Departure
91%
vs 95% ▼ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Charleville Airport lies a mile or so southwest of the outback Queensland town of Charleville, serving as the local Rex Airlines gateway and one of the Royal Flying Doctor Service's Queensland bases. It has a long history dating to the Second World War, when it hosted USAAF bomber squadrons and RAAF support units, and today remains an active regional strip for a VFR pilot to plan a visit to.
Charleville Airport is a regional aerodrome serving the town of Charleville in south-west Queensland, operated by Murweh Shire Council. It combines scheduled Rex Airlines services with a Royal Flying Doctor Service base, and its wartime past as a staging point for American bombers gives it added interest for a visiting sim pilot.
The airport sits about one nautical mile southwest of Charleville township. It falls within the Brisbane Flight Information Region, with Brisbane Centre providing area service; there is no published control tower, so arriving traffic operates on the common traffic advisory frequency.
Charleville has two sealed runways. Runway 12/30 is the longer of the pair at 4,990 feet, has a hard surface and is lit for night operations. Runway 18/36 is 3,502 feet long, also with a hard surface, but is not lit.
Charleville uses a CTAF of 126.7 MHz, which also serves as the UNICOM frequency. A flight service frequency of 124.8 MHz is available, and Brisbane Centre provides area radio coverage. There is no ILS approach published for the field.
During the Second World War, Charleville was an important staging airfield. The United States Army Air Forces' 63d Bombardment Squadron, part of the Fifth Air Force's 43d Bombardment Group, flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from the airfield between 15 June and 3 August 1942, and the 8th and 480th Service Squadrons of the 45th Service Group were also based there. Charleville served as the western terminus of the Air Transport Command's Pacific Wing, later redesignated the Pacific Division. The Royal Australian Air Force also maintained a presence at Charleville, with No. 15 Operational Base Unit providing refuelling and minor maintenance support for transiting aircraft.
The airport remains in active use, hosting a Royal Flying Doctor Service base as part of its Queensland network. Regional Express Airlines operates scheduled services from Charleville to destinations including Brisbane, Toowoomba, Roma, Quilpie, Mount Isa, Boulia, Bedourie, Birdsville and Windorah under contract to the Queensland Government.