Palmietfontein Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Defunct | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | |||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1945 (1945) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1952 (1952) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 5,107 ft / 1,557 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°20′7.2″S028°08′28.8″E / 26.335333°S 28.141333°E /-26.335333; 28.141333 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Palmietfontein Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Palmietfontein Airport (Afrikaans:Palmietfontein-Lughawe) was an airport situated in what is now the townships ofThokoza andKatlehong to the south ofJohannesburg,South Africa, from 1945 to 1952.[1][2]
Palmietfontein Airport was a wartime air force base which was converted to a temporary airport to serve Johannesburg whilst the new airport, Jan Smuts Airport (nowO. R. Tambo International Airport), was being built. The airport serving Johannesburg at the time,Rand Airport, was unable to accommodate the size of aircraft to be operated on a new service toGreat Britain. In 1948, South African Airways moved its terminal to Palmietfontein Airport.
Several historical flights terminated at Palmietfontein Airport. AQantas AirwaysAvro Lancastrian completed an unprecedented flight fromSydney'sKingsford Smith Airport inAustralia to Palmietfontein, landing on 20 November 1948 at 15h15, and having been in the air a total of 41 hours and 52 minutes at an average speed of 210 mph (180 kn; 340 km/h). En-route stops were made at Perth, Cocos Islands and Mauritius. The objective, to establish viable air links between South Africa and Australia, had been accomplished.The world's first passenger jet service took place on 3 May 1952 when aBOACde Havilland Comet 1 landed at Palmietfontein on a flight from the UK.[3]
There were three runways, the relative positions of which formed a triangle. Runway 17/35 was the longest, being 1,800 m long (6,000 ft) and 55 m wide (180 ft). Runway 04/22 was 1,400 m in length (4,500 ft) and runway 13/31 was 1,510 m long (4,950 ft). Both 17/35 and 04/22 were tarred; 13/31 was grass. The apron and control tower were situated to the west of runway 04/22. The airport elevation was given as 1,557 m (5,107 ft). The information is derived from an old map and airport layout diagram courtesy of E. Du Plessis.[4][5]
Palmietfontein was transformed into a motor racing circuit for the 1956Rand Grand Prix, which was won byPeter Whitehead.[10] The townships ofKatlehong andThokoza were eventually established on the site,[1][2] although parts of the original runway are still visible onGoogle Maps to this day. The main runway 17/35 lies in line with Vile Street and Mambo Street in Katlehong but is now largely built up. Secondary runway 04/22 is now Khumalo Street in Thokoza.
The coordinates are 26° 20' 7.20" S 028° 08' 28.80" E onMaps.
