AIRPORT DESIGN

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 8, 10 July 1934, Page 5

AIRPORT DESIGN

ADDRESS BY EXPERT

MINIMUM CONDITIONS

Members of the airport committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce were addressed last evening by Mr. E. A. Gibson, of the Public Works Department, who has specialised in the design and construction of airports in the Dominion. Mr. C. J. B. Norwood presided.The Director of Air Services (Squad-ron-Leader T. M. Wilkes), in introducing Mr. Gibson, said that the designing of aerodromes had today become a work- for specialising engineers. In England one firm now specialised in the construction of aerodromes; and, adopting the term used in England as indicating this specialised attention, Squadron-Leader Wilkes said that New Zealand-aerodromes are at the present time being '' Gibsonised," that is, treated by Mr. Gibson as an expert. • Mr. Gibson said that he would confine his remarks to facilities for land, aeroplanes only, for the Dominion's air traffic requirements would .be met by such machines for some time to come. ' . Aerodromes were grouped into four classes: Air Force stations, e.g., the Wigram Aerodrome, Canterbury; airports for civil aviation, usually under the control of a local body, e.g., Kongotai Aerodrome; club or company flying fields, owned and operated by aero clubs, companies, or private individuals, e.g., the Auckland Aero Club's ground at Mangere (some grounds not availed of through lack of interest on the part of local authorities but used by courtesy of their owners fall, within this class and are used as public airports); emergency landing grounds, generally near recognised air routes. Af present, said Mr. Gibson, almost all of the emergency landing fields in the Dominion are only available subject to trespass rights of the owners, but steps are now being taken to place the most necessary fields under the control of the Crown on terms that will give reasonable protection to aviators who may be unlucky enough to be compelled to use them. NECESSARY, REQUIREMENTS. In establishing an aerodrome, said Mr. Gibson, provision should be made for extension to 1000 yards to meet • tr^ffie growth in future. The circular area available for landing and taking off should not be less than 440 yards in diameter, and it wasYdesirable, if possible, to provide for-.a-run. of approximately 600 yards into the direction of the prevailing winds. The ideal shape of an aerodrome was of a very flat dome, with a gentle rise of 1 in 100 towards the centre. Bunways should be laid 650 feet in length, and not less than 330 feet in width to carry the main heavy, take-off arid landing traffic. . . ■ ■ Mr. Gibson went into details regard-* ing air approach to aerodromes,. ■ the effect of nearby hills arid'other"obstructions, the drainage of landing fields, surface treatment of main field, special treatment of runways, and the development of strip landing ways .to make the best use of available areas. He advised particularly against the development of any aerodrome which. would not permit of extension to the dimensions mentioned earlier, for to. extend the boundaries of a small aerodrome would be most costly, if possible at all. . Mr. Gibson said that for the time being the laying of special surfaces on airport runways was not warranted in New Zealand, for the cost of that treatment was comparable to the cost of putting down a bituminous Toading surface, and could only be warranted by a big volume of traflic. L Mr. Gibson showed a number of lantern slides which depicted various types of aerodrome hangars, airport .facilities, and modern types of aircraft. He afterwards answered a. number of questions and was accorded a hearty, vote of thanks for his address, the chairman expressing the thanks of the committee for the most valuable assist* ance given by the! officers of the Public Works Department, by' Dr. Kidson, of the Meteorological Office, arid by, engineers and technical advisers gen* orally, in regard to the determination of the most suitable site for an aerodrome to serve the Wellington district.