Cutting up Wigram planned from the Beginning!

[Dave Homewood]

Check out this 1923 article in which, at the time when the Government took over Sockburn/Wigram as an aerodrome they were already talking about cutting up the land to save themselves money!!

paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=HNS19230818.2.43&cl=search&srpos=60&e=01-01-1914--12-1945--10--51-byDA---0masterton+aerodrome--&st=1

Extract here:
"The net cost to the country of the Sockburn aerodrome was £21,012. A portion of the 164 acres on which the aerodrome was situated would, he thought, be cut up to advantage, and would materially reduce the cost to the country."

It shows that nothing ever really changes in Government circles! ;D

[gunny]

Still shakes his head in disbelief/disgust

[beagle]

89 years later it has fallen off

[phil82]

My first ever sight of Wigram was in February 1963 and , having been on quite a few military airfields previously, I was very much aware of the proximity of built-up areas! Blind Freddy himself would have known that, sooner or later,the outskirts of Christchurch would become a major reason for the airfield to cease flying operations.

It also crossed my mind as to why Wigram existed at all when all the operational elements of the RNZAF were in the North Island. There was nothing ever done at Wigram which couldn't have been done [and now is!] more efficiently at Woodbourne and Ohakea.

Finally, [I'm on a roll here!] I never did understand the retention of Te Rapa as a very small stores depot holding parts which would have been far more efficiently held at the user units, which is precisely what happened once the Suppliers were convinced by more sane heads that their only Command was surplus to requirements!

[praxis]

It could be that at some time after 1923 some more land was acquired to in fact enlarge the airfield. As I recall the part of the airfield to the East of the long straight taxiway/runway was called the "New Field". This allowed an into-wind vector to be used when the good old Canterbury Norwester was blowing (high temperatures and sky full of dust).