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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1760.PDF
6o8 FLIGHT. JUNE 23, 1938. RINGWAX Manchester's New Airport Describ MANCHESTER was the first city in this country tolay out its own municipal airport, and this air-port at Barton was, later, the site of the first purely civil aeronautical radio and meteorological station outside Croydon. As long ago as 1933, however, the Municipal authorities realised that Barton, though useful as a beginning, could not, at reasonable cost, be ex- tended to suit future requirements, and, in particular, those which were later laid down by the Maybury Com- mittee. Unfortunately, the old Alexandra Park aerodrome, which was as near to the centre of the city as any pos- sible airport could be, had already, in less enthusiastic days, been so built around that it was long since un- suitable. In that year, therefore, surveys of various sites were made and that at Ringway was finally chosen as being the most suitable one from all practical points of view. Something like 600 acres were purchased at Ringway, and the present area which has been laid out totals about 250 acres, giving a maximum run, in the N.E,-S.W. line, of 1,300 yards. The other runs are comparable in length, the shortest being more than Examined in conjunction with theaerial view above, these Flight photographs of the still incom-plete terminal building at Ring- way give a good idea of its generallayout. On the leit the control tower section is shown in theforeground, with the "terrace" and passengers' entrance and exitbehind. The other two photo- graphs show the'hangarandthepart of the building largely devoted to the interests ofthe general public. 1,000 yards. When the airport is officially opened by the Secretary of. State for Air on Saturday, the pro- visional terminal building should be nearly ready, but this forms only the first part of a bigger plan. The pre- sent terminal building, which, with the general layout and lighting arrangements, has been designed by . Norman and Dawbarn, consists of a hangar, control building and restaurant, combined with aesthetic consideration to form a balanced whole, yet in due course this build- ing will be a mere item in the future plans. These involve the construction of a separate new control building at the apex of a triangle formed by six hangars. In the meantime, also, the Fairey Aviation Company has its erection shops and hangars in the north- west corner of the landing ground. The most interesting feature of the airport has yet to be installed, though the plans for it are complete. This is a still somewhat novel form of aerodrome illumination which may best be described as flush marker lighting. The initial plans involve its use in one direction only, that of the long, or blind-approach run. The flush lights of the fog-line itself are set at 50-foot intervals in a con- crete strip, while transverse strips carry further flush- built lights to indicate to the pilot his position in relation ; to the aerodrome boundary. When approaching from either end he will see the first of the transverse, strips in green lights with the main strip picked out in white lights, except over the last 350-yard section, in which the colour changes to red. There are two further transverse strips of flush lights, that in the centre of the run being dupli- cated. By means of suitably placed re- flectors and colour screens where neces • sary in the lamps, the effect is similar whether viewed from either end. In the case of the outer transverse strips the two colours are red and green, while on the main strip twenty lights at each end will show either white or red. Mr. • VuHiamy, of Norman and Dawbarn, car- -, fied out most of this firm's initial experi- ments, tests and demonstrations with the help of a model layout which clearly showed how the system would work in practice. There is a tendency nowadays for the flush-lighting system to find more and *
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