An airfield is a surface that allows aircraft to take off and land.
An airfield is a flat surface that has runways and the necessary equipment so that aircraft can land and take off . The term comes from the Greek language.
The concept of an aerodrome is very similar to the notion of an airport . The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) clarifies that an airport is also made up of a flat surface with runways and equipment for the movement of aircraft although, in this case, said facilities allow the regular traffic of air vehicles (airplanes in particular). ).
According to these definitions, an airport is a public aerodrome with the necessary infrastructure and services so that hundreds or thousands of people can use air transportation simultaneously. In other words: an airport is a type of aerodrome.
Types of airfields
Aerodromes, in short, are land with certain buildings and facilities that are used for an aircraft to take off or land. There are aerodromes that are private , although their operation must be regulated by the authorities that control the airspace of the territory in question. In everyday speech, it is not common to use the terms aerodrome and airport interchangeably, since the former is mainly associated with small aircraft activities, especially for activities within the scope of the military and sports.
Sports aerodromes are those intended for short-duration recreational flights. They usually have a single runway and hangars for aircraft, which can be aerobatic planes , gliders or even hot air balloons.
Military airfields , also known as military bases , are used for the movement of armed forces aircraft. For reasons related to security , it is normal for them to be located far from cities .
Generally, the term aerodrome is used to refer to a flight field of limited dimensions although with services such as vehicle rental and taxi hiring, among others. In the military field, the concept usually refers to an airport where aircraft are not left permanently . Similarly, the part of the aerodrome that consists of the taxiways, takeoff and landing (the flight field ) is usually found in aerodromes intended for private aviation, for sporting purposes and the aircraft are very light; Their tracks may not be made of cement, but rather laid out on stretches of dirt or grass.
Aerodromes can be sporting, military or other types.
The Cervera
One of the best-known airfields is Cervera , which is located in the Spanish city of Cáceres , a short distance from the capital. Its creation took place with the aim of replacing the Cáceres airfield, in the second half of the 70s, when the latter stopped being used for military purposes.
At that time, the State government had a development plan in force that offered some cities with few resources the necessary means to build new airports; Cáceres , which was then in the full stage of development, met all the requirements, and that is why its administration agreed to said aid. The site chosen to begin the construction of the aerodrome was the homonymous farm, which had a total area of 274 hectares .
Today, the Cervera airfield has various hangars, which are used for ultralights and light aircraft . The main track, on the other hand, has continued to be compacted dirt. On one of the adjacent lands there is an aeromodelling club, which also rents one of the airfield's flight strips to carry out its activities.