Varese-Venegono Airport

Varese-Venegono Airport (ICAO: LILN), known also as "Aeroporto Arturo Ferrarin", is an Italian airport that supports military and leisure activities. Located in Venegono Inferiore, in north Italy, it serves the surrounding areas (Varese, Como and Milano provinces) as a touristic airport and Alenia Aermacchi as a military airport.

Varese-Venegono Airport

Aeroporto Arturo Ferrarin
Summary
Airport typeTouristic/Military
OperatorAEROCLUB Varese
LocationVenegono Inferiore, Italy
Elevation AMSL1,050 ft / 304.8 m
Coordinates45°44′29″N 008°53′12″E
WebsiteAEREOCLUB Varese
Map
LILN
Location within Italy

The airport is located 5.4 NM from Varese city, 12.4 NM from Milan Malpensa Airport and 27.3 NM from Milan Linate Airport.

The Aerodrome Administration Authority is the Italian Air Force-Cameri Aerodrome Command, and the operator is Varese Aeroclub.[2]

History
Military exercise of some paratroopers at the Venegono Airport in 1943.

The airport was established in the 1930s as a temporary military camp and was then developed in response to military needs during World War II, especially when Milan started to be attacked by the allied units. Throughout World War II the airport was the "Gruppo Aerosiluranti Buscaglia" military base. During the war the airport hosted a squadron with six Fiat C.R.42. These were complemented in the later stages of the war when Fiat were joined by some Reggiane fighter-bombers.[3]

After the 8 September 1943 Italian armistice, the German Army took control of the airport until November of the same year, when the Italian Social Republic regained it. After the war the airport started to be used for gliding.

An enterprise based at first at Malpensa, called Aeronautica Aermacchi, moved in Venegono Inferiore. This company, originally, was specialized in Vampire Aircraft reviews and tests on the MB 326.

In 1981 it was reorganized as a holding company, called Aermacchi SpA.

Later, in 1993, it moved the whole production of its aircraft to Venegono.

In 2003 it was purchased by Finmeccanica, changing its name to Alenia Aermacchi.

Arturo Ferrarin

The airport was renamed "Aeroporto Arturo Ferrarin" in homage to the Italian pilot. Arturo Ferrarin was a fighter pilot during the World War I and enrolled in the Royal Italian Army air service in 1916. In 1923 he was absorbed into Italy's Regia Aeronautica. He served principally as a test pilot, but also as a participant at various international air competitions. He died in 1941 when a prototype aircraft that he was testing crashed at Guidonia, Italy.[4]

Classification

Venegono airport is considered a military airport, serving authorized civil aviation and coordinated by the operator "Aeroclub di Varese".

Aeroclub di Varese

The association "Aeroclub di Varese" (AeC) was created in 1948; it is a non profit organization aimed at practicing "sportive activities, didactics, touristic and promotional in the sector of the flights" and it also offers flying lessons.[5]

The headquarters are in Venegono Inferiore (VA).

The airport fleet is composed of sixteen modern planes, including Piper, Cessna and Tecnam airplanes. Inside the structure there is also a Mechtronix FNTPII/MCC flight simulator.[6]

The aeroclub is a training center for future pilots and plays an important role in training Italian pilots.

The aeroclub is very close to Milan-Malpensa Airport.

The school became one of the most important in Italy and is known for its qualified teacher. Indeed, by 2015 it had trained around 140 pilots for Alitalia airlines.

Local Traffic Regulations

Local activities are allowed only after a briefing on local procedures.

Operations must be coordinated with Aeroclub Varese for civil aircraft and with Finmeccanica for civil and military aircraft of Finmeccanica interests.

In order to land at Varese Venegono aerodrome, it is compulsory to obtain an authorization, lasting one year, from ENAC-Malpensa Aerodrome Civil Aviation Authority.[7]

Flight Procedures

General

In case of MMP (Medicare-Medicaid Plan) DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) unavailability or in case of simultaneous MMP VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and MMP NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) unavailability, activity on VARESE/Venegono AD shall be suspended by the Aerodrome Operator.[8]

Procedures for VFR flights

Circuit Activity

Finmeccanica Group and military aircraft have priority over other traffic.

The activity within the air traffic circuit must be carried out with no more than four aircraft at the same time and they all have to be in sight of each other.

Pilots shall maintain two-way radio contact on Venegono radio frequency, reporting circuit positions down wind leg, base leg and final; pilots should also report positions on the manoeuvring area as holding point, take off and eventually runway back-track.

An aircraft in sequence, either in flight or on the ground, will take a position only when the preceding aircraft has reported the successive position.[9]

Arrivals

Arriving traffic is required to contact Venegono radio frequency or if the service is not available, transmit on the air its position before entering the down wind leg.

Departures

After take off heading 045° until crossing 1000 ft AGL (Above Ground Level) then continue according to the planned routes.[10]

Complaints

In 2014 many residents of the city of Venegono asked the local administration to inspect the convention of 1982. They reported that the noise which comes from the airport "has reached unbearable intensity levels".[11]

gollark: So often I download files, but they download somewhat more slowly than I'd like.
gollark: 100/100 at least.
gollark: I'd like it if it was reasonably cheap.
gollark: My network connection's 34/8 (on good days) but it's good enough to mostly work as long as nobody downloads big things.
gollark: Or possibly two days ago.

References
  1. " "ENAV - Associazione Italiana Gestori Aeroporti". Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. "Administrative Data" (PDF).
  3. "Storia dell'Aero Club di Varese". www.aeroclubvarese.it. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
  4. "Arturo Ferrarin". www.earlyaviators.com. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  5. "Statuto dell'Aero Club di Varese". www.aeroclubvarese.it. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  6. "Flotta aerea dell'aero club Varese". www.aeroclubvarese.it. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  7. "Local Traffic Regulations" (PDF).
  8. "General Flight Procedures" (PDF).
  9. "Circuit Activity" (PDF).
  10. "Arrivals / Departures" (PDF).
  11. ""Frastuono assordante dall'aeroporto di Venegono" - VareseNews". Retrieved 2015-10-07.
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