Mangalore Airport

Mangalore Airport is located 2NM west Mangalore, Victoria, Australia. The airport is about 2 hours north of Melbourne by road, and is home to the Helicopter Pilot College and Kestrel Aviation.It was established in 1939 for training Royal Australian Air Force pilots. In 1947 it became a civil airfield and until 1970 it was an alternative for Essendon Airport.From November 2007 to April 2009, the airport was home to the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) owned by Regional Express Airlines. AAPA relocated to Wagga Airport, New South Wales in 2009.Accidents and incidents On 29 December 1948, an empty Australian National Airways Douglas DC-3 from Launceston crashed short of the runway after diverting from Essendon. The aircraft was badly damaged but the crew was unhurt. On 31 October 1954, the first Vickers Viscount aircraft delivered to Australia crashed on take-off for a training flight only days after its arrival in Australia, killing 3 of the 7 people on board.