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Then and Now – Port Elizabeth Airport – Featured Blog

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Today’s posts from our featured Port Elizabeth Blogger:

Then and Now – Port Elizabeth Airport by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:

I’ve been collecting historic photos from the Port Elizabeth groups on Facebook to be able to do Then and Now posts and found the “Then” one in this post showing the Port Elizabeth Airport in what I guess was probable somewhere in the 60’s.  Perhaps the older folk around here can help me out on this one.  The day after finding this photo I had to drop something off at the airport and snapped the “Now” picture.  Clearly there’s a lot more cars, and thus also people, at the airport these days than back then.
 
 
One of the historic highlights of Port Elizabeth was the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town made by Allister Miller in 1917. As there was no airport at the time yet, Miller landed on the fairway of the PE Golf Course.  This was a huge occasion for the golf course was packed with people.  Having to avoid hitting any people, Miller had to crash his plane into a bunker to stop it.  Luckily only the propeller got damaged, which can still be seen at the Golf Club today.
 

The Port Elizabeth Airport Then
 
Miller himself founded the airport in 1929 when he started the Union Airways in Port Elizabeth after receiving a contract from the Union government to fly mail from Cape Town to the major cities at the time.   Union Airways eventually became South African Airways.  The airport was officially opened in 1936 with a single runway, one hangar and a concrete apron.  During the Second World War the airfield was extended to accommodate 42 Air School for the Royal Air Force and 6 Squadron South African Air Force on the southern and eastern sides of the field.
 
Construction of permanent terminal buildings, runways and an air traffic control building began in 1950 with operations moving to St Albans, some 25 km away, during construction.  The new buildings were officially opened in 1955.  Since then the apron and arrivals and departures building has several upgrades and extensions.  The airport currently has two runways, one of 1,980 meters and the other is 1,677 meters.  In the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup there was talk of extending the runway to about 2000 meters to allows for international flights and although this wasn’t done, the airport boasts with international airport status. 
 
The Port Elizabeth Airport Now

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Then and Now: The Humewood Slipway by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:

Last week I did a post Then and Now : Humewood Beach showing a couple of historic photos of Humewood beach along with a modern one.  I purposely didn’t post the two historic photos of the Humewood Slipway below as they were taken from a different direction and I decided to make a separate post for them. 
The pillars and old slipway you can still see at Humewood Beach was built long before Port Elizabeth had a harbour.  Construction on the Harbour Board Slipway started in 1899 and it was opened in 1903.  Ships would sail between the six pillars to be steadied before a cradle was lowered underneath the ship and the ship then pulled onto the slipway by steam-driven hauling gear for repairs.  The slipway was used until 1939. 

This is a very nice picture showing a tug that has been pulled onto the slipway
The Humewood slipway and pillars as it stands today.  A famous Port Elizabeth beachfront landmark although most people don’t know what it used to be. 

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.