AIRPORT

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In 1953 the airport had a total of three runways in use, 08/26 (main runway), 15/33 and 23. The Sheikh Othman Road crossed the main 08/26 runway near the original control tower and was manned by a crossing guard who would lower the boom gates to stop traffic upon hearing a bell signal activated from the control tower.

 

There is a story that a camel and cart heading northwards approached the boom gate with its driver asleep on the cart, as often happened on a long journey. The crossing guard thought he'd have some fun and turned the camel around, without waking the driver, to head back from where it came. The driver must have been quite disoriented when he finally awoke, and the camel relieved at such a short trip.

 

Although long since decommissioned, the old Sheikh Othman Road and the original runways were still evident from the air in the late 60's and can still be distinguished from recent satellite images.

 

The original control tower was demolished in the late fifties to make way for the new, sealed and extended 08/26 runway which was about 50-100 metres south and parallel to the original runway. A new control tower was built.

 

KHORMAKSAR in the 60's, apart from being a busy Royal Air Force station, was also an international civil airport and consequently Air Traffic Control handled what was probably the most mixed collection of aircraft types to be seen on any R.A.F. station.

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On the Service side alone there were, at one point, eleven different types based on the airfield, ranging from Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneers to Argosies and Hawker Hunters to Avro Shackletons, with Helicopters thrown in for good measure. The nearby Army Light Aircraft Squadron used Austers and Beavers, visiting R.N. carriers adding their own quota, and there was a steady flow of Bristol Britannias, DeHavilland Comets and V-Bombers (Victor, Valiant, Vulcan) in transit.

 

Civil aircraft operations included more than fifteen airlines, charter companies and private operators flying more than twenty types of aircraft from the trusty DC3's of Aden Airways to the Boeing 707's of Air India. And the airport became a popular place for trials of new types which meant visits from a Trident and a Vickers VC 10.

 

All this meant that in an average month the Control staff would handle some 5,000 movements by fifty or more different types of aircraft. A mixed bag indeed for any airport — but in addition to the airfield itself Air Traffic Control operated a Control Zone which extended for 40 miles around the airfield in which positive separation of aircraft flying on I.F.R. Flight Plans had to be maintained. Which all added up to a busy, varied and very interesting job for everybody in the section.