FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1173.PDF
, 1947 FLIGHT Internal Airlines clear that unless alternative accommodation could be pro- vided, air services to Belfast would have to be cancelled ; consequently Nutts Corner was selected. The airport lies nine miles west-by-north of the centre of Belfast and only three miles from the shore of Lough Neagh. The Lough consequently provides an excellent area for letting-down in bad weather. It is rather in- teresting to note that the weather in the area, although invariably wet, seldom clamps down completely, and there is usually a sufficiently high ceiling to allow of descent through cloud over the Lough and a visual approach to be made. The Rapides flying into Belfast do a normal Q.G.H. in these conditions, as they are not fitted with SBA; in fact, only a few are so fitted, and they are on the London services. The Dakotas, of course, *'*£e e<lu'PPed with SBA. I was given to understand that Trans-Canada Airlines have already surveyed the airfield for possible diversion of transatlantic traffic. Nutts Comer is an ex-R.A.F. airfield, but has several peculiarities and is certainly well equipped with flying facilities, but the accommodation is quite inadequate. The flying facilities include SBA, MF/DF, HF R/T, VHF R/T; VHF DF is being installed, and there is the possi- bility that SCS 51, VHF Cathode Ray DF, GCA and a second channel on MF/DF will be installed. There are sodium approach lights to all the runways and full contact lighting on the main runway in the east-west direction of 2,000 yards. The north-east south-west runway is 1,600 yards and the south-east north-west runway 1,250 yards. The airfield has been built with special taxying tracks with lighting controlled in sections from the tower. The taxi tracks are designed to allow aircraft to follow different routes to reach the same destination. The result is that at night-time only the route which the aircraft is to follow need be lighted, and if there is an obstruction on one section the alternative section may be used. There are now fifty British European Airways scheduled services passing through Nutts Corner each day. These are summer schedules, and by August there will probably be more than sixty, owing to the additional Aer Lingus service which is starting up on August 1st and will fly from Dublin through Belfast to Liverpool. During May 6,346 passengers were handled at the airport. As already mentioned, ex-R.A/F. buildings are in use for passenger handling and office accommodation ; there is, however, a plan to build a semi-permanent hut near the tarmac. All the buildings used by the Ministry and B.E.A. have been painted white with red roofs, and one's first impres- sion is rather that of a National Fire Service headquarters, especially with the three bright-red fire tenders and three ambulances outside the control tower ; the whole effect, however, is clean and tidy, and although accommodation is cramped, the organization is most certainly efficient. The coach run to Belfast takes about twenty minutes. The new British European Airways' premises in Imperial House, Donegal Square East, were opened on May 15th by H.E. the Earl Granville, Governor of Northern Ireland. They comprise a large double-fronted office and booking centre on the ground floor, and a waiting room in the rear of the building. On the ground floor there are additional offices, including the office of the Area Manager, who is responsible for B.E.A. operations in Northern Ireland. Since going to press with this article the Minister of Civil Aviation has announced the names of those airfields which will be acquired by the State. A map showing these air- ports appears on page 66. THE AMBASSADOR FLIES THE GREAT MOMENT : Scenes at Christcburch on July /Oth, when Mr. G. Errington took this large 40-seater for a test flight lasting 45 minutes. The lower picture shows the Ambassador airborne, while in the upper it is well away above the airport. The discussion between Mr. A. E. Hagg, chief designer and technical director, and Mr.-Errington relates to nothing more serious than the minor troubles always encountered during a first flight. The machine behaved well so far as general handling was concerned.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
