Wasa Airport

AIRPORT WORK CONTINUING AT WASA. – New Field Covers 200 Acres; Runway 4,200 Feet By 800; Buildings In Process Of Construction.

            Steady work the past several months on the plateau land south of the Kingsgate-Radium highway a few miles west of Ta Ta Creek has evolved a 200-acre landing field, to be used as an emergency field by the Department of Transport and Trans-Canada Airlines.  The runway of the field is shaping up splendidly, 4,200 feet long and 800 feet wide.  The direction of the runway is north 12 degrees east to south 12 degrees west.

            This field is fenced parallel to the road, and the runway is parallel to the valley formed by the Rockies and the Purcells north to the Columbia district.

            The quest for water to supply the buildings took several weeks in the fall.  A Keystone drill was borrowed from Fort Steele and water was finally located at a depth of 205 feet.  This well will give a good supply and an electric pump will bring it up.

            Grading work on the field with a D-8 Caterpillar is continuing at present but may be suspended with the arrival of snow.  The field is now in shape to allow possible landings but is by no means complete.

            Construction work was begun last week in the digging of the excavation for a building.  The building will be two-storey, wood construction with cement foundation.  The upper story will have observation windows on all four sides, and will house a meteorological bureau branch.  Plans for the use of the lower story are not yet complete.  The basement will house the pump for the water system and tanks for water.

            Further construction work in progress at present is a mechanical garage for sheltering equipment.  What staff will be maintained at this airport and where they will be housed has not yet been announced.

            Contractor for the building work in progress is B. Fabro of Kimberley.  The contractor in charge of the whole project is Donald Duff of Lethbridge, who has been living in the vicinity of the site since it was selected and work was begun several months ago.

            About twenty men are working there on the building and the grading, and are living at the Aiken’s Tourist Camp at Wasa a few miles away.