Port Alfred Transportation

PORT ALFRED AERODROME

Port Alfred, in addition to its turbulent nautical past has very much of an aeronautical present. A couple of kilometers out of town on the Grahamstown road is one of the finest natural aerodromes in the country which is used regularly by general aviation aircraft, including one executive Lear Jet. There are several well maintained grass runways, one of them just over 6,000 feet in length with approach zones free of obstructions, plus a large concrete parking area and two privately owned hangars.

In 1929 the site of the present aerodrome, at that time of course merely a flat area of Municipal commonage, was used by the legendary Major Miller to carry out the take off and landing tests for certification of the seven seater Fokker Universal, imported by Union Airways, the forerunner of S.A. Airways. Miller realised that the Fairview Aerodrome at Port Elizabeth (Union Airways Headquarters) was not suitable for testing the new aeroplane and hearing of the exceptionally good site at Port Alfred, moved all the necessary equipment to the village.

Bob Finn, the present roads foreman in the Kowie, remembers as a young man removing a few isolated ant heaps and thornbushes and also filling sand bags for test loading the aeroplanes. Two local gentlemen, Leo Strauch and Gerald Stocks, provided refuelling facilities and operated smoke generators that acted as wind indicators.

The airfield lies on the coastal airway about midway between Port Elizabeth and East London and a continuously operating radio navigational beacon is situated on the field adjacent to the old war time air school buildings now used as a SANTA Hospital.