Rongotai runway breaking

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33739, 11 January 1975, Page 2

Rongotai runway breaking

(N.2. Preu Association) WELLINGTON, January 10.

The runway at Wellington Airport is causing a problem and considerable repair work may be required, according to experts.

The Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport had doubts about the condition of the runway, said the deputy director of ground facilities (Mr A. H. Brown) today.

Continuing maintenance over the last year has not provided any solution to a problem that is concerning not only Civil Aviation and the Airline Pilots’ Association, but the National Airwavs Corporation. There is suspicion that fill, quarried during construction in 1958. might be the source of the many surface breaks that have required patching during the last year.

I An inquiry is being made by the Ministry of Works and Civil Aviation.

I Mr Brown suggested that the airport’s joint owners, Civil Aviation and the Wellington City Council, should "cut the cackle and do a decent job.”

If the blame does lie with the fill, there will be “a never-ending problem,” according to the technical director of the Pilots’ Association (Mr R. S. F. Lamb). The chairman of the Wellington City Council airport committee (Cr S. H. J. Duff) agreed that the runway had become a problem and that its life would probably be shorter than expected. "It is difficult to know why the surface is wearing out.” he said. The last patching was done on December 24. one of the busiest days of 1974. when 72 N.A.C. flights left Wellington. The airport was closed for 20 minutes. , . Only 11 days previously it had taken two hours to com-

plete similar repairs, and such short notice was given that it was necessary to return four flights to their de-

parture points. Two other flights were diverted and seven were cancelled. Mr Brown said it might be possible to continue maintenance by occasional patching, but complete resealing might be required. BIG EXCAVATION He said the problem might lie further down, and that the fill under the surface could be the source of the continuing problem. Big excavation could well be required if this were the case, although he could not estimate what it might cost, it would be “very expensive.” Mr Brown said part of the heavier maintenance requirements could be attributed to heavier DCB aircraft. No evidence had vet been found that excavations would be needed, he said, but the recommendation of the two departments would not be made until after the inquiry was completed—probably at the end of this month.