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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1640.PDF
FLIGHT, 3f August 1950 CIVIL AVIATION NEWS-- • (see Flight. August 17th) materialize on a substantial scale.Although considerably more activity has been noticed on the Baltic exchange than in recent weeks, the attention ofoperators and brokers has been engaged more with enquiries than with definite fixtures. Cargo flights represent a largerpercentage of the total business than has been the case for some time past. Nevertheless, there has apparently been sucha slump in charter operations generally that at least twelve companies have been forced to close down in less than a year.Twenty-five firms now remain members of the British Air Charter Association, which is at present gravely concerned atthe lack of orders. So far, the Korean situation has riad no noticeable effecton the European markets and. in spite of various rumours, no British aircraft have yet been contracted to fly Service suppliesor personnel to this theatre. A recent brokers' bulletin draws attention to the fact thatin the United Kingdom to-day, with the exception of a few Yorks and one Tudor, there exist no large transport aircraftcapable of world-wide operation. Apart from two Halifax freighters, fleets are composed largely of Dakotas, Vikings andsmaller craft. When enquiries necessitate the use of larger aircraft, brokers are forced to investigate European or Ameri-can markets for Sky masters and Constellations, or rely on the charter flights occasionally made by suitable aircraft ofscheduled airlines. This state of affairs is consideied largely 1o be caused bythe difficulty in obtaining foreign currency, particularly dollars, with which to purchase more suitable equipment. It is alsodue in some measure to the fact that the Civil Aviation Act now in force does not permit full and free operation of inde-pendently owned aircraft, so that operators are not encouraged to increase the size of then fleets. WEST INDIAN AERADIO AN addition to its long list of associated companies isannounced by International Aeradio, Ltd. The new formation to be known as International Aeradio (Caribbean),Ltd., will be based at Port of Spain, Trinidad, and will be responsible for the much-needed co-ordination of the wide-spread and scattered traffic-control facilities in this area. The major shareholders are to be I.A.L., P.A.A. andB.W.I.A. Provision has also been made for the participation of airlines operating in the Caribbean area as member share-holders. The company's initial commitments are in Jamaica, Bar-bados and British Guiana, but it is expected that the civil aviation authorities of the Leeward and Windward Islands will;in the near future, make use of the facilities offered. FUTURE AFRICAN SERVICES SOME interesting forecasts were given recently by Sir MilesThomas on the subject of future services between London and South Africa After stating that it was the intention tointroduce a thrice-weekly Hermes service .during the first week of November on the route London-Castel Benito-Kano-Leopold-\'ille-LivingstonqfcJohannesburg, he went on to mention plans for the introduction of the Comet, and also the possibilitiesfor the S.R.45 Princess. The Comet, flying the route London-Cairo-Khartoum-Nairobi-Livingstone-Johannesburg (and on the return route, depending on seasonal winds making an intermediate call atRome between Cairo and London) was expected to complete the journey in 20 hours outward and 22 hrurs return, thusestablishing a same-day service between London and the Cape. Livingstone Airport was an important link in the service, forJohannesburg to Nairobi would be a difficult stage for the Comet without it Weight limitations and the three-enginecase would make it necessary for the Comet to use the new Jan Smuts Airport at Johannesburg rather than Palmiet-fontein. Sir Miles thought the Comet would be ready for operation at much the same time as the airport was completed.However, in view of the stowing-down of work at Jan Smuts it is to be hoped that Comets will be ready before that time.They will first be introduced on the Karachi service. Princess flying-boats might be used on a two-class two-stage service to South Africa in about eight years' time, and they should be capable of making the journey with a singlestop at Lagos, or possibly it might be desirable to make a second one at Lisbon. First-class sleepers might be providedc.i one deck, and high-density seating elsewhere. Sir Miles thought that there would soon be scope for second-class travelwith box meals and so on, on existing African routes, making use of amortized first-class aircraft BREVITIES '"THE Canadian Air Line Pilots' Association is to form a CivilJ- Air Transport command to release R.C.A.F. personnel from transport duties. Details are being discussed with theCanadian Defence Minister. # # # American Overseas Airlines will inaugurate the first directservice from New York to Dusseldorf and Cologne on September 2nd. Constellations will operate a return service on this routetwice weekly. Return fare is quoted as being approximately ^245- # * # Three bottles of cocktail and one of sherry were responsiblefor the safe landing of an Icelandic Airline's Skymaster at Prestwick on August 15th. By using the alcohol to replenishthe hydraulic system, which had developed a leak, it was possible to obtain enough pressure to effect an emergencylanding. The Burmese government has decided to reconstruct Mingala-don Airport, near Rangoon. A runway conforming to I.C.A.O. class "A" requirements will be provided.• . * * It is reported that sightseeing tours of Paris by night arebeing organized by a company known as Joos Transports A Bristol freighter has been chosen for this purpose, mainlybecause oi the excellent visibility from the passenger cabin. The Freighter flight will be followed by a cruise on the Seineand supper at a Parisian night club. • * • Passengers on Tasman Empire Airways' Solent services be-tween Australia and New Zealand may now despatch telegrams while in flight at a cost of 6d per word above the normal chargefor a telegram to an overseas destination. To provide this facility a special R/T. system has been incorporated in theSolent flying boats. TWIN RADIALS : The circular hangars at Grimbergen airfield, near Brussels, are not unknown to British pilots. These views conveya sense of their attractive and imaginative design and of their dimensions relative to the Auster in the cl<Se-range view (right).
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