SCABEY ISLAND

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 86, 8 October 1930, Page 17

SCABEY ISLAND

USE AS FLYING GROUND

RIVER BOARD'S DECISION

A COSTLY PROPOSAL

.The possibilities of Seabey Island as au aerodrome -\vcro disc.ussed at length la»u night by representatives ol! the ■Wellington Aero Club and by the Hutt Eiver Board. ,:'The club proposed, if the board wo.uW'"" agrco to lease the island, to obtains .detailed engineering report, on the "scheme, and then establish an aerodrbnte there if it did not interfere with the board's reclamation •n-oric. The club would axced a ten-year lease. The Kpard's reply Avas that it would no.t'consider the granting of a ten-year lease unless tho ; club would build up the twenty acres it required to a level three feet above mean high water mark, an undertaking which, according to the board's engineer, would cost approximately £12,000. The deputation from the Aero Club consisted of Mr. T.C. A Hislop (president). Mr. H. B, Burdekm (scereS, and Mr. G. G. Wallace. The members of the board present were Mr. P S. Hewer (chairman), Messrs. Or. A. Chapman, C. Gostelow, J. Mitchell, and the clerk (Mr.-A. J. Gearing), and the engineer (Mr. H. .Sladden). DETECTS OP KONGOTAI. The case for the Aero Club was' presented by Mr. Hislop. Rongotai, he said had certain disadvantages, _ the thief of which were variable winds, ■proximity to settlement; and difficulty of approach. The club was trying to find a placo with bettk conditions and had been told that Seabey Island was suitable for club flying. Ac opinion from Wins-Commander. Grant Dalton ,va S thatit was better than Bougota! X lot of money would have to be spent on the island to make it into a flying around. Levelling, the erection oi hangars, the laying of; bitumen around the hangars, and the making of appreaches wouH cost from £3000^to #4000. The club would like to know whether the board would lease the area wdl on what terms. If the board would grant a lease the club would feel justified in getting a detailed engineering report on the scheme so that.it would know exactly what the cost would be The club wished to consider the board s reclamation requirements, and at # tfte same time to meet its own- requirements for a flying ground, and a report (by the board's engineer, he suggested) would show whether this could be done. "Is this scheme the commencement of: a larger scheme 1" asked Mr. Hewer. „ , Mr. Hislop replied that as far as he was concerned the scheme was for club purposes only, but he had been lad to understand that the Government had ideas of obtaining an area suitable for flying boats, and that might be developed for commercial purposes. It was a question of whether they: should go to Porfrua or to the Hutt estuary. "Whatever the Government decided upon it would be to the advantage of the club to go too, if it could. In reply to Mr. Sladden, Mr. Wallace stated that the club would require an area sufficient for two runways, each 100 yards by 300 yards, one lying north and south and the other east and west. Mr. Sladden pointed out that the minimum level of safety of the island would be IS inches above mean high water mark, and it was agreed by Mr. Wallace that the ground would have to be brought to a level above any possibility of flooding. "OTHER THINGS IN VIEW." Mr. Hewer said that the question of ionure was one that the board would have to consider very seriously. He did not think that the demand for land for industrial purposes was exhausted yet, and it might be necessary for the board to pursue a vigorous policy of reclamation in the near future to provide land for industrial purposes. "It is not that we want to be hard on the 'Aero Club, but we have other things in view," he said. He suggested that the club might be able to reduce its expenditure by having only one runway, north and soijth, with the prevailing wind. Mr. Wallace pointed out that in the fivent of a sudden change in the wind Tvhile an aeroplane was up, the pilot would have to make a dangerous landing in a cross wind. "Safety of life has to be considered,'' said Mr. Burdekin. Mr. Chapman said that the club proposed to grass the land. Had it considered what grass to use and how long-it would take to grow? "You're pretty clevjer if you can get grass to grow thersi" was hie remark. ' : Mr: ffostelow asked*-what-was the minimum, tenure that the club would consider. x-. ■ "We feel that if the cost is between three and four thousand pounds, as it promises to, be, we could not consider less than ten years," said Mr. Hislop. The club would definitely refuso a fiveyear lease. The deputation then withdrew. ENGINEER'S COMMENT. Mr. Sladden said that the club had approached him and he had told them that he would recommend against an aerodrome if the club wanted to interfere with the sandbanks or lay down any big area in asphalt. Mr. Sladden spoke of the possibilities of the establishment on the island and in the estuary of a commercial aerbdromo and hydroplane base. He said that it would cost £600 an acre to build the island up to the level of the board's requirements—3ft above mean high water mark—so that it would cost £12,000 for the 20 acres wanted by the club. The cost might be reduced by having the island saucer-shaped, 3ffc at the edges and lower in the centre, with a pump for drainage, • .■ Mr. Gostelow moved and Mr. Chapman seconded, that the board would not consider the granting of a ten-year lease unless the whole area of 20 acres was built up by the, club to a level of three feet above mean high water mark, the spoil to be taken from the river i;hannel or from plaeeg approved by the board' 3. engineer. The motion was earlicd unanimously.