aerodrome

Noun

aerodrome (plural aerodromes)

1. An airfield.
   • As a result of the accident at Southend Airport when a Hermes aircraft overshot the runway and fouled the down Shenfield to Southend Victoria line between Rochford and Prittlewell, the Eastern Region is considering warning arrangements, which have already been provided on some lines running past...1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Aircraft on rail tracks”, in Trains Illustrated, page 650
   1. (Australia, Canada, term of art) Any area of land or water used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities.
   2. An airfield used for managed aircraft operation, either military or civilian, having such facilities as are necessary for operation.
      • Any person authorised by the Governor shall have the right of access at all reasonable times to any aerodrome other than a Royal Air Force aerodrome for the purpose of inspecting the aerodrome,[…].1928 June 30, Kenya Gazette, page 862
      • Apart from these aerodromes where ATC services have been established, a number of aerodromes exist where ATC services are not provided. In such cases the establishment of ATC services may be required by the aerodrome operators.1998, Walter Schwenk, Rüdiger Schwenk, Aspects Of International Cooperation In Air Traffic Management, page 15
   3. (UK) An airfield equipped with air traffic control facilities and hangars as well as accommodation for passengers and cargo; an airport.
2. (obsolete) A flying machine composed of aeroplanes (“airfoils, aerodynamic surfaces”). An aeroplane (“airplane, aircraft”), particularly one constructed by or according to the design of Samuel Pierpont Langley and Charles M. Manly.
   • The Langley and Maxim aerodromes, which did not soar, were in my opinion better pieces of mechanism than their very latest imitations.1908 June 8, Nikola Tesla, Little Aeroplane Progress: So Says Nikola Tesla-But He Is Working on One of His Own, letter to The New York Times, Page 6
   • An aerodrome, chiefly of steel, weighing, apart from fuel and water, about twenty-four pounds, was launched on the Potomac River on May 6, 1896, and flew for over half a mile.1911 October, “The Progress of Science: Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight”, in Popular Science