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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1802.PDF
FLIGHT, 28 September 1950 Over Africa PartII: More About Airports and Operators: Detour via Zanzibar : Kilimanjaro as seen from the Air : Home by Solent By THE EDITOR 1AST week the writer described the journey made fromLondon to Nairobi, and then on to Livingstone forthe opening of the new airport there, in Hannibal, flagship of the B.O.A.C. Hermes IV fleet. Here the review of some of Africa's airfields and operators is continued, and the return trip by the Solent service (termination of which is imminent) briefly described. Airfields at Johannesburg.—Like so many other places on the African Continent, Johannesburg (nicknamed with good reason "Little New York") plans a rearrangement of air- ports. There are many fields in the area but the three of interest here are Palmietfontein, Rand (Germiston) and the new Jan Smuts Airport. A wholly civil field, the Rand airport is now used only for feeder services and light air- craft. Palmietfontein, nearby, is an ex-military site now developed for civil use, by trunk-line aircraft. Both are on the south side of the city. Building of the Jan Smuts Airport, north of the city towards Pretoria, is making some progress, the speed year by year depending upon the money available. Some £2 million have been spent on preparation and runways to date. £% million have been voted for the year; the total cost is likely to be about £4 million more. The future of Palmietfontein is not certain after the Smuts field is completed, but this may be some years from now in view of South Africa's current economy campaign. It may revert to military usage exclusively or be taken over Hermes IV by the control tower at Palmietfontein, Johannesburg. South African Airways' Springbok-service Constellation 749A fleet by the city to replace the older Rand field, release of the site of which would be welcomed for municipal expansion. South African Airways.—Best known at home for their London to South Africa Springbok service, run in co-opera- tion with B.O.A.C., South African Airways also operate a substantial internal network. Their fleet now comprises four new Constellations, seven Skymasters, eight Vikings, seven Dakotas, ten Lodestars and a Dove. As the Connies take over the Springbok route so the Skymasters will operate on some of the domestic ones. Like other areas of the African Continent, the Union's airfields (and communi- cations) tend to fall considerably below American and European standard and only a few can take Skymasters or even Vikings. Extensions and improvements are in mind for Durban and Cape Town but are slow to materialize. The Vikings are giving excellent service in South Africa and cope well with the high altitudes frequently demanded. Nosewheel landing-gear and generous flap area will be V O 5 10 H 20 Johannesburg's airfields, of which the Smuts Airport is under construction. Palmietfontein is at pres- ent the principal civil terminal for the city and for Pretoria, while the Rand airfield (Germiston), which is smaller, is the servicing base for South African Airways.
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