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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0237.PDF
FLIGHT, 2 February 1950 155 "THE WORLD'S FIRST" THE world's first endorsement forturboprop aircraft has been recorded on the "B" licence held by Capt. R. Rymer, B.E.A.'s Chief Base Training Cap- tain at Northolt. On behalf of B.E.A., Captain Rymer has been working in close co-operation with Mr. "Mutt" Summers, Vicker's chief test pilot, on the Viscount handling trials, accumulating to date a total of 30 hours' flying on this type. He recently took the A.R.B. tests on the Viscount and was duly accorded the dis- tinction of being the first pilot permitted to fly the aircraft commercially. During the war he was flying for Coastal Com- mand and as an instructor before joining B.E.A. in 1946; he has a total of approximately 5,000 flying hours. Capt. R. Rymer. I.C.A.O. AIDS REPORT THE report of the I.C.A.O. Aerodromes, Air Routes andGround Aids Division, which met in Montreal last Novem- ber has now been published. Three main problems were studied,those of approach lighting and day marking-aids for airfield approach; standardized marine-base lighting and associatedday marking; and the formulation of technical specifications for aviation-light and surface-marking colours together withspecifications for beam characteristics of beacons and of flash- ing amber lights. The report recommends two approach-lighting systems. The first, designed to assist pilots approaching in visibility of downto half a mile, is to be a single row of lights extending from the runway threshold outwards for a distance of at least3,000ft. Each light is to be not more than 300ft from the next, and the row is to be positioned either along an extension ofthe runway centre-line or to the left of, and parallel to, the extended centre line; but it must not be more than 8 metresfrom the left-hand edge of the runway. The installation of the second system was recommended for all runways provided withany type of radio navigation aid to final approach and landing. For this installation, designed to afford guidance to air-craft making instrument approaches in minimum visibility, it was decided that the three systems which have to date beendeveloped by France, Britain and the United States were all satisfactory. It was recommended that the configuration of thesecond approach-lighting system should be in conformity with one of the three designs It was thought desirable, however,that one line-and-bar system should be developed out of the two proposed by France and Britain; these, almost identicalin principle, differed in configuration. On the problem of marine bases it was agreed that lightingshould be clearly distinguishable from that of a normal air- field to avoid the possibility of a landplane pilot putting-downon water. The colour characteristics of water lighting were selected on this principle rather than with a view to providingmaximum light intensities, and a number of standards and recommended practices were agreed upon. It was decided thatday marking of marine bases could generally be affected by conspicuously marking each light-support. Additional speci-fications were drawn up for "aviation colours" for lights of fixed and variable intensity; they included guidance as todesigns which would ensure discrimination between yellow and white. BREVITIES WITH the object of entering the executive-transport andfeederliner market in the U.S., the de Havilland Company is in process of completing American certification for the eight-passenger Dove. To date, nearly 300 Doves have been sold throughout the world. * * * Visitors to the Empire Games in New Zealand have createda steadily increasing backlog of passengers for Tasman Empire Airv\;ays; the figure now stands at 650. The company hasbeen forced to charter Skymasters to meet the heavy traffic. * * * A.O.A. passengers arriving in New York from overseaspoints and requiring direct connections on American Airlines to destinations in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, will be pro-vided with free limousine service from the new international terminal at Idlewild to La Guardia. * » * During 1949 American Overseas Airlines carried more pas- sengers and cargo than at any time in its history. Passengers totalled 97,200—22.2 per cent more than the previous year. Cargo figures reached 12,500,000 1b, an increase of 64.6 per cent, and mail amounted to 1,900,000 lb, an increase of 35.4 per cent. The company flew a total of 202,100,000 passenger- miles and 28,200,000 ton-miles during the year. * * • Mr. Brian Oakley, who has been commandant of Renfrew Airport for over two years, is now commandant of Northolt. He succeeds A.V-M. S. P. Simpson, who (as mentioned in Flight last week) becomes a Divisional Controller of the M.C.A. The Ministry also announces the appointment of Mr. G. J. H. Teffs as airport commandant at Prestwick in succession to G/C. J A. McDonald, who has been appointed a divisional operations officer. * * * . / An indication of the rate at which the carnage of air freight is increasing can be obtained from figures reported by Austra- lian National Airways for the period from 1946 to June, 1949. From £4,413,686 the total had increased to £13,769,712 by December, 1947, and by June, 1949, had reached £19,930,520 A.N.A. is now using three DC-3S and three Bristol freighters exclusively for such traffic. The company has also renewed its application to run a Sydney-Christchurch Skv master service three times weekly. * «• *A considerably enlarged fourth edition of "A Guide to the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer's Licence Examinations," re-vised in accordance with the latest M.C.A. and A.R.B. orders and requirements, has been published by the Society ofLicensed Aircraft Engineers. The section containing specimen examination papers, in particular, has been augmented by the inclusion oi various "X" Licence subjects. Copies of thisinformative handbook, price 6s, are obtainable from the Society's head office at Finsbury Circus House, BlomfieldStreet, London, E.C.2. » * * From January 15th Boeing Stratocruisers have been operat-ing on the California-Hawaii segment of the United Airlines system. Seven round-trip flights weekly are flown betweenSan Francisco and Honolulu, and the flight from the mainland to Hawaii is completed in 9J hours.» * * All who served in any capacity in the old Plough Lanebuildings at Croydon Airport before the move (in December, 1927), to the present buildings, are eligible for a reunion dinnerwhich it is proposed to hold at the Aerodrome Hotel on Friday, March 17th. Tickets (price 7s 6d) are obtainable fromMr. Leslie Pace, c/o B.O.A.C, London Airport, Heathrow. Admission will be strictly limited to those who can providethe necessary proof of eligibility. # # The privately owned company, Malayan Airways, has nowincreased its unduplicated route mileage to 6,504. The fleet consists of seven DC-3S, and the equivalent annual utilizationper aircraft with no scheduled night flying, has now reached a figure of 1,666. Services are operated to Sarawak, NorthBorneo, Burma, Thailand, Indo-China and, domestically, within Malaya, Facilities are also provided at Singapore for a numberof other operators, including B.O.A.C. and Pan American Airways. . . • # * Following the conclusion of the agreement with Ceylon,aviation circles in Australia hope that similar arrangements may be made with the Philippines, Holland, India andPakistan, which for some time have been anxious to operate services to Australia under such reciprocal agreements. Itwill be remembered that in pre-war days the K.L.M. service to Australia was noted for its efficiency; its revival wouldbe welcomed by commercial interests who consider that Australia should adopt the same policy towards foreign air-craft as towards shipping. * * # Commercial development of Air France since the end ofthe war has been recognized by the award of the Kulhman medal. The award is made annually to the French enterprisewhich in the opinion of the judges, a group of Lille indus- trialists, has shown the greatest all-round increase in the scope,range and efficiency of its activities over the pre-war period. An indication of this increase in the case of Air France canbe seen in the number of revenue aircraft-kilometres flown.
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