Hood Aerodrome

The Masterton (Hood) Aerodrome is the responsibility of the Masterton District Council. The operations at the aerodrome are managed under contract by Master Roads and Services Ltd.

This involves maintaining the runways, runway lighting, windsocks, roading and lease sites for hangars.

Ace Aviation offers flight training and the aerodrome is also the base for the N.Z. Sport and Vintage Aviation Society which has members all over New Zealand. Other clubs and private aircraft owners have aircraft based at the aerodrome, including home built and microlight aircraft. Parachuting and model aircraft flying are also carried out on the aerodrome.

The Wairarapa & Ruahine Aero Club was first formed as early as 1929 and flew out of Wairarapa's first airfield built at Martinborough - it was not until 1931 that Masterton's aerodrome opened and it was dedicated to a young aviating pioneer - Captain George Hood.

On January 1928, George Hood disappeared without trace attempting the first flight across the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand.

Accompanying Lieutenant John Robert Moncrieff, Hood set out from Sydney at 2.44am and by 6pm nearly 10,000 had gathered at Trentham Racecourse to welcome them back to New Zealand - they never arrived.

There are many documented reports about what happened to them. Many eye witness reports suggested they did in fact reach the shores of New Zealand, and nearly made their target. The most popular theory of the time was that they crashed somewhere in the Marlborough Sounds. Despite long searches, wreckage was never found.

Captain Hood was born near Masterton in 1891, the son of early settlers Mr and Mrs F. Hood. He was fascinated by flying from boyhood and World War 1 was reportedly the opportunity George Hood had been waiting for. He was a sergeant with the 9th Squadron of the Wellington Mounted rifles which left for Europe in 1914. By the end of 1916 he was drafted as a recruit to the Royal Flying Corps.

Hood Aerodrome was officially named and opened at the 1931 North Island Air Pageant hosted at the aerodrome.

Hood's parents attended the opening and were told in opening addresses, that their thirty-seven year old son did not die in vain: "... his name would be an inspiration to future generations of flyers..."