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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1042.PDF
664 FLIGHT, i June 1950 CIVIL AVIATION NEWS . * wooden hopper. Some 53 acres were covered, and results of the trials were described as encouraging. Bristol plans for top-dressing with the Freighter have previously been reviewed in Flight of November 24th, 1949, and March 30th, 1950. * * • During 1949, Australian internal route mileage rose from 39,321 to 58,248. Mileage flown increased by 3.8 per cent, and the total hours flown by 1.16 per cent. Although the passenger load-factor dropped from 68.6 to 62.9 per cent the spectacular rise in freight continued," reaching 39,324 tons as compared with 31,719 tons for the year 1948. • * • On June 4th, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is flying to Scandinavia by S.A.S. to attend the unveiling of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Oslo. S.A.S., incidentally, recently staged a '' working Sunday'' demonstration in which their three main bases at Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen were thrown open to the public; a highlight of the programme was the dis- embarkation from airliners of parties clad in the national costumes of the 33 countries served by S.A.S. Replying to a question in the House of Commons, Minister of Supply, Mr. George Strauss, gave details of the sums expended to date on the construction of the Brabazon l and its runway and assembly building at Filton. The figures quoted were £4,366,000, £2,110,000 and £2,948,000 respectively. * # # Speaking of the Brabazon at Birmingham recently, Sir Miles Thomas (chairman of B.O.A.C.) said, "If we of B.O.A.C caa operate that aircraft on the direct route from New York to' London, and give the standard of comfort and luxury that the Brabazon promises, I think we shall have something that the-, Americans have not, and we shall scoop the pool of trans- ; atlantic traffic very much as the two ' Queens' have done at sea." * * * The Scottish Advisory Council on Civil Aviation is appealing to Sir Stafford Cripps to exempt Scottish services from the additional fuel tax. The majority of these routes, especially those to the northern and western islands, are uneconomic and are only operated as social services; -the Council considers that it is unfair to penalize them further. Last year 142,000 passen- gers travelled on Scottish routes, the majority flying between the mainland and the islands. GLIDING NEWS A TENTATIVE fourth entry for the International GlidingContests (July 3rd-i6th) has been filed with theorganizers in Sweden. The London Gliding Club and others are sponsoring the entry of Mr. G. H. Stephenson—first man to soar across the Channel and one with a continuous good record of cross-country soaring from Dunstable—if he is able to complete his Gold Badge qualifications in time. The London Club feels strongly that the B.G.A.'s decision to restrict British entries to Gold Badge holders was not a good one; it has been pointed out that a number of potential Gold Badge pilots are forced to confine their gliding activities to week-ends, when, suitable conditions may not prevail. The R.A.F. (Sliding and Soaring Association is also con- sidering F/L. Peter Mallett as the fourth entry, in which case the Association would be providing half of the official British team—a very commendable achievement in view of the short period during which it has been operating. Present arrangements are that the team will travel by sea to Sweden. Expenses, except for ^180 from the B.G.A. Contest Fund, are being found by the respective entrants. In the case of F/L. Forbes and crew, the R.A.F.G.S.A. is sub- sidizing his entry by a grant of more than half the estimated cost. » • • The R.A.F. Gliding and Soaring Association is progressing steadily, and plans are in hand for the formation of about a dozen clubs at different R.A.F. stations throughout the ^ With its comprehensive blind-flying panel, th« Letov cbnak (Hawk) sailplane is well-equipped for high- altitude flight or "cu-nim" research. Mr. Ladislav Marmol demonstrated one of these high-performance Czech machines at the recent R.Ae.S. Garden Party. country. These clubs will draw their members from Servicesources, which are generally unable to afford the civilian sub- scriptions and flying fees, and this extension of activities canbe nothing but beneficial to the gliding movement as a whole. * * # Construction is planned of a sail-plane made entirely of plastic mouldings; designed by Mr. Hugh Kendall, chief tes^ pilot of Handley Page (Reading), L\d., it was the winning entry in a design competition sponsored by the British Gliding Association three years ago. The Ministry of Supply and the M.C.A. have both agreed to make grants towards the cost of two prototypes. Once the initial cost of making moulds has been met, quantity production should be economical. » • » Approaching the problem from safety first principles, theLondon Gliding Club is aiming to reduce the crash rate by tightening-up on training and on flying discipline. Theirstatistics show that the most numerous and expensive accidents occur during the "B" plus 10 hours stage. The faultsattributed to pilots are often of the most elementary nature, indicating the correctness of insistence on more rigid standardsof training and flying discipline. Emphasis is also being placed on adequate experience before promotion to advanced types. Although publicity—and learning by the mistakes of others—is one of the surest ways of accident prevention, the B.G.A. accident analysis reports do not attain a wide circulation and,indeed, some are marked "Confidential—Not for Publication." More widespread distribution of such literature would probablydo much to help others avoid the pitfalls. * • » The London Club, the largest in the country, opened theseason with 290J hours and 645 launches in April. Club members gained four " Cs " and one Silver Badge height, andthere were five cross-countries from Dunstable, totalling 72J miles. A close liaison is being maintained with the SurreyClub. Towing by Tiger Moth from the site at Dunstable has been successfully carried out after trial flights. * # • Programmes for summer courses have now been completedby most clubs. Bristol Gliding Club has given considerable publicity to its 12 weekly courses; the Scottish Gliding Unionhas eight courses planned; and the R.A.F.G.S.A. three. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to contemplate agliding holiday in France, details of courses at French National Centres can be obtained from Service de 1'Aviation Legere etSportive, 24, Boulevard Victor, Paris 15. * • • The British Gliding Association has now invited applications for the two new classes of membership decided recently at a council meeting. Private owners may now become members on payment of two guineas annually, entitling them to certain privileges, including representation on the council should their numbers exceed 25. Individuals may now become Associate Members on payment of 10s 6d annually. * • * Following the news that East German youth organizations are to be allowed to glide comes the news that West Germany's first post-war gliding club has been formed, at Dillenburg. Since gliding is forbidden by the Allies, the club will confine its activities to "discussing the scientific side of gliding."
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