Steady Progress At Ohakea Aerodrome

Northern Advocate, 1 February 1939, Page 4

Steady Progress At Ohakea Aerodrome

Considerable progress has been made with the creation of a Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Ohakea, near the township of Bulls, as part of the Government’s scheme for the strengthening of the aerial defences of the Dominion. The work there is far ah advance of that at Whenuapai, the second of the two operational bases which form the main features of the programme drawn up by the Chief of Air Staff, GroupCaptain the Hon. R. A. Cochrane.

Within about three- months it is hoped that the first of the large hangars will be finished and the flying field ' will be levelled. The second hangar is progressing rapidly. The drainage of the aerodrome proper will not be undertaken until the surface work is at an end.

Curving as high as 70ft, the roof of the first hangar, which is sufficiently far advanced to give some idea of its massive proportions, describes a graceful arc which occupies a prominent place on the skyline adjacent to the main highway between Wellington and Auckland.

These buildings, which are 270 ft by 230 ft, will house the Vickers Wellington bombers on order from Great Britain by the Government. The present plans are that t two hangars of equal size will be built, but the lay-out of the station has been arranged so that three more can be added as the need arises. To accommodate the personnel of the base when it is commissioned large barracks are in the course of construction. That for the single airmen Will be the biggest unit on the ground and will contain facilities for 120 men.

The building to be occupied ipy the officers is of single-storey design with, two wings on either side of a block surmounted by a clock tower. In this will live 60 men. For married officers, aon-commissioned officers and airmen 33 houses are to be added, but as yet they have not been commenced.

One of the important blocks will be that to be occupied by the administrative staff. Situated between the two hangars it will house all the wireless and meteorological services and control rooms.

Runways of 1000 yards in all directions and- one of 1500 yards, if a diagonal take-off is employed, will be available when tne field is finished. To keep these dry a large network of surface drainage is to be installed, the total length of which will be approximately 23 miles. The pipes will vary in diameter from 4in to 21in, i and will be laid in drains constructed by a mechanical ditcher. This is capable of digging a trench of widths of from 12in to 24in, with a maximum depth of Bft Sin, at the rate of half a mile a day.