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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1967.PDF
FLIGHT, 8 December 1949 733 which would enable the airport radar units to determine therange, azimuth, altitude and identity of all approaching air- craft. (3) A further radar device which would indicate to airportcontrollers the positions of all aircraft on runways, taxi-tracks and loading ramps in conditions of bad ground visibility. Theradar identification device would tend to relieve overburdened direct communication systems and would increase traffic safetyin conditions of low visibility. The Americans feel that such devices will be absolutenecessities if and when large-scale operations with jet-powered cajgo and passenger aircraft are inaugurated. Elimination ofstacking is, of course, one of the primary problems which must be considered, and the equipment is being designed with thisend in view. The airport time utilization equipment will also have theeffect of decreasing the possibility of collision over congested airports. Before take-off pilots will reserve a landing time withthe destination airport, based on their calculated E.T.A. If, due to heavy traffic, any delay is anticipated, it will be coun-tered by delaying time of take-off rather than time of arrival at the destination. The pilot will then know that his landing time is reserved and that his own arrival will not conii.ct withthat of any other aircraft. Though at first sight the publication of these plans appearsto be putting the cart some little way in advance of the horse, there are indications that America's realization of jet trans-port is not quite so distant as we are currently Jed to believe. Reports now reaching this country suggest that a definitecourse of action can be expected as the result of a meeting of the Board of the American Aircraft Industries Association, tobe held on December 10th, and that it may take the form of an agreement by which the State, through the medium of themilitary budget, will finance Air Force research into, and con- struction of, prototype military jet transports which could beeasily adapted to the requirements of commercial operators. It would seem that opposition to Government aid, as ex-pressed in the past by some of the leading aircraft manufac- turers, has now weakened considerably; in fact, a direct appealfor such assistance was recently made by Mr. Wellwood E. Beall, vice-president of Boeing Aircraft Company (see p. 683,Flight, November 24th); he maintained that such State assist- ance is essential if America is to prevent the loss of worldmarkets for civil airliners to Britain. BREVITIES SLICK AIRWAYS have announced their intention of purchas-ing three Douglas DC-6A Liftmaster transports. The president of the company has also said that a further six CurtiSsC-46S will be acquired in the near future, thereby increasing the number of Commandos operated by Slick Airways to 28.• • • Under the terms of a contract for which Australian National Airways, Ltd., has successfully competed against B.O.A.C. and Pan American Airways, aircraft of A.N.A. will fly 100,000 lb of tea seeds to Nairobi, where a large planting programme is scheduled. The seeds will be flown in 1,000-lb consignments, the first of which is expected to leave immediately. # * • The Ministry of Civil Aviation announces that the Civil Aviation Act, 1949, which has received the Royal Assent and is effective from November 24th, 1949, consolidates the law relating to civil aviation other than the legislation concerning the constitution and functions of the Airways Corporations, LONG-LIVING HERCULES : The Bristol Hercules seen above is one of four installed in aircraft operated by B.E.A. and by Airwork, Ltd., which have now completed 1,000 hours run- ning between overhauls. All the engines were found to be in excellent condition and A.R.B. approval for the 1,000-hour period is expected shortly. . and the Carriage by Air Act, 1932. Legislation concerningthe Airways Corporations will be consolidated by the relevant Bill, which is now before Parliament; in the meantime, theexisting legislation remains in force. The Carriage by Air Act, 1932, which implements the Warsaw Convention andgoverns international carriage by air of persons and goods, will remain effective as a self-contained Act.# # # Progress is reported with the conversion of two standardAmerican airliners to turboprop power. Both the Martin 2-0-2 and the Convair are being fitted with Allison T-38 turbo-props, provided that the U.S. Air Force agrees to release this military power plant for civil use. The purpose of the con-version is to obtain operating data over a period of one year, after which the aircraft will be offered for sale to the airlines. * # # Although the news of two recent air disasters in the UnitedStates must considerably impair the annual accident rate for internal air services, the rate for the first nine months of thisyear was only 0.2 per 100,000,000 passenger miles. For 1947 the annual figure was 3.2, and in 1948 it fell to 1.3. It isclaimed that U.S. external airlines, which are said to carry more than 1,000,000 passengers per year, have not suffered afatal accident since April, 1948. * # #The appointment of A.V.-M. Alan Ferrier, CJ3., M.C., as I.C.A.O. Assistant Secretary-General for Air Navigation wasannounced on November 30th by Dr. Albert Roper, the Secretary-General. A.V.-M. Ferrier, who is at present a mem-ber of the Canadian Air Transport Board, will take up his new duties at the beginning of 1950, succeeding Mr. Ivor McClureHe is also chairman of the Associate Committee on Aeronauti- cal Research of the National Research Council of Canada. • * • Replying to a question in the House of Commons, the Par-liamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Mr. Lindgren, said that no Tudor freighters had yet been deliveredto his department. He stated that it was proposed to sell these aircraft and that approaches from certain interestedcompanies were already being considered, but that it would be contrary to established practice to disclose the cost of con-verting Tudors into freighters. The price would be a matter of arrangement with the Minister of Supply. A total of almost 84,000 aircraft movements were reportedat civil airports in the United Kingdom for the month of June, of which 18,000' were attributed to civil transport. Thenumber of passengers handled was 205,336 at all reporting airports, more than half of this figure being accounted for byLondon Airport and Northolt. Average daily traffic at Northolt was over 2,000 passengers and 120 public services.Approximately 1,800 tons of freight were flown into, and out of, the London area. Renfrew was again the third busiestpassenger terminal; it handled nearly 14,000 passengers and 1,200 air transport movements. # * * The Belgian-Congo network of Sabena, which now covers11,000 miles of routes in Central Africa, has recently opened a service between Leopoldville and Tnongo near Lake LeopoldII. De Havilland Doves will be used on the new weekly service
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