Lake Macquarie Airport was the vision of one man – Keith Hilder, and it all began in 1959 when Keith acquired miner’s rights and a 25 year lease over 27 acres of scrub & swampland at Pelican. Over the course of the next few years Keith drained, cleared and filled the land and often referred to longer term vision – to have passenger aircraft use the site as an airport. It was with this vision that Keith established Aeropelican Air Services in 1968 and the airline commenced passenger operations in 1971.
Sadly, Keith passed away in 1976 following a heart attack and Aeropelican Air Services was subsequently sold in 1980 to Masling Airlines, a subsidiary of Ansett Australia. For the next 20 years the airline would operate profitably and at its peak would carry more than 92,000 passengers each year on 17 daily return services using the De Havilland Twin Otter.
Following Ansett’s collapse in September 2001, Aeropelican was placed into administration and was acquired by International Air Parts in April 2002. The airline ceased flying from Lake Macquarie Airport in 2004, before the airport itself was sold to a major developer. It was the end of an era for the people of Lake Macquarie who lost their air service.
Having failed in their attempt to rezone the airport for a residential development the owners, Mirvac Development Group, put the airport site up for sale in 2013. In July 2014, with great respect for Keith Hilder’s original vision, negotiations led by Airborne Windsports, Matt Hall Racing, Newcastle Helicopters, Skydive the Beach and Beyond and a private investor, successfully negotiated the purchase of the airport. Upgrade works commenced almost immediately and the new owners, each with their own aviation business, moved in to restore the site to its original airport use.
Today operations at Lake Macquarie Airport include Matt Hall Racing Aerobatic Flights, Skydive Australia offering tandem skydives, Skyline Aviation offering helicopter lessons, charter and joy flights, Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Airborne Flight Training providing lessons in microlights and gyroplanes.
The only thing missing is the passenger airline service that formed the central focus of Keith original vision, and this is where Lake Mac Airlines fits it…
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