Mercer Airfield
Mercer Airfield | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Owner | Neil Young | ||||||||||
| Operator | Palms on George Ltd[2] | ||||||||||
| Location | Mercer, New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 30 ft / 9 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°15′27″S 175°6′54″E / 37.25750°S 175.11500°E[3] | ||||||||||
| Website | Mercer Airport Website | ||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Mercer Airfield (ICAO: NZME) is an uncontrolled aerodrome 3.23 NM (6 km) northeast of Mercer Village in the Waikato region of New Zealand.[4]
History
[edit]Mercer Airfield was developed by Jim and Libby Lyver.[5] Little information is available however, Mercer Backpackers relocated their operations to the airport as far back as 2002.[6]
In December 2010, Mercer Airport was put up for sale by its then-owner the Auckland Recreational Airparks Trust (ARA Trust); with a tender closing on 16 December 2010.[5] It was published by the Sports Aviation Association (Auckland Chapter) Inc; that the airfield had been acquired by Neil Young.[7]
In May 2014, the Auckland Aero Club held their annual Club Competition at Mercer Airfield.[8]
In 2016, the 56th New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation Annual Rally and Conference was held at Mercer Airfield between 1 and 6 June. In addition to the NZAWA, members from the Australian Women Pilots' Association (AWPA) were also in attendance.[9] In November 2016, Mercer Airfield hosted the Flying NZ Northern Region Competitions.[10]
Operational information
[edit]Under the ownership of the ARA Trust, the airfield was used primarily for recreational flying.[5]
Nowadays, Mercer Airport operates primarily for commercial reasons such as skydiving, training and public flying. There are also Helicopter operations on, and north of the airfield.[11]
Mercer Airfield is used as a secondary training ground for Helicopter Flight Training Ltd.[12]
Accidents and incidents
[edit]Accidents and incidents that occurred at or near Mercer Airport include:
- 25 January 2000 – A Piper PA-23-250 over-ran the runway due to wet weather. No Injuries, however the aircraft sustained substantial damage.[13]
- 9 August 2000 – A Cessna U206 operating on a parachuting flight lost sight of the runway upon landing and 'landed short of the strip'. Pilot sustained no injuries, however plane suffered substantial damage.[14]
- 19 October 2006 – A Cessna A185E crashed on touchdown at the Airfield. The pilot suffered no injuries, however the plane flipped onto its top.[15]
- 17 August 2009 – There was a near collision near Mercer Airport.[16]
- 18 February 2012 – The engine of a Cessna 182 operating on a parachuting flight lost power on final approach and landed in a paddock before the runway. Pilot sustained no injuries, however plane suffered substantial damage.[17]
- 1 October 2015 – A minor crash occurred after a microlight plane crashed at the Airfield. The pilot suffered minor injuries, however, he did survive.[18]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "AIP New Zealand Airport Charts". aip.net.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Mercer Airport Website". mercerairport.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Airport Mercer1 PDZ Airport". fallingrain.com. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Location – Mercer Hotel". mercerhotel.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Peter. "Mercer Airfield". probards.com. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Mercer Backpackers". aa.co.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ Wheeler, Evan (20 July 2011). "Mercer Airfield Update" (PDF). Sport Aviation Association (Auckland Chapter) Inc Monthly Newsletter (20): 5. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ la Roche, Annelise (February 2014). "Club Captain's Report". Auckland Aero Club Journal. February 2014 (1): 5. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ Jackson, Paula (6 June 2016). "Celebrating women in airlines: NZAWA annual rally and conference". New Zealand Aviation News. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "News and Events". Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "NZME" (PDF). aip.net.nz. Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Facilities" (PDF). Helicopter Flight Training Newsletter (2013–2014): 7. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "VECTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "VECTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "VECTOR JULY/AUGUST 2007" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Aviation Safety Report Intelligence, Safety and Risk Analysis Unit 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "VECTOR MAY/JUNE 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Light plane crash at Mercer Airfield". The New Zealand Herald. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2017.