Chathams Service Test Flight

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31585, 24 January 1968, Page 1

Chathams Service Test Flight

A test flight for the weekly air service to the Chatham Islands to be begun next Tuesday was made yesterday by a Bristol Freighter of Safe, Air, Ltd.

The Bristol Freighter is shown above after landing on the Hapupu airfield, 22 miles from Waitangi. The aircraft returned to Wellington yesterday afternoon. The truck shown will be used to carry passengers and freight to Waitangi. The building (right), on the edge of the airfield, is an emergency hospital Officials of the airline and representatives of the Depart-

ment of Civil Aviation were among the passengers on the flight from Rongotai to Hapupu, which took two hours and a half. The return flight took three hours and 10 minutes. About a ton of cargo was carried on the test flight, which is required by the Department of Civil Aviation before a commercial service can be begun. No problems were encountered. The Bristol Freighter will be able to carry 20 passengers or three tons and a half of cargo. Special equipment has been designed so that the planes can carry either cargo or passengers. The Hapupu airstrip has recently been extended from 3400 ft to 4680 ft and has a grass surface.