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| ICAO Code | RJOE/ |
| Last Validated | |
| City | Akeno |
| Position | 34°32'00"N 136°40'20"E |
| Runway(s) | 04/22, 13/31 |
| Elevation | 20 ft |
Akeno is the perfect place to enjoy helicopter action. A typical day will see a lot of flying by a multitude of types, viewable from short distance and without obstacles, so photography is great too. Nearly every rotary type of the JGSDF is based here, including the OH-1 and AH-64, and so are a few Coast Guard helicopters. Finally, police (Keisatsu-choo) helos are regulars here too. The base lies southwest of Ise Bay (Ise-wan, south of Nagoya) close to Ise city. As with most army airfields in Japan, the flying usually stops early afternoon after which the helos are hangared again.
This is a compact helicopter base where nearly every part of the surface is either built on, or used for manoeuvring. On the runway and apron sides, the field is very open allowing for easy reading and photography. Tiny roads lead to the perimeter and you can literally stand in rotor downwash during the action. The remote apron is relatively new and primarily houses the flying school. The test squadron hangar is the southern one on the central area. Immediately south of the 'real' airfield is the coast guard base. Its helicopters use the official runways but hover-taxi to and from their apron, crossing overhead the public road.
From Nagoya, road 23 follows the bay shore anti-clockwise and brings you very close to the field. A drive like that through urban and industrial areas will take quite long and the alternative is the Expressway that takes a wider turn around the bay, towards Ise. From Nagoya-Komaki to Ise the highway drive is about 140km and costs 3650 yen in toll for an average car (2006). From the interchange in Ise there are less than 10km left to Akeno. An alternative IC to leave the highway is south of the field, near Tamaru. The latter also leaves some 10km to the field but the route is a bit more complicated then.
Spot 1 is generally the best seat in the house at Akeno. This image was captured on film with 300mm on an SLR. (Erik Sleutelberg)
Cobra hovering over runway 04 with main apron in the background, seen from spot 1.
| 5 Taisensha Herikoputātai / 1 Hikotai | AH-1S |
| 5 Taisensha Herikoputātai / 2 Hikotai | AH-1S |
| 5 Taisensha Herikoputātai / Honbu Zukitai | OH-1 |
| 10 Shidan / 10 Hikotai | UH-1J |
| Koku Gakko / Akeno Honko | AH-1S UH-2 UH-60JA TH-480 |
| Koku Gakko / Kyoiku Shien Hikotai | AH-1S UH-1J CH-47J(A) UH-60JA |
| Kaihatsu Jikkendan / Hiko Jikkentai | OH-1 UH-2 |
| 41633/S | UH-1H |
| 11209 | L-19E stored in hangar |
| 61332 | TH-55J stored in hangar |
| Akeno | |
| Ashiya | |
| Fukuoka (Kasuga) | |
| Futenma MCAS | |
| Hyakuri | |
| Iruma | |
| Kumamoto - Takayabaru | |
| Misawa | |
| Naha | |
| Nyutabaru | |
| Omura | |
| Tokyo/Haneda | |
| Tokyo/Heliport | |
| Tsuiki |
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