Hezarfen Airfield

Hezarfen Airfield (Hezarfen Havaalanı) is a privately owned airport for general aviation in the Çatalca district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of a total of five airports in Istanbul along with Istanbul Airport (LTFM), Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (LTFJ), Atatürk Airport (LTBA), and Samandıra Army Air Base (LTBX). Hezarfen Airfield is named after Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi, a legendary Ottoman aviator, who flew across the Bosporus in the 17th century, as told by a contemporary traveler Evliya Çelebi.

The 500 acre airfield is on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Büyükçekmece to the south and by the motorway to the north. It is 50 km west of Istanbul. Since 1992, it has served as the first internationally acknowledged private airport in Turkey.

Its asphalt runway is 681 m long and 28 m wide. There are four taxiways parallel to the runway, a 2400 m2 concrete ramp, and another 3000 m2 paved one. It also has a motocross circuit, a 120 m long model airplane field, and a heliport.

Hezarfen Hobbyland
The airfield, called also "Hezarfen Hobbyland", offers facilities for model aircraft flying, model car racing, motocross racing, drag racing (cars and motorcycles), car and driver testing and flight simulation.

In addition to "Istanbul Aviation Festival" held each year in June, the Hezarfen Airfield hosts also the open air music festival Rock'n Coke, held since 2003 annually in September for two days attracting around 30,000 music fans.

The airfield is home to an aviation school training air traffic controllers, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter pilots. Turkey's only civil aerobatics school and team is also based here. Another school at the site is for training motorcycle racing.

Other social facilities offered by the Hezarfen Hobbyland are a restaurant and premises for business conventions, fairs and exhibitions. Its public recreational area include also a playground for children, a skateboarding ground, and a 2500 m course around the airfield for jogging and biking, in addition to a picnic and barbecue ground.