Colonies
p. 33 · Read in the full issue
New Air Services Planned For French Pacific Colonies
THE French Government has authorised the Noumea air company, Societe Francaise de Transporte Aeriens du Pacifique, Sud, to establish a regular air service between New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, and to charter planes as required for other Pacific trips. The company is authorised to run a flying school and to take aerial photographs.
It is proposed ultimately to link Caledonia with Tahiti via the Hebrides, and Wallis island.
The company is taking on a number of officers and NCOs who have served with the French Flying Corps. The present staff numbers 14, under ex naval Lieutenant Paumier, a former instructor of Free French fliers at Corpus Christi, USA. The company has bought two Catalinas, which are being converted to commercial purposes; and a small num ber of Seabee planes, whose delivery has been delayed by industrial strikes in the US.
Of importance to Pacific flying gener ally is the apparent adoption of the Bernier plan for turning the Magenta airfield, only a mile or two from Noumea, into the colony’s trans-Pacific base. This would replace Tontouta, which is over 40 miles from the capital. Bernier is the head of the Caledonian Surveys De partment, and is now visiting New Zea land.
The Magenta airfield was first con structed by the US Marines on the old Noumea racecourse, in May, 1942. It is backed by a swamp which was partly filled in, and the runway was extended forward on to the beach, which was nor mally swamped at high tide.
It is now proposed to extend the run way still further, both seaward and swampwards, until it is 2,150 metres long and 60 metres wide—this plan being linked to an ambitious drainage scheme.
In 1945, Pan-American Airways’ repre sentative, Mr. Harold Gatty, favoured Tontouta airfi.-ld, but the advantages of having a drome so close to Noumea are so great that at M. Bernier’s suggestion the matter was reconsidered, and Pan- American’s inspector of Alaskan and Pac ific bases, arrived to study the proposal, which the company is now said to have accepted “in principle”. Since then, both Australian and New Zealand ex perts have visited the drome and reported on the scheme which would bring the largest land-based planes right to Nou mea peninsula. A Magenta base would certainly stimulate the tourist industry, and give passengers every chance to visit the town and the Anse Vata Casino— when it is built.