S.I. Air Services’ Future

Press, Issue 30997, 1 March 1966, Page 1

S.I. Air Services’ Future

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, Feb. 28. Very shortly the department of Civil Aviation would be making a close ex-

amination of the future of commercial air operation from the smaller fields in the South Island, said the Assistant Director (Operations) of the Department (Mr I. F. B. Walters) today.

Replying to suggestions made in an Interview by the managing director of Mount Cook Airlines (Mr H. R. Wigley) published in "The Press” today, Mr Walters said that tests would be made shortly at Mount Cook with an F 27 Friendship aircraft to see how these planes would operate from a stabilised airfield. "We have certain standards

to comply with regarding this and other types of aircraft,” Mr Walters said. “These standards are determined by data in our possession—and there is very little available about performance on wet grass or under other specialised conditions.

"All I can say Is that we are not hidebound or intransfgeant in these matters. We are prepared to have a look at things. Indeed, we have been having such a look for some time” Three Difficulties Mr Walters said that the department had been examining the feasibility of using Fokker Friendships from airstrips with other than sealed surfaces. It had found there were three main difficulties:

In many cases the bearing strength of the runway was not sufficient for the type of aircraft suggested; the stopping and braking statistics of the aircraft on wet grass must be established on a wide variety of runways and under varying conditions. No "general rules” could be accepted, and; severe damage to grass roots and the possible breaking down of such air-, t-

strips completely could follow from constant use. “An airfield could lose its grass and become a dustbowl.” This had been confirmed by the Ministry of Works, which had conducted parallel investigations. “We realise that the next question could well be: How about stabilised airfields of gravel, etc., such as Mount Cook? We agree there is a possibility, and we shall be testing it shortly at Mount Cook.”

Important Points Mr Walters said there were a number of points, such as braking coefficient, bearing strength, and the penetration of the aircraft skin by flying gravel, which would be important in such an investigation.

“In the next few months we shall be looking into the whole problem of aerodromes throughout the McKenzie basin, the routes through to Manapouri, and the East and West coasts,” Mr Walters said.

The department would have to ascertain whether smaller planes which could operate safely on grass runways were going to be used. It would be A

manifestly extravagant to go to the trouble of sealing runways for services which could operate safely and efficiently without such surfaces. It was known that some countries permitted the operation of Friendships and the Avro74B on grass runways, but New Zealand standards would not permit this. Mr Walters said.