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It had been used by a local abattoir, which was closing down, to graze sheep and cattle. This land appealed to Love, the surface was perfectly flat and was covered with a pasture of buffalo grass. This grass had been grazed so evenly by the sheep and cattle running on it that it required little to make it serviceable to land aircraft. In addition, the approaches on all four sides had no obstructions, it was bounded by a racecourse, gardens, a river and Botany Bay. map of Sydney Airport
Love established Mascot as a private concern, leasing 80 hectares( 200 acres) from the Kensington Race Club for three years. It initially had a small canvas structure but was later equipped with an imported Richards hangar. The first flight from Mascot was on November 1919 when Love carried freelance movie photographer Billy Marshall up in an Avro. The official opening flight took place on 9 January 1920, also performed by Love. In 1921, the Commonwealth Government purchased 65 hectares( 161 acres) in Mascot for the purpose of creating a public airfield. In 1923, when Love ' s three-year lease expired, the Mascot land was compulsorily acquired by the Commonwealth Government from the racing club. The first regular flights began in 1924.
1930 – 60 In 1933 the first gravel runways were built. By 1949 the airport had three runways – the 1,085-metre( 3,560 ft) 11 / 29, the 1,190-metre( 3,904 ft) 16 / 34 and the 1,787-metre( 5,863 ft) 04 / 22. The Sydenham to Botany railway line crossed the latter runway approximately 150 metres( 490 ft) from the northern end and was protected by special safeworking facilities. The Cooks River was diverted away from the area in 1947 – 52 to provide more land for the airport and other small streams were filled. When Mascot was declared an aerodrome in 1920 it was known as Sydney Airport. On 14 August 1936 the airport was renamed Sydney( Kingsford Smith) Airport( Sydney Morning Herald 9 August 1938 p12) in honour of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who was a pioneering Australian aviator.
YSSY Sydney
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