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PROGRESS ON MUNDE AIRSTRIP

Aerial view of Munde Airstrip

The construction of a 1,200m all-weather airstrip close to Matamanene Camp in the core of the park commenced during 2011. The airstrip was generously funded by the Anna McWane Foundation and named the Munde Airstrip in honour of the people from Munde Village who worked on its construction.

Progress has been satisfactory and the airstrip is currently being used to land the park’s ultralight aircraft during monitoring exercises. The grass planted to stabilise the strip has grown well and has spread substantially, giving good surface coverage. Two grass cutters were procured to keep the grass short and stimulate lateral growth. Water run-off has been adequate and there has been no sign of standing water on the strip. Although water has accumulated in the gullies along the sides of the airstrip, this will not affect airfield operations.

Airstrip in April 2012                              Airstrip in October 2011

Fire hydrants and airfield logbooks have been procured in preparation for the DCA registration. The lateral 100m interval markings have been completed on each side of the strip and a team of four staff are currently working on filling minor holes, cutting grass and planting grass in the remaining exposed patches. The fresh growth attract wildebeest who occasionally jump through the fence breaking the steel y-standards that rust due to the high moisture content of the soil. These will be replaced by local hardwood poles which will be more resilient.

The threshold markers remains to be completed after which we plan to do a test landing with a larger aircraft (C17 2 / C206). We will obtain advice from Edmund Farmer on DCA certification which will be applied for in May once the surrounding surface water has dried.

Date: 02 Apr 2012