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Preparing For The Friendships
The 4300ft-long, 150ft-wide sealed runway, and taxiway, which is being constructed at Darton Field to facilitate a jet-prop Fokker Friendship service in and out of Gisborne, is now in its final stages.
The soil-cement foundation of the runway is being sealed with a "hot mix" surface, comprised of bitumin, sand and chips, heated to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit by a specially imported plant owned by the contractors, Manawatu Asphalts Ltd. It is then laid onto the base material by a paving machine, and compressed with rollers. When cooled, the mixture sets into a permanent hard surface.
Prior to laying this 1½-inch final seal, the runway received a levelling coat.....an unusual process of laying thin "hot mix" at speed from the tray of a truck. On cold frosty mornings, the mix left a great trail of steam in the wake of the speeding vehicle.
It is hoped to seal Gladstone Road with this mixture in the near future.
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Machinery working on the soil-cement foundation at the approaches to the concrete apron in front of the terminal building. The control tower is at rear.
Project manager Les McGreevy inspects lighting installations in the taxiway being built by Cos Loogman.
A roller and soil-cement machine at work
A top-dressing aircraft banking over the new taxiway and apron