Ouakam Airfield
| Ouakam Airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 35 m (115 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 7 km northwest of Dakar , Senegal
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| Street | Corniche Ouest | ||
| Basic data | |||
| operator | civil / military | ||
| Runways | |||
| 06/24 | 1850 m of asphalt | ||
| 18/36 | 1450 m × 70 m asphalt | ||
The Ouakam airfield ( French Base de Ouakam ) was the first airfield for Dakar , the capital of what was then French West Africa (since 1961 the capital of Senegal ). The airfield was built near the west coast of the Cap-Vert Peninsula near the originally far outside town of Ouakam and was used both civilly and militarily until 1946. It has been replaced by Dakar-Yoff Airport . The airfield area is part of the Mermoz-Sacré Cœur district formed in 1996 .
Geographical location
The airfield site with its two runways remained unchanged for many years after it was no longer used. Only the growth of Dakar into a metropolis of millions led to a conversion of the area between the districts of Mermoz in the west and Sacré Cœur in the east, so that after the turn of the millennium the evaluation of satellite images and the comparison with a city map from 1987 was only an approximate reconstruction of the two runways. The point of intersection of the two slopes is indicated here in the coordinates.
The 1850 meter long runway 06/24 has meanwhile been included in the main line between the Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop (formerly: Route de Ouakam ) in the west and the Sicap-Liberté district in the east and is sometimes still referred to as the Ancienne Piste .
From runway 18/36, to the north of the coordinates, an original piece of paved runway 320 meters long and 70 meters wide has been preserved; the rest is built over. The southern end was also on the Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop , but next to the rond point with the stele for Jean Mermoz . The overbuilt airstrip can still be recognized from the satellite image on the property and building structure. Accordingly, it would be 1250 meters long from the Mermoz stele to the north end of the slope relic; with the inclusion of a new development at the northern end of the remaining slope, a height of 1450 meters can be assumed.
history
Ouakam had been of great importance since the first third of the 20th century, because in the 1920s and 1930s aircraft that were en route from Europe to South America had to stop over to refuel, which often happened here. However, the base used for military and civil aviation soon proved to be insufficient. Air France, Lufthansa, Ala Litoria, Imperial Airways and British Airways made regular stopovers there as early as 1937.
During the Second World War, French engineers were looking for a place for a larger airport in 1941. They finally chose the plain of Yoff , directly to the north of Ouakam. In June 1944, the Dakar-Yoff airport went into operation and the Ouakam base was used until 1946.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Name reconstructed from the position in relation to the cardinal points
- ↑ OpenStreetMap September 2018
- ↑ Dimensions reconstructed from a satellite image on google maps, accessed on September 22, 2018
- ↑ Moussa KEBE 2009: Historique de l'aeroport de Dakar Ouakam see page 24 of the PDF file 1.75 MB
Web links
- Ouakam abandoned airfield at Geonames ; the Geonames coordinates are 1100 m away from the south end of the runway