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Post by greaneyr on Jun 21, 2007 13:20:09 GMT 12
Hey everyone
ATC has always been an interest of mine (Air Traffic Control, not Air Training Corps) and after looking at some of the NZ photoreal FS scenery packages lately, it has come to my attention that my local tower (Palmerston North) is not one-of-a-kind at all!
So far, it appears that this type of tower is used at Palmerston North, Invercargill, Tauranga and Rotorua.
Are there any other airports using this design?
Richard
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Post by Bruce on Jun 21, 2007 16:50:37 GMT 12
I think Invercargill has one of the same design as well.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 21, 2007 17:59:19 GMT 12
Were they perhaps a standard Public Works Dept design?
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Post by greaneyr on Jun 21, 2007 19:49:38 GMT 12
Were they perhaps a standard Public Works Dept design? Yeah, that's what I was thinking - that they must have been 'standard issue' at one stage. In the entrance to the library here in town, there is a huge black and white aerial photo of the city taken some time ago. The airport layout is clearly visible and you can see that the runway had been extended to reach it's previous length of 1524m. For some reason, I always imagined it was always that long in it's sealed form. What was more interesting was that you could see that some existing roads around the airport had also been adjusted following this extension. It got me curious about the history of the airport and it's various layouts over the years. The reason I ask about the towers is to try and get a feel for when those were put in around the country. I'm thinking there could be potential for research on 'the history of XYZ airport'. It could even make a good idea for a series of published books, for someone with the time, contacts and resources. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 21, 2007 20:53:11 GMT 12
Palmerston North was a main centre for airline travel in the 1930's, and the base of Union Airways, so I'd think the tower would go back to those days. Perhaps one of Richard Waugh's many books has a date for the tower?
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Post by greaneyr on Jun 21, 2007 22:18:20 GMT 12
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Post by Bruce on Jun 21, 2007 22:41:42 GMT 12
That style of tower dates from the 1960s (certainly a distinctive design of that era), during the period when provincial airports were being upgraded to suit F27 Friendships. They are indeed a standard design. Just thinking - Queenstown and Taupo I think may have the same design as well.
The outward sloping windows were designed to reduce internal reflections in the control cab.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 21, 2007 22:55:11 GMT 12
Ah. now that I have seen the photo i know what you're talking about. Yes, 1960's I'd say. I guess PWD was MoW by then?
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Post by greaneyr on Jun 21, 2007 22:57:31 GMT 12
Queenstown has a much newer tower. Theirs was built in the late 1990s, replacing the existing setup which had been used for flight service. I recall an article in Airways magazine showing what had been used as the 'tower' prior to the new one being constructed - it was basically an office with a window. Taupo I'm not sure about as I haven't actually visited the aerodrome. Given that they only ran FSS from it, I wouldn't have thought they would have had the requirement for the same facilities as those airports with full towers. I could be wrong though. Looking around the web, Tauranga's was built in 1967, Invercargill's was built in 1963. If you take a look at Rotorua's one www.myaviation.net/search/photo_search.php?id=00801255&size=medium, you'll note some subtle differences at the base of the cab and on the design of the fence. They must have been done throughout the 1960s, with some variation over time. |
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Post by Naki on Jun 21, 2007 23:18:00 GMT 12
New Pymouth would appear to have the standard issue tower.
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Post by greaneyr on Jun 22, 2007 13:10:13 GMT 12
New Pymouth would appear to have the standard issue tower. You're quite right - theirs looks to be more like Palmerston North's. Can't really compare the material below the cab but the fence is certainly the same. I dug out a cell phone pic I took of Wanganui's tower last year and it would seem that it too is a standard issue tower.  Which would lead me to think that Bruce's initial hunch (Taupo also being one) is quite possibly true. Only difference being that Wanganui did actually have aerodrome control at one point (I have a VFG from 1982 showing a tower frequency) whereas Taupo only ever had (I think) FSS. |
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