Cranbrook Airport

WIRING WORK UNDER WAY AT AIRPORT. – Field To Be Kept Dragged And Free Of Snow All Winter; Addition To Runway Being Lighted.

            Wiring and installation work began early this week at the city airport, where the newly built section of the runway is being outlined in lights similar to those along the previous runway length.  Five additional lights will be put in along the side and the end will be marked out as well.  The work will be completed early next week.  In charge is D. Robertson, electrical installations technician with the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Department of Transport.  A crew of city men are working with him.

            Only traces of snow remain at the airport.  The storm last Thursday morning which gummed up traffic generally, has been removed.  A Caterpillar drawing a flat drag was put to work that morning and smoothed out the surface of the field in case it should be required.

            The runway of the field will be kept dragged all winter as it was last winter, with dragging operations beginning as soon as the snow falls.

            Dropping in at the airport Monday afternoon was a C.M. & S. plane, a 130 horsepower, two-place Hornet Moth piloted by W.F. Smythe, who is on his return journey north after having the plane overhauled in Trail.  The plane is used for prospecting in the Yellowknife and Goldfields area during the winter months.  Tuesday morning Mr. Smythe, accompanied by Mac Bellanger left for Edmonton, but adverse weather conditions for flying brought him down at Calgary, and Mr. Bellanger returned to Cranbrook by train.  The plane will be equipped with skiis for its northern work when it reached Edmonton.

            Difficult weather all over Canada made the TCA express schedule irregular.  A 70-mile an hour wind was reported over Lethbridge Tuesday night.  This, with snow flurries delayed starts for both trips, with both east and west bound planes passing over Cranbrook within an hour of each other yesterday morning.