Talk:Rochester Airport (Kent)

Latest comment: 1 year ago by BilCat in topic Naming

Manufacturers at Rochester Airport edit

The article could be enhanced by including material about the various manufacturers which have operated from the airport site, e.g. Pobjoy and Shorts, but I expect that there are many others. TraceyR 19:02, 9 March 2007 (UTC)Reply

Naming edit

The article is titled "Rochester Airport" but I consider this incorrect. It is actually not an airport, since it doesn't meet our definition, having no facilities for commercial air traffic.

I am well aware that the aerodrome operators style themselves "Rochester Airport" but that is irrelevant: if I introduce myself as "Bonaparte, Napoléon", are you going to address me as "Votre Altesse Impériale" :) ? Well you might, to my face, poking fun behind my back, but you wouldn't take it serious, and rightly so.

Thus I intend to rename the article to "Rochester Airfield" or perhaps "Rochester Aerodrome", depending on opinions. One contributing factor might be the tendency in North-America to call every aviation terrain an "airport" but then this is not North America.

Perhaps there is an "official" procedure to get such a name change discussed, and possibly agreed upon? Jan olieslagers (talk) 15:02, 25 March 2023 (UTC)Reply

"Rochester Airport" is its official name per its website. It also appears to be the most common name, as a G-search on "rochester airfield kent" returned "Rochester Airport" in the first set of returns. It not being an airport in your view would not really be good reason to rename the article. Now if it were a train station or hospital, you might have something.   As to official procedures, see WP:RM#Requesting a single page move. BilCat (talk) 20:39, 29 March 2023 (UTC)Reply
It is not a matter of "my opinion", that would be quite a frail argument. No, it is a matter of our own definition of an airport: "An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport" which this place obviously does not meet. There is no customs service, no luggage reclaim area, no check-in counters, nothing, nada. Jan olieslagers (talk) 06:39, 30 March 2023 (UTC),Reply
You asked for my comments, and I gave them. I believe the lead clarifies what the subject is as it calls it a "general aviation aerodrome", and that is sufficient. The exact name doesn't change that, and it would be original research for us to call it something different than its actual name. If it were commonly called "Kent Aerodrome" in reliable published sources, then I'd support a move per WP:COMMONNAME, but that has not been proven yet. While I do have plenty of experience dealing with article titles and moves, I don't generally deal with airport articles. You might ask for more opinions at [[WT:AIRPORT, as they have dealt with this issue before. BilCat (talk) 08:18, 30 March 2023 (UTC)Reply
Thanks, I will give in to the "original research" argument, and leave things as they are. Cheers! Jan olieslagers (talk) 08:25, 30 March 2023 (UTC)Reply
No problem. BilCat (talk) 08:34, 30 March 2023 (UTC)Reply