RONGOTAI OR HUTT ?

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 140, 10 December 1935, Page 10

RONGOTAI OR HUTT ?

PILOT'S OBSERVATIONS

WIND CONDITIONS

On the question of the final development of a commercial airport for Wellington, Squadron-Leader G. L. Stedman, pilot-instructor to the Wellington Aero Club, has written to "The Post":—

A few years ago the Aero Club was interested in Gear and Scabey Islands, near the mouth of the Hutt River,' as an alternative site for an aerodrome for the club. The writer flew over these two grounds many times during a period of six months, coming down to within 10ft of the ground without actually landing, to try the air conditions when different winds were blowing, afterwards landing at Rongotai and comparing the three places. Gear and Scabey Islands are almost identical, except that the former is slightly the better of the two, being nearer the centre of the valley and therefore further away from the hills.

The result of these many trials of the actual conditions in the air with an aeroplane is'that in strong northerly winds Gear Island is better than Rongotai. In light northerly winds there is not much difference. In southerly winds Rongotai is better than Gear Island, particularly in strong winds." Strong northerly or north-west winds are often accompanied by low clouds, which form at the west coast and dissolve on meeting the sea again at the south, so that looking at it from the air, Wellington is under.cloud and just the edge of the coast can be seen. An aeroplane leaving from Rongotai has to travel a very little way south when it can rise up out of the bumps into smooth air above the clouds. The same machine leaving Gear Island has to fly under the clouds over the harbour, through bad bumps until it gets clear of the clouds, whether it is going north or south. It does not take very long, but is most, uncomfortable for passengers and in some cases rather upsetting. A machine coming to Wellington would, of course, have to fly over Rongotai and proceed up the harbour to land at Gear Island.

On calm days of poor visibility Rongotai is nearly always clearer than Gear Island. In other words there is a small percentage of days in Wellington when it would be possible to land at Rongotai and not at Gear Island. The reverse never happens. A good example of this was last Thursday. These remarks are made as a result of six years' flying at Wellington in all sorts of weather conditions. Wellington is not an ideal place for the aviator, and where you have an aerodrome in this vicinity it is going to be difficult for machines to land, but with Rongotai made large enough the writer has no hesitation in saying it is undoubtedly the -best site for Wellington's airport.