DUAL USE OF WHENUAPAI

Press, Issue 29236, 21 June 1960, Page 16

DUAL USE OF WHENUAPAI

Air Staff Chief

Critical

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 20.

Plans for Air Force reorganisation had come to a halt because both civil and military aircraft were using Whenuapai airport still, the Chief of the Air Staff (Air Vice-Marshal M. F. Calder) said today. “Canberras have been held up in coming to Whenuapai at this stage anyway,” he said. He did not want them to come here under present conditions, “There are objections, and we are stuck," he added.

Air Vice-Marshal Calder was addressing the New Lynn Rotary Club. “Civil Aviation are very strongly against having on an airfield used by civil aircraft other planes carrying weapons of the sort the Canberra has,” he said. This applied not only to air space but to taxi-lng in what he described as “the limited areas” at Whenuapai. "However far precautions are taken there is still some risk," he said. Canberras could carry six 10001 b bombs with 70 highvelocity rockets. A lot of money had been poured into Whenuapai for civil aviation which could have been better diverted to a long-term project such as an international airport for Auckland.