GROWING AIR FORCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 55, 7 March 1939, Page 12

GROWING AIR FORCE

EXPANSION OF BASES

BIG BUILDING PROGRAMME

CONTRACTS LET

The e;:p^nron of the Eoyrl Npw Zealand Air Force, or any air force, is a lons and detailed business, of which, in point of complications, the purchase cf machines may be the least d fncult aspect. Mach'hes cannot be used effectively uniil pilots, aircraftmen, technicians, and ground s'aff generally have besn given such training as to fit the Air Force to take over larger, faster, and longer range types (hence tha purchase of light and medium trainers 'during the last two years, with firsi-iine aircraft sail to come), nor. can machines and the vast range of stores and spares be taken oyer until there are hangars and store* tor their housing. . ,

This "brick and mortar" aspect of air force expansion has been one of Britain's serious problems, and, during the past year of intensive effort to strengthen the. Royal Air Force; enormous effort has been thrown into the extension of pid bases and the iormation and equ.pment of new establishments. It is a big problem here also, lor uiougn the nimiDcir.of bases for the New Zealand Air Force is small the wonis are realiy big and the Public worKs Lieparunem, which directs this siae of deience expansion, has been handicapped by tne aitiiculty of securing sumcient builders and carpenters. Aerodrome formation is carried out by power machinery, one great scoop doing the worK of many men, but no one has worked out piani to ao the detail work of building construction.

Eight tenders, the latest GazeUe stages, have recently been accepted by the Pubnc Works .uepartment towaraa the brick and mortar expansion of the Air Force. The tenders tocai £241,000, but actually a considerably larger sura will be spent when associatea • smail contracts and works are added; the grand total will come to £300,000 or more.

HUGE HANGARS AT WfIENUAPAL

The largest contract is for the erec* tio.i. of two huge hangars at the new : base at Whenuapai, ten miles out- of Auckianc. Whenuapai and Ohaicea, near rcixding, will be the main bases lor tha i-c.is.^.A.j!., where win be seasoned ilia long-range modern bombers now en craer. xhe Whenuapal. hangars," me contract pnea ior which is £.150,03J, wui bs exacuy sanilar .10 the Ohakea hangars,-with an enormous floor spaci oi 220 teet wide by 160 feet in depth, and about the main. , buildings will ba various annexes and ; workshops, for engineering, wireless, ' photography, and stores. ' ■■■. ■ The type: O f hangar is unique, but ! that it is satisfactory is suggested by Ithe decision to repeat at Whenuapav a style of construction -that was dictated by circumstances at Ohakea two years ago. It has been standard prac- , tice in the building of hangars of large dimension-to, obtain, the strength necessary, for' such spans from roof trusses in structural steel, but when Ohakea was commenced structural steel, was unprocurable. The Public, Works Department therefore designed a new type of construction in which the spaa was obtained by feinforced concrete arches, sweeping clear over the width of 220 feet, with their legs straddling out on either side of the walls^of the hangar. The sliding doors and inte£ 1 nal arrangement are designed for the : handling of aircraft of up to^OOft wing •-pan. The contractor, is Mr. «-,£• i Cornish. The hangars may .take I fifteen months to build. . ■ ADDITIONS AT WIGRAM. Five contracts are let for additions to buildings at the Wigram Base; near Christchurch.' The largest amount is in the contract of P. Graham and Sou for the erection of two more concrete and steel hangars, each measuring Ibll by 95 feet, similar to the new hangars under construction; the tender j?nce is £33174. These hangars will house planes of the Vickers Vildebeests and Fairey Gordon types to be used in training the larger number of pilots and aircraftmen required under. the expansion programme. Associated buildings will be a store, a duphca^ tion of the present main store, to cost £6695 (B. Moore and Sons, Ltd.). and a small store, for lubricants and flammable materials (£774,. N. McGillivray and. Son). ; ; •■ - - The larger personnel undergoing training at Wigramwill ..-necessitate additions to quarters, and £ 4955 is. the contract price (Hannah and^Dyer) for two airmen's dormitory blocks, ia» feet long and 20 feet in depth, divided into dormitories and cubicles; v y The formation of a Territorial Squadron at Christchurch on^ lines similar to that of the Wellington Squadron has led to a demand for still further hangarage and workshop space at Wigram, and this is to be met the erection of a temporary .timber hangar 240 feet long and 125 feat wide, with sliding doors at either and of a design which enables New Zealand timber to be used. The contractor is R. D. T. Hall, and the pnc« for hangar and annexe is £10,7^. WORK AT HOBSONVILLE. A similar temporary hangar and associated buildings, stores, workshops, administrative offices,. etc;, are tcrbe erected at the Hobsonville aircraft depot, for the housing of machines for the Auckland Territorial Squadron. The contract price here is £11,255 (J R. Simpson). Another big workfor Hobsonville will be the construction of stores Nos. 3 and 4 m duplication of twb stores already under 1 erection They will each measure 160 iby 70 feet and will be used for bulk i storage of aircraft and equipment • spares The contract price is £20,557, and the contractor is the Liddle Construction Co., Ltd. - ■ . Yet another substantial work for Hobsonville will be the building of a hangar and workshop at the seaplane ' slipway to be used for the servicing of trans"-Tasman flying-boats, but there is no decision upon details of this work as yet.