Perth (Scottish Gaelic: Peairt) is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire. According to an estimate taken in 2008, Perth has a population of 44,820. Perth has been known as The Fair City, since the publication of the story, Fair Maid of Perth by the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott in 1828. During the medieval period, the town was also given two alternative names, St. John's Toun or Saint Johnstoun by its Scots-speaking inhabitants in reference to the main church dedicated to St John The Baptist.
The name Perth derives from a Pictish-Gaelic word for wood or copse. There has been a settlement at Perth since prehistoric times, which was probably on a site where a river crossed a slightly raised mound on the west bank of the River Tay. The area surrounding the modern town has been known to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers since their arrival more than 8,000 years ago. Nearby Neolithic standing stones and circles also exist, dating from about 4000 BC, following the introduction of farming in the area.
The presence of Scone Abbey, home of the Stone of Destiny where the King of Scots was crowned, enhanced the early importance of the town. Perth became known as an effective 'capital' of Scotland, due to the frequent residence of the royal court. Royal Burgh status was soon given to the town by King William The Lion in the early 12th century. The town became one of the richest burghs in the country, doing trade with countries like France, the Low Countries and Baltic Countries for goods such as Spanish silk and French wine.
Perth Airport (IATA: PSL, ICAO: EGPT) is a general aviation airport located at New Scone, 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) northeast[1] of Perth, Scotland. There are no commercial flights out of this airport, but it is used by private aircraft and for pilot training.
Perth Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P823) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Morris Leslie Limited).
Airwork acquired Air Service Training (AST) an engineering training school, which it relocated from the south of England to the airport. The whole operation took on the AST name. AST gained a world wide reputation for aviation training, being known as Britain's Air University. Students of more than 100 countries have been trained at Perth. Following a worldwide downturn in aviation, AST pulled out of pilot training in 1996. The site was then bought by Morris Leslie Ltd.
