monoplane. (It’s interesting to reflect that this is only nine years after the first successful powered flight at Kittyhawk).
There were 4 areas used as landing fields prior to 1932;
- Shute’s Paddock in what is now the Kelso industrial area,
- The Kelso Flats where the hockey fields are now in Learmonth Park,
- A holding paddock on Vale Rd and
- The Eglinton Racecourse where the 2BS aerials now stand.
Percival James (PJ) Moodie, a chemist and Alderman on the Bathurst Council for 40 years, was a prime mover in developing aviation in Bathurst and trying to establish a permanent landing field.
Although not a pilot himself he founded a number of aviation ventures including the Aviation Service Co. with Charles Ulm (Kingsford-Smith’s co-pilot on his famous transpacific flight). ASC delivered mail to Bathurst for a number of years before becoming unviable.
The current airfield at Raglan was officially approved by the Department of Defence in December 1946. Later the Federal Government handed the ownership of the airfield to the Bathurst Regional Council.
Airlines that have served Bathurst over the years include Butler Air Transport which became Airlines of NSW, East West Airlines, Link Air, Hazelton Airlines which became Regional Express and Fly Pelican.
In an interesting co-incidence Catherine’s (Catherine is a Member of Daybreak Club) late father, John Fitzsimons, once flew as a young man with his brother, Robert, on Butler Air Transport from Sydney to Bathurst and back just for fun. Nearly sixty years later Catherine would buy Wardair and run a successful flying school for the next decade.