Ardmore Airport is an airport 3

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...

s (5.5 km) southeast of

Manurewa Manurewa is a suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located south of Manukau, Manukau Central, and southeast of the Auckland City Centre. It is home to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, which receives over a million visitors a year. Manurewa h ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

History

Ardmore was constructed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

forces stationed in Auckland by NZ Public Works Department and was intended to be used as a base for fighter aircraft. Due to developments in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

it was never used for this purpose but was instead was used by the

RNZAF The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, becoming an in ...

, who operated

Corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and entertainme ...

fighters. RNZAF Auckland operations were consolidated at

Whenuapai Whenuapai is a suburb and aerodrome located in northwestern Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the shore of the Upper Waitematā Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of the l ...

after World War II. From the post-war years until the mid-1970s the grounds were home to a teacher training unit and the

Auckland University The University of Auckland (; Māori language, Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public university, public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the Unive ...

School of Engineering.

New Zealand Grand Prix

From 1954 until 1962 the

aerodrome An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes inc ...

was home to the

New Zealand Grand Prix The New Zealand Grand Prix, sometimes known as the New Zealand International Grand Prix, is an annual motor racing event held in New Zealand. First held in 1950 New Zealand Grand Prix, 1950, it is best known for hosting rounds of the Tasman Seri ...

with the circuit being approximately in length and utilising the two sealed runways operational at the time. In 1954 and 1955, about 70,000 spectators attended the event. Local authorities made the decision to open the facility to

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

and the

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

was moved to

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...

upon completion of a purpose built facility there.

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

Ken Wharton Frederick Charles Kenneth Wharton (21 March 1916 – 12 January 1957) was a British racing driver from Smethwick, England. He competed in off-road trials, hillclimbs, and rallying, and also raced sports cars and single-seaters. He began raci ...

was killed at the NZ Grand Prix at Ardmore on 12 January 1957 when he crashed his

Ferrari Monza The Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. In the early 1950s, Ferrari shifted from using the compact Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to a line of straight-4, four-cylinder engine ...

Present day

Ardmore Airport is one of New Zealand's busiest general aviation

airfields An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

. Traffic mainly consists of small private

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

and the classic aircraft of the New Zealand Warbirds Association, which is based there. Businesses in the airfield include several

flying school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

s, maintenance, fuel and aircraft restoration. Buildings are situated around

aprons An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

to the north, west, south and southeast. A

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled a ...

remains in the centre of the field but this is no longer used for air traffic control. It is now used as a

UNICOM A UNICOM (universal communications) station is an air-ground communication facility operated by a non-air traffic control private agency to provide advisory service at uncontrolled aerodromes and airports and to provide various non-flight service ...

service.

Operational information

Ardmore has six vectors: 03/21 sealed runway, 03/21 grass runway and 07/25 grass runway. There used to be a 07/25 sealed runway but this is no longer used and is now a taxiway (Taxiway Juliet). The airfield has a circuit height of for

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a rotor mounted on a spinning shaft generate ...

, for

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s. The circuit for runways 03 and 07 is right-hand while that for runways 21 and 25 is left-hand. The airfield is serviced by two R-NAV (GPS) arrivals, one for each runway (03 and 21). The airport itself is uncontrolled and located within a ''Mandatory Broadcast Zone'' (MBZ). This airspace is monitored by the Ardmore Unicom service who operate during daylight hours. The aerodrome is located to the south east of

Auckland International Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airport ...

airspace.

Accidents and incidents

Accidents and incidents that occurred at or near Ardmore Airport include: * 21 November 1944 – A

based at Ardmore attempted a forced landing and crashed 1/2 a mile from the aerodrome. Fg Off D.G.A. Ritchie later died of injuries. * 6 March 1945 – A Corsair turned onto its back while coming in to land. Flt Sgt J.W. Wright was injured. * 3 December 2009 – A restored

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

tipped onto its nose while landing, damaging the propeller and undercarriage. * 27 September 2010 – A helicopter with two people on board was reported (by

TV3 News Virgin Media News (formerly TV3 News and then 3News Ireland) is the news division of Virgin Media Television in Ireland, owned by Liberty Global. The news division produces news and current affairs programming for free-to-air channels Virgin M ...

) to have crashed. The aircraft reported a technical problem. A witness said the helicopter circled the aerodrome using up fuel and then the engine was cut and it glided in to land safely. * 4 January 2014 – A

Barber Snark The Barber Snark is an innovative two-seater kit-plane, designed and built in New Zealand by Bill Barber. It first flew in late 1987. At least six aircraft have been built, and some of these have varying specifications, such as different ...

(ZK-JEK) landed and vacated the runway before catching fire. Both occupants escaped without injury. *6 March 2014 – A light twin

Beechcraft Duchess The Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess is an American twin-engined monoplane built by Beechcraft intended partly as a low cost introduction to twin-engine aircraft. Development Developed as Model PD289 (Preliminary Design 289), the prototype was u ...

suffered an undercarriage failure on the runway at Ardmore. *29 June 2014 – A light aircraft,

Cessna 152 The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightl ...

, had to make an emergency landing in a field approx. 3NM East of the airfield. The aircraft made a successful landing in the field before flipping upside down. *28 September 2016 – A T-28 Trojan successfully made a belly landing after its landing gear failed.

References

External links

Ardmore Aerodrome's Website

Ardmore (NZAR) Airport Information Chart
{{authority control Airports in New Zealand Transport in Auckland Buildings and structures in the Auckland Region Motorsport venues in New Zealand New Zealand Grand Prix 1943 establishments in New Zealand Transport buildings and structures in the Auckland Region