Scone Memorial Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Upper Hunter Shire Council | ||||||||||
| Operator | Upper Hunter Shire Council | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hunter Valley | ||||||||||
| Location | Scone, New South Wales | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 745 ft / 227 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°02′14″S150°49′56″E / 32.03722°S 150.83222°E /-32.03722; 150.83222 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  YSCO Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Sources: AustralianAIP and aerodrome chart[1] | |||||||||||
Scone Memorial Airport, (IATA:NSO,ICAO:YSCO) is a public airport in the UpperHunter Valley, 4 km (2.5 mi) north-west ofScone, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to provide a public aerodrome replacing Nandowra aerodrome on located onNandowra, approximately nine kilometres south of Scone.
In 1937,No. 3 Squadron RAAF aircraft, includingHawker Demon andAvro Anson, together with an Aerodrome Defence Crew camped at Nandowra Aerodrome.
DuringWorld War II, theRoyal Australian Air Force utilised Nandowra Aerodrome as an emergency landing ground.
Between 1988 and 2001,Yanda Airlines based an aircraft and pilots at Scone to operate commuter flights toSydney viaCessnock,Singleton andMaitland.[2][3] The company's fleet ofPA-31 aircraft were also maintained by Scone Aircraft Maintenance at the airport until Yanda's grounding by theCivil Aviation Safety Authority.[4]
There are currently no airlines serving Scone.
The airport is home to several businesses providing a range of services. These include:Scone Aero Club, a social club and Ultralight Flight Training Facility approved to conductRecreational Aviation Australia instructor training[5] and which organised the Warbirds Over Scone series of airshows in 1998, 2001 and 2003;Pay's Air Charter and the Warbird Museum[6][7] Airspeed Aviation, a charter operator and flying school;[8]Scone Aircraft Maintenance, an approved aircraft maintenance facility;[9] andAirPasture, an aerial application business.
In 2010, an agreement between theUpper Hunter Shire,State Government and local business owners secured up to $2 million in funding to update and expand the airport facilities. The upgrades include improved drainage, a runway extension and a new taxiway.[10] The runway extension was completed by May 2011. The Upper Hunter Shire has expressed an interest in attracting commuter airline services to the upgraded airport.[11]
