Oudtshoorn, 02 October 2019 – Oudtshoorn municipality is upgrading the Oudtshoorn airport’s infrastructure by replacing the old lights next to the airport with modern LED lights.
The Western Cape Government made R1,4 million available for the installation of the lights and the Municipality funded the runway.
The first phase of repairs to the runway lights began on Tuesday, 01 October 2019. The repairs were necessitated after the electric cables from the lights were stolen by cable thieves on several occasions in 2018 and this year.
“The absence of runway lights and the inability to do emergency flights from AMS (Air Medical Services) and NET CARE 911 after hours and at night leaves a huge gap in the effectiveness of the emergency assistance that the Oudtshoorn Aero Club has to provide” said executive mayor, Councillor Colan Sylvester during a site visit at the airport on Wednesday, 2 October 2019.
The Aero club is supposed to provide 24 hours, 7 days a week of service to the surrounding towns, and efficiency and effectiveness is crucial. The installation of the lights is done by VE Reticulation from Mossel Bay, a company with a vast experience of this kind of work. The project will be completed by the end of October 2019.
Opgradering van die Oudtshoorn vliegveld se infrastruktuur
Oudtshoorn, 02 Oktober 2019 – Oudtshoorn munisipaliteit is besig met die opgradering van die Oudtshoorn vliegveld se infrastruktuur deur die ou ligte langs die vliegveld te vervang met moderne LED ligte. Die Weskaapse Regering het R1,4 miljoen beskikbaar gestel vir installering van die ligte en die munisipaliteit befonds die herseël van aanloopbaan.
Die eerste fase herstelwerk aan die aanloopbaan ligte het Dinsdag, 01 Oktober 2019, begin. Die herstelwerk is genoodsaak nadat die elektriese kabels van die ligte by verskeie geleenthede in 2018 en vanjaar deur kabeldiewe gesteel was.
“Die afwesigheid van aanloopbaanligte en die onvermoeë om noodvlugte van AMS (Air Medical Services) en NET CARE 911 na ure en in die nag te doen, laat n groot leemte in die doeltreffenheid van die noodbystand wat die Oudtshoorn Aero Club moet lewer” het uitvoerende burgemeester, rdl Colan Sylvester, gesê toe hy gaan kyk hoe vêr die werksaamhede is op die vliegveld. Die Aeroclub is veronderstel om n 24 uur, 7 dae ‘n week diens aan die omliggende dorpe te lewer, en effektiwiteit en doeltreffendheid is van kardinale belang.
Die installering van die ligte word gedoen deur VE Reticulation van Mosselbaai wie `n wye ondervinding het van hierdie soort werk.
Die projek sal teen die einde Oktober 2019 voltooi wees.