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Difference between airport, airfield and aerodrome

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Difference between airport, airfield and aerodrome

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Old 26th Feb 2018, 02:55
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Difference between airport, airfield and aerodrome

Random question time - a mate is doing some work on state government planning rules and cannot find a definitive definition of the above terms. From my reading of AIP, they appear to be used interchangeably but I wondered if someone here knew for sure if they need to be separately defined?

Thanks

UTR
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 04:25
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UTR

Which state govt would you be referring to?
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 04:35
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Google. Plenty of explanations there.
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 06:44
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Is there adifference? the terms ARE interchangeable as you allude, UTR. Not to forget airstrip and landing ground in your search. Only AirPORT connotes an aerodrome serviced by regular public transport aeroplanes..or is that aircraft, or airliners???
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 07:46
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Airport: US English.

Airfield: English English.

Aerodrome: English French.
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 09:39
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The ICAO Annex and CASR Part 139 only use the term aerodrome. That is what should be used for planning.
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 09:45
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I also suggest that your mate look at this: https://infrastructure.gov.au/aviati...ion/index.aspx

and the attached paper.
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 10:27
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ICAO definition: Aerodrome. A defined area on land or water (including any buildings, installations and equipment) intended to be used either
wholly or in part for the arrival, departure and surface movement of aircraft.

CASR Part 139 definition: aerodrome has the same meaning as in the Civil Aviation Act 1988.

Civil Aviation Act: aerodrome means an area of land or water (including any buildings, installations and equipment), the use of which as an aerodrome is authorised under the regulations, being such an area intended for use wholly or partly for the arrival, departure or movement of aircraft.
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 14:47
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Originally Posted by Lead Balloon
Airport: US English.

Airfield: English English.

Aerodrome: English French.
Well good luck arriving at Heathrow Airport on your way to Warton Aerodrome...

Back in the early 70s when I was an ATC cadet we were taught a definition which said:

"An airfield is a place where aircraft might normally take-off and land. An aerodrome is an airfield with explicitly defined runways, usually (but not always) with hard runways rather than or as well as grass ones. An Airport is an airfield or aerodrome where one would be able to get customs and immigration facilities (even if they were not normally resident)".

This all sounded sensible and rational, but I subsequently found out that these definitions were only found in a 1974 ATC Aircrft OOperations Syllabus - they were not accepted in the wider world.

PDR
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 21:29
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Like the 'aircraft' and 'aeroplane' definitions.

Earlier connotations were 'field'...and originally they were...all over grass 'fields'..eg Para field, on the flats below the Para Hills.
I remember it well in the good old Tiggie days ! Start up, warm up, taxy out, look for the green light and take off into wind across the greensward in winter or the dusty yellow remnants in summer.

And for the Yanks....Higgins Field...Bamaga WW2. Hoevet Field YMBA WW2
And Horn Island Drome , title on the old WW2 island diagram.
At Iron Range, were 'strips',... Claudie 1 &2, and Gordon's. ( After a local gold miner)
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Old 26th Feb 2018, 21:37
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My pet peeve is when the news media announce "New Airport " for an existing facility. This went on for years at Adelaide. The new airport is up and running. What media were referring to was the new Terminal building!
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 00:22
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My pet hate is the ‘Americanisation’ of the English language and they call even a grass airfield an ‘Airport’. Just look at Google Maps!

In the Australian context I believe an Airport is one with an RPT service/s.

Aerodrome and Airfield are appropriate for other ‘landing grounds’ in my view.

As for. ‘Airplanes’ what ever happened to ‘aeroplane’...? Even Oz media seem to copy the yanks!! Geeez!
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 01:40
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Difference between airport, airfield and aerodrome

Up in central Qld it makes no difference what you call it. The brain dead morons that run most of the local government councils hate all aircraft.
They do their best to kill GA. If they can't kill it they do their best to bleed it dry.

If you buy a car and park it at home - no problem and they don't require a Material Change of Use to be carried out on your property. They don't declare it to be a commercial car yard. They even let other car owners visit you.

If you buy a caravan they don't declare your property a Caravan Park thus avoiding MCUs, council permits and massive Contributions to Headworks charges.

The same applies if you buy motor bikes for the kids or indeed Jet Skis for fun in your dam.

BUT buy an aircraft , and try to put a an airstrip (fully CASA approved ) on your own rural property and all hell breaks loose. $20,000 to $100,000 for the MCU and ditto for the Headworks Contribution. And then you still have the problem of obtaining Council approval.

Years of time wasted working out they just don't want small aeroplanes normally results in the applicant giving up an moving to a more aircraft friendly shire.

Maybe one of the pilot groups (AOPA?) should compile a list of user unfriendly councils in order to save aspiring home airstrip owners a lot of grief. Better still collect all the Barnaby type information on the anti aircraft councilors and use it wisely during the next council election campaign.
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 04:34
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Originally Posted by cogwheel
My pet hate is the ‘Americanisation’ of the English language and they call even a grass airfield an ‘Airport’. Just look at Google Maps!

In the Australian context I believe an Airport is one with an RPT service/s.

Aerodrome and Airfield are appropriate for other ‘landing grounds’ in my view.

As for. ‘Airplanes’ what ever happened to ‘aeroplane’...? Even Oz media seem to copy the yanks!! Geeez!
It pleases me that this upsets you. People who get upset about differences in language between countries deserve to lead unhappy existences.
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 06:02
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Good spiel Rutan,
Apart from the discriminatory aspect of the behavior of Councils, ...and I believe Wagga Aero Club just had a win over the Council re the discrimination aspect of aerodrome charges. Free in the parks and road stops, a charge to park at the airfield.!!
Councils are all about sucking the buck..other peoples !..., so that they can spend it, waste it, and fritter it away ...and just jack up a 'fee' or a 'levy' for the next bite.

Well past time for a fightback and normal rights for aviation individuals.

AOPA please note !!!
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 12:00
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Aircraft = anything that is capable of commiting flight
Aeroplane = a fixed wing aircraft.
Helicopter = a rotary wing aircraft.
so on and so on.
Airplane (american) = aeroplane (English)
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 12:28
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Aircraft = anything that is capable of commiting flight
Aeroplane = a fixed wing aircraft.
Helicopter = a rotary wing aircraft.
so on and so on.
Airplane (american) = aeroplane (English)
KITE = Wartime British slang term for any flying machine of the above list.
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Old 27th Feb 2018, 17:41
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Aerodrome is greek. Previously, pegasodrome

Last edited by Copilote; 28th Feb 2018 at 10:12.
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Old 28th Feb 2018, 08:30
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I seem to remember that that the definitions used to be in one of the docs way back, either AIP or RPAs. I can't really find any definition now but according to ICAO an aerodrome is: A defined area on land or water (including any buildings, installations, and equipment) intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure, and surface movement of aircraft.
An Airport may be an aerodrome that has achieved a certain stature or certification. All airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports.
Airfield and airport have mostly superseded aerodrome in common use.
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Old 28th Feb 2018, 08:48
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...and a farm strip is what you might get if have to do a forced landing while the farmer's wife is alone by the haystack.

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