Baldonnel military airfield
| Casement Aerodrome Aeradróm Mhic Easmainn |
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|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | EIME |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 97 m (318 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | about 16 km southwest of Dublin |
| Street | M7 |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1922 |
| operator | military |
| Runways | |
| 05/23 | 1463 m × 46 m asphalt |
| 11/29 | 1829 m × 46 m asphalt |
Baldonnel ( Irish Baile Dhónaill ) is a military airfield located about 16 km southwest of Dublin city center on the M7 and is also known as Casement Aerodrome ( Aeradróm Mhic Easmainn ).
The airfield was founded in 1922 by two Royal Air Force pilots . The airfield achieved fame on April 12, 1928 , because it was from here that the Bremen , a German Junkers W 33 aircraft , set out for its flight across the ocean to America , which went down in aviation history as the first east-west crossing of the Atlantic.
On July 18, 1938, Douglas Corrigan landed in Baldonnel after a 28-hour flight from New York City , although he actually wanted to fly to California. According to him, the fault was an instrument fault and poor visibility, but it is believed that Corrigan made the unauthorized flight on purpose.
The airfield is now largely used for military purposes by the Irish Air Corps and NATO . Some historical aircraft are kept on the site, but they are only accessible by prior arrangement.
The airfield serves as the base for a rescue helicopter and there is a glider airfield in the southern part .
A meteorological station of the Irish National Meteorological Service is also operated on the site of the airfield .
Since the weather conditions in Baldonnel are better than at Dublin Airport , civil use has been repeatedly considered.