FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1917.PDF
FLIGHT, 24 November 1949 CIYII CHEETAH-POWERED: The C.A.S.A. group in Spain has developed the Type 201 Alcotan, as a feederliner and crew trainer. The prototype, seen above, has two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah 27 engines, but production versions will have the Elizalde Sirio S-VII-A. LONDON LANDING FEES '"THE relatively high charges made in respect of landing feesJ- at London Airport were recently the subject of discussion by the M.C.A. Committee on Public Accounts. It was statedthat a Constellation on a transatlantic crossing would have to pay £20 12s 6d for landing at London Airport as comparedwith fees of £12 14s gd at Brussels, ^8 is at Amsterdam, and only £4 12s at Paris. Sir Arnold Overton, Permanent Secretary to the M.C.A.,said that the higher costs were partly due to the geographical and climatic position of the airport and, in reply to a ques-tion, intimated that the complex organization for fog control was in some measure responsible for the high fees. He con-sidered, also, that London did provide more facilities than most Continental airports, though he admitted that "thereason for our higher fees has nothing to do with cost—the traffic has been judged to be able to bear somewhat higherfees than those which the other countries have imposed. The Ministry does not think that lowering such charges will attractmore foreign airlines to London." It was also revealed that I.C.A.O. was considering the possibility of reaching an agree-ment both with regard to facilities and ground charges. AMERICAN OPTIMISM T A SUGGESTION that Britain's present lead in jet-transportdevelopment may not affect United States aircraft manu-facturers as seriously as was first thought likely has been made by Mr. Wellwood E. Beall, a vice-president of the Boeing Cor-poration in a letter to airline and Government officials. He points out that Britain is now committed to a course of actionon specific jet-transport types, and thinks that this fact has placed the American aircraft industry "in a firm position tobetter the foreign types of aircraft in every respect.'' He does not, however, malte any reference to the current lack of anyAmerican turbojets which satisfy civil operating requirements. Mr. Beall stated that his company is interested in develop-ing a superior jet-transport design, and reiterates the fact that lack of available funds is, at present, the main problem. Inhis opinion the project must be carried through regardless of the source from which funds be forthcoming, if the U.S. is tomaintain its role in aviation progress. Such opinion is typical of the "second wind" which theAmerican aircraft industry is now finding after the initial jolt it sustained as a result of the Farnborough revelations lastSeptember. It prompts the thought that, while the construct- ors of Britain's new jet airliners richly deserve their laurels,they would be wise to regard them as being of the spikier variety which prohibit restfulness: most close observers willacknowledge that, if American industry is really enabled to take up the challenge, a fast closing speed may be seen in theensuing race. STRATOCRUISER FLAGSHIP NAMED Caledonia, the flagship of B.O.A.C.'s new Boeing-377 Stratocruiser fleet arrived at London Airport last Friday from the Boeing factory at Seattle. Although it is tht-third of the Stratocruisers to reach the United Kingdom, G-AKGH is the first of those specifically ordered by B.O.A.C.,both Cathay and Champion having been re-directed from the original order placed by the Scandinavian Airlines System. Thereis, however, little difference in the aircraft themselves and the ten Stratocruisers can be regarded as integral parts of a com-posite fleet. Caledonia's crossing of the Atlantic was made at a heightof some 25,000ft, and flying times were: New York to Shan- non, 8 hr 45 min; Shannon-London, 1 hr 20 min. The pilotwas Capt. Alan Andrew. Among those who greeted the Strato- cruiser at London Airport was Capt. A. S. Wilcockson, O.B.E.,B.O.A.C.'s operations controller, who commanded the original "C" class flying-boat after which Caledonia was named, andin which Great Britain's first east-to-west Atlantic crossing was made in 1937. It is expected that B.O.A.C. will take delivery of two moreStratocruisers before Christmas, and that the order will be completed by the spring of 1950. As mentioned in last week'sFlight, the Stratocruiser service between London and New York will commence on December 6th, and frequencies will beprogressively increased until daily services are achieved in March. The flights will be routed through both Prestwick and Shan-non, as is the practice with the Constellations currently used on this service. The delivery flights are providing valuable ground-handling practice and flight experience for aircrews. MOBILE AIRPORT RADIO 'V REPRESENTATIVES from major airlines witnessed theJ-V operation, at London Airport on November 15th, of Mar- coni V.H.F. radio equipment for the control of airport per-sonnel and vehicles. The demonstration clearly showed the saving of time and man-power and the increased efficiencymade possible when radio is used for passing instructions from headquarters to ground crews, as an aid to the towing andparking of aircraft and for receiving reports from personnel who may be on the far side of the airport. The equipment consisted of a Marconi-type H.16A 10-watttransmitter/receiver as the static installation, and the visitors were able to hear operational instructions and reports passingbetween the headquarters office of Pan American Airways, an engineer on the runway wearing a walkie-talkie set, and atractor fitted with a Marconi H.18 two-watt transmitter/ receiver. Pan American Airways have adopted MarconiV.H.F. radio for use at London Airport and H.18 equipment is now in regular use there.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
