| Casement Aerodrome Aeradróm Mhic Easmainn | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| IATA: N/A – ICAO: EIME | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Owner | Department of Defence | ||
| Operator | Irish Air Corps | ||
| Location | Baldonnel, Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 319 ft / 97 m | ||
| Coordinates | 53°18′06″N 06°27′04″W / 53.30167°N 6.45111°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 05/23 | 4,800 | 1,463 | Asphalt |
| 11/29 | 6,001 | 1,829 | Asphalt |
Casement Aerodrome (Irish language: Aeradróm Mhic Easmainn ) or Baldonnel Aerodrome (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EIME) is a military airfield to the south west of Dublin, Ireland situated off the N7 main road route to the south and south west. It is the headquarters and the sole airfield of the Irish Air Corps, and is also used for other government purposes. It is the property of the Irish Department of Defence.
History[]
Aerial photo of Casement Aerodrome runways
The airfield was first laid out in 1917 and was used by the Royal Flying Corps (soon to become the Royal Air Force). It was part of the RAF's Ireland Command.
The aerodrome was originally run by two pilots from the Royal Air Force. The airfield was the one from which the first successful east-west Atlantic crossing by a Junkers W33 aeroplane, the Bremen, took off on 12 April 1928 with Baron Hünefeld, Hermann Köhl and Captain James Fitzmaurice as co-pilot,[1] as well as the first Aer Lingus flight took place on May 27, 1936.[2] It was also the destination at which Douglas Corrigan landed on his famous 'wrong way' flight across the Atlantic.[3]
In February 1965 Baldonnel was renamed Casement Aerodrome in honour of the Irish nationalist Roger Casement, executed for treason by the British in 1916.[4]
In 1995 it was suggested that it be used as a second commercial airport for Dublin, especially for low-cost carriers such as Ryanair.[5]
Anti-war activists have accused the Government of allowing the Aerodrome's use as a US military air base, with recent protests leading to four arrests [6] and in March 2002, Michael Smith, the Minister for Defence, confirmed that since September 2001, 22 US military aircraft had landed at the aerodrome.[7]
Queen Elizabeth II landed at Casement Aerodrome on 17 May 2011, beginning her state visit to Ireland.
Other uses[]
A Garda Air Support Unit Eurocopter
Baldonnel Aerodrome is also the home of the Garda Air Support Unit.[8]
References[]
- ↑ "Flying in the slipstream of a great adventurer". Laois Nationalist. 2003-04-18. http://archives.tcm.ie/laoisnationalist/2003/04/18/story14238.asp. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ↑ "Aer Lingus Group plc - Company History". FundingUniverse LLC. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Aer-Lingus-Group-plc-Company-History.html. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ↑ Sears, Stan (March 2005). "Corrigan’s Way: Right or Wrong, He Made His Mark on History". Airport Journals. http://www.airportjournals.com/Display.cfm?varID=0503005. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ↑ Comdt Peter Tormey & Capt Kevin Byrne, Irish Air Corps: A View from the Tower, Defence Forces Printing Press 1991
- ↑ McConnell, Daniel (2007-01-14). "Minister Kenny rejected plan for second airport". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/minister-kenny-rejected-plan-for-second-airport-120895.html. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ↑ (Irish Times, 18/4/06)
- ↑ Healy, Alison (2003-03-19). "TDs call for free vote on Shannon issue". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. https://archive.is/S3aD. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ↑ http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?page=36
External links[]
- Airport information for EIME at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
The original article can be found at Casement Aerodrome and the edit history here.