AVIATION

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 64, 17 March 1931, Page 7

AVIATION

NEED FOR LANDING' GROUNDS

•The' pro-vision .of .■■''adequate .landing grounds is tiie first essential for tiie development of commercial aviation," said Mr; Br Sheil, an tsxpert on aerodrome construction, who has arrived in Wellington to act as Chief Aviation Officer for the i&cuwn .Oil Company Pty.,; Ltd., in New Zealand. "In Australia," he said, "the reason l why so many country towns axe without proper landing facilities is the fear-that the cost of preparation will be prohibitive. Local authorities Jiear,. of the improvements:costing £40,000 being carried out at Mascot, for instance, and naturally are. reluctant to involve the ratepayers in'suet an expenditure to eater for an occasional visit by'an aeroplane.;. "Actually,' all that is required for some time, at least, is a suitable area of clear ground reasonably flat, and provided wita a wind.indicator. In Australia last year, a landing qvoimd campaign was conducted to bring u>s fact before local bodies, and as a direct result; over 80 grounds were established in-a few months. ! "The preparation of a Janding .ground has the additional advantage of being ideal for the provision ;of unemployed relief, because about SO per cent, of the cost is absorbed 'by labour. Strangely enough, the present financial, depression in Aus r tralia is helping father than retarding this important development,'as Telief funds are being made available for the work by local bodies, who receive,, in many cases, £ for £ subsidy from the Government. Mr. Sheil said that in,his opinion councils in the main cities, in New .Zealand should think twice, .before; entering into elaborate schemes for, the_conversion of ; aer6drome9 to airports. : Witn all the development, activity; and -rapidly changing"conditions that are taking place overseas, it is■; not . surprising, that there are different schools of:/thought on/the relative' merits of airportr designs. Tor example.' adjacent to New York there is a new.airport with a totalarea of-,4000 feet by 6000''feet with' a 56-acre artificial lake for'seapla'nes.1 '"~ Whereas this airport has been provided with a completely hard surface, at. the, ■ £1250,000 airport of Newarkj N-Jii separate runways have been built, those for landing being turf and those for taking off being concrete. These airp'orta are considered to be among tbe finest' in. the .world, and provide a striking!exatnple'bf how the ekperts-differ. Mr: (Shell, considers,that unnecessary improvement. :to. • aerodromes should ■: be avoided until the lair traffic: warrants it; by which time the results of experimental work in aerodrome design will "be : known. In the meantime, every effort should be made to obtain a landing ground close to every town of importance in New Zealand, These grounds in^the1 country districts would do more than anything • else ' to hasten■ the; development of aviation, -in New Zealand, and would be particularly useful to the aer6 clubs..-: ■ ' ;■■: ;■ : ' Mr. Sheil organised the landing ground campaign in Australia'in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Department, and is a member of the Melbourne Airport Inquiry Committee,! which is in charge of the arrangements to establish, a modern airport for Melbourne centenary in 1935. He is a commercial pilot, who has flown many types of .machines, including Junkers all metal German monoplanes, and ten-pas-genger Eokkers." : ..-■,■ ■-. —-■-.;