RNZAF Station Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea Defensio Per Vires Defence Through Strength |
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | New Zealand Defence Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator |
Royal New Zealand Air Force
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| Serves | Palmerston North, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Bulls, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Elevation AMSL | 164 ft / 50 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°12′22″S 175°23′16″E / 40.20611°S 175.38778°ECoordinates: 40°12′22″S 175°23′16″E / 40.20611°S 175.38778°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www |
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RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, 25 km north west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu. It is also a diversion landing point for civilian aircraft. The base's motto is Defensio per vires (Latin for defence through strength).
An air base was originally proposed in the area in 1927, when Ohakea was selected as the most suitable site for a mooring mast for airships of the British Imperial Airship service. It was proposed to build one mast for a demonstration flight, with the potential for expansion to a full airship base with three masts, airship sheds and hydrogen production. However, there was no point in going ahead with the development of the site without a commitment from the Australian Government to build masts to provide bases in that country. When the Australian Government declined to build masts, the New Zealand Government declined likewise.
In 1935 the Labour government committed to an expansion of the military air service at the expense of the navy, seeing this as a way of reducing the total defence vote. At the end of 1935 the government accepted an air service expansion plan developed by RAF Wing Commander Ralph Cochrane.
The plan called for several new bases, with a major development at Ohakea, which would be home to 30 Wellington bombers on order for the RNZAF. Two large hangars (now hangars 2 and 3) were authorised to house the aircraft, to be designed by the Department of Public Works chief design engineer Charles Turner. Turner decided to build the hangars as monolithic reinforced concrete structures because structural steel could not be obtained in sufficient quantities without delays, while concrete and reinforcing steel could be delivered immediately. The same limitation forced Turner to adopt concrete doors. The arched hangars spanned 61 metres, with a height of 18 metres. The expense of the steel centering was spread across four hangars, as another two similar structures were ordered for RNZAF Base Auckland. The two Ohakea hangars were completed in 1939, at a cost of about £76,750 each.
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