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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 2053.PDF
FLIGHT, 29 December 1949 According to an American Airlines report one of the chief reasons for the present financial difficulties of the US airlme industry is that too many separate lines are operating on the same routes. The company has urged the C A B to reject requests for permission to fly on routes already'covered by its own flights. J * * * The original condition that firm bookings could not be made more than seven days ahead at the specially reduced fares for serving members of H.M. Forces travelling by B E A to London and certain overseas stations has been rescinded Such bookings will now be given definite seat reservations however far ahead they are made. * * * : An analysis of the Air Registration Board's Register of British Civil Aircraft as at December 12th, 1949, shows that of a total of 1,960 British and foreign aircraft listed, 584 are ovvned by taxi and charter firms, 334 by clubs and training schools and 252 by private owners. Aircraft which are privately owned by commercial companies number 265 and of the remainder 252 belong to State-owned corporations. * • • A second large airport, to be reserved exclusively for civil transport, is to be built at Houston, the largest city in Texas. The United States Civil Aeronautical Administration has offered to contribute a large proportion of the six-million-dollar cost. The present airfield, used by both military and commercial aircraft, has become so overcrowded that one important airline recently moved its headquarters from Houston to Dallas. * • * The Hong Kong assets of the China National Aviation Corporation and the Central Air Transport Corporation have been purchased by General Claire Chennault and Mr. Whiting Willauer, president and vice-president respectively of the Civil Air Transport Company. The purchase is said to have been made with 12ie authority of the Nationalist Government of Free China. The United States State Department has declined to comment on the purchase until it has received further reports on the situation from American diplomatic sources in China. * * * From nominations by each of the 55 member-nations of I.C.A.O. six persons are to be selected for a five-month training course at I.C.A.O. headquarters, Montreal. Nominations must be received by January 16th, 1950, and the course will begin on February 20th. Apart from instructing trainees in the workings of I.C.A.O., the programme is intended to give an opportunity to aviation specialists for advanced study and participation in the work of the organization in their own particular fields of interest. 819 REFLECTIVE MOOD : A B.O.A.C. Argonaut is attractively mirrored after a summer storm at the Kai Tek Airport, Hong Kong. Air France statistics show that 1949 has broken all previous annual records for the number of passengers carried by the company in and out of London Airport. It is estimated that the increase over the figure for 1948, which was itself a record, will prove to be in excess of 43 per cent. During July, August and September a daily average of 400 passengers was handled. Skymasters, with 55 seats, were introduced on the London-Paris route to supplement the capacity of the 33-seat Laeguedocs. FROM THE CLUBS THE Ultra-Light Aircraft Association announces that itspresident, Mr. Peter Masefield, is presenting a trophy to be competed for by affiliated groups and clubs. It will be awarded annually to the group or club which has shown the greatest efficiency and enterprise, both in the air and on the ground, during the preceding 12 months. The governing regu- lations will be so framed that safety and reliability records will play a prominent part in deciding the annual winner. The resignation of Mr. H. N. Rose-Dale from the chairman- ship of the U.L.A.A. construction sub-committee and from the executive committee is announced. He will be succeeded by Mr. C. W. Pitt, an aircraft constructor of considerable experience. A project to instal a 350 c.c. motor cycle engine as a re- tractable pusher power plant in a Scud III sailplane is now reported to have been successfully completed. The owner, Mr. R. Swinn of the London Gliding Club, has flown the aircraft for about 100 hr up to a maximum height of 5,200ft, and says that it is extremely simple to operate. His longest flight so far has been of 7J hr duration, and the addition of the engine apparently makes no difference to the fore-and-aft trim. The fitting of a specially converted 250 c.c. Villiers engine to the original Scud III was intended to provide a means of launching a sailplane, and climbing to the height required for soaring, without the expense and complication of a tug or a launching winch. Once at height, the engine was stopped and retracted into the fuselage SO that the sailplane could achieve its maximum soaring performance. When desired, the engine could be wound out again and started from the cockpit. Besides fitting the more powerful engine, Mr. Swinn has altered the original installation-design completely. _ The unit is mounted in the neck-fairing behind the wing and is attached by means of- three bolts. The retracting gear consists of a simple leadscrew, along which travels an actuating arm con- nected to the engine mounting. The leadserew is driven by a chain passing round a sprocket at the side of the fuselage and forward to a simple 45-deg bevel drive and handle. The engine used by Mr, Swinn is an inverted 349 c.c. two-stroke Villiers, with a thrust-race mounted immediately in front of the 3ft 6in pusher propeller. The Association announces the affiliation of three new groups, the Montgomeryshire U.L.A. Group, Private Flying (Ipswich), Ltd., and the Wycombe Flying Club. Amongst the other groups flying was considerably restricted by bad weather during November, but the Cardiff group man- aged to complete 15 hr in its Tipsy; and Doncaster flew 4^ hr in their B.A. Swallow and newly acquired Piper Cub. * # * TTTEST Riding Aviation Centre reports that it has received VV M.C.A. approval for its private-pilot training syllabus. During November flying was again curtailed by bad weather, only 12 hours being logged. One member, however, made his first solo - .••..-•-. ... TAERBY Aero Club held a very successful annual ball on -L'December 2nd, and was fortunate in once again having Burnaston House to provide the appropriate atmosphere. Some 200 members and guests reacted in fine style and the affair was unanimously voted even more successful than its predecessors. As at most other clubs, flying activities are at their mini- mum at this time of the year, and emphasis is therefore being placed on social activities and ground training. A series of lectures and films on technical subjects, arranged with the co-operation of Rolls-Royce, Ltd., and the Shell-Mex Film Unit, showed a gratifying attendance.
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