Lord Howe Airstrip

Nearer

Engineers from the New South 'ales Government and the Austra m Department of Civil Aviation ill survey Lord Howe Island for a te suitable for a 4,000 ft airstrip, ut it may be another 12 months y .fore the team actually arrives on e island, which is 436 miles trth-east of Sydney.

The island lives on tourism, and e decision on whether or not to uld an airstrip, and if so how big, is been a major issue for the island s. At present travellers arrive by mdringham flying-boat, which puts •wn in the beautiful lagoon, but ese aircraft will be phased out in 70.

The decision to make the new sur y follows a meeting in Sydney on ay 9 attended by members of the and Board, and officials of State d Federal Governments and Air es of NSW, which runs the flying •at service. The company is a bsidiary of Ansett-ANA.

Projected cost of the airstrip will about $1 million (compared with million for an earlier scheme) d when completed the strip would able to take aircraft of the Fokker iendship class.

This strip would be much shorter m one already proposed and it ►uld jut only partly into the lagoon d thus not spoil it. The favoured p is between Blinky’s Beach and indy Point.

The islanders now appear to four an airstrip.