Mercer Airfield

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]

Mercer Airfield
Summary
Airport typePrivate
OwnerNeil Young
OperatorPalms on George Ltd[2]
LocationMercer, New Zealand
Elevation AMSL30 ft / 9 m
Coordinates37°15′27″S 175°6′54″E[3]
WebsiteMercer Airport Website
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09R/27L 2,460 750 Grass[2]

History

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 there 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

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

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

References
  1. "AIP New Zealand Airport Charts". aip.net,nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  2. "Mercer Airport Website". mercerairport.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  3. "Airport Mercer1 PDZ Airport". fallingrain.com. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  4. "Location – Mercer Hotel". mercerhotel.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  5. Lewis, Peter. "Mercer Airfield". probards.com. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. "Mercer Backpackers". aa.co.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  7. Wheeler, Evan (20 July 2011). "Mercer Airfield Update" (PDF). Sport Aviation Association (Auckland Chapter) Inc Monthly Newsletter (20): 5. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  8. la Roche, Annelise (February 2014). "Club Captain's Report". Auckland Aero Club Journal. February 2014 (1): 5. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  9. Jackson, Paula (6 June 2016). "Celebrating women in airlines: NZAWA annual rally and conference". New Zealand Aviation News. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  10. "News and Events". Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  11. "NZME" (PDF). aip.net.nz. Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. "Facilities" (PDF). Helicopter Flight Training Newsletter (2013–2014): 7. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  13. "VECTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. "VECTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  15. "VECTOR JULY/AUGUST 2007" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  16. "Aviation Safety Report Intelligence, Safety and Risk Analysis Unit 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  17. "VECTOR MAY/JUNE 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  18. "Light plane crash at Mercer Airfield". The New Zealand Herald. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
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