| Eagle Farm Airport (disused) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO:
Eagle Farm
Airport Eagle Farm
Airport (Queensland) |
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||
| Location | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Built | expanded in 1942 | ||
| In use | 1942–1946 | ||
Eagle Farm Airport was a small airport located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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An area located near Eagle Farm Racecourse was initially used as a landing field in 1922 and Eagle Farm Aerodrome was officially opened in 1925. It was used for scheduled flights between Brisbane and Queensland regional centres by the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (Qantas), which operated from Eagle Farm in 1926 and formed the Brisbane Flying Training School there in 1927.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harry Lyon (navigator) and James Warner (radio operator) landed the Southern Cross at Eagle Farm on 9 June 1928 after its trans-Pacific flight from Oakland, California. About 16,000 people greeted the Southern Cross upon its landing.
The Australian National Airways (ANA) began an aerial service from Eaglle Farm to Sydney, New South Wales in 1930. Eagle Farm was closed in 1931 after civil operations were relocated to Archerfield Airport.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Gordon Taylor took off from Eagle Farm airport on 20 October 1934 in the Lady Southern Cross attempting the first eastward trans-Pacific flight from Australia to the United States of America.
The aerodrome was compulsory acquired and taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force on 8 March 1940.
Eagle Farm was extended and reopened in January 1942, during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), due to the proximity to the Brisbane River. The aerodrome was used as a reassembly and test airfield for aircraft shipped from the United States.
An Allison engine testing area at Eagle Farm was built to test Allison engines that had been assembled or overhauled at the GMH Allison Overhaul Assembly Plant at Albion, Queensland.
The Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU) of the Allied Air Forces utilised Hangar No. 7 at Eagle Farm to test and to train in captured damaged Imperial Japanese aircraft.
After World War II, Ansett ANA and Trans Australia Airlines moved their operations to Eagle Farm.
By the 1970s it was clear that the facilities at Eagle Farm were inadequate for a city of Brisbane's size and anticipated growth. The Federal Government announced the construction of a new airport to be built north of Eagle Farm. The new airport was built by Leighton Holdings and Brisbane Airport opened in 1988.
A number of aircraft crashed at Eagles Farm during World War II.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.