FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1825.PDF
368 FLIGHT, 28 September 1950 TWO YEARS of PROGRESS The M.C.A. Report on British Civil Aviation in 1948-1949 THE Ministry of Civil Aviation has now issued its secondbiennial report on British civil aviation in the post-warperiod. The 100-page booklet, which is entitkd Civil Aviation, 1948-49, and is obtainable from H.M. Stationery Office at 3s, contains a comprehensive review of all aspects of the Ministry's work, including the activities of the Corpora- tions, the private chartei companies and the flying clubs. The services provided by B.O.A.C. and B.E.A. are reviewed in detail, as are the operational and technical functions of the M.C.A. The report also contains some 37 pages of illuminating statistics in tabular form. In view of the length and com- plexity of the report it is only possible to give here a com para - . tively brief summary of the more important sections. Air Services.—At the beginning of 1948 the Corporations were, with few exceptions, still equipped with aircraft de- veloped from war-time military types, and B.O.A.C. was forced to purchase additional foreign aircraft. At the end of 1949 B.O.A.C. had 11 Constellations, 22 Argonauts and five Stratocruisers (five more Stratocruisers followed in the early months of 1950). Solents, introduced in April, 1948, are now- being progressively replaced by Hermes. B.E.A. continued to operate a fleet of Vikings, Dakotas and Rapides, but by the end of 1949 the long-term types conceived by the Brabazon Committee were coming into sight. An order was placed for 28 Ambassadors in 1948 and subsequently a number of Viscounts have been ordered. Comets and Bristol 175s will supply the future needs of B.O.A.C., while 25 Hermes IVs will be used as " interim " aircraft. By June, 1949, five services a week were being flown to New York, two to Montreal with a daily service between Ber- muda and New York using Constellations. Stratocruisers have since been introduced on transatlantic services. Dakotas were withdrawn on Middle East services and replaced by Yorks, which in turn were replaced by Argonauts. After the dissolu- tion of the Middle East Air Transport Board early in 1948, the responsibility for local services in the Red Sea area was assumed by Aden Airways, Ltd., a subsidiary of B.O.A.C. On African routes Yorks were replaced by Solents in May, 1949, and are now being progressively replaced by Hermes. On services to Pakistan,'India and Ceylon, Lancastrians were substituted for Yorks at the beginning of February, 1948, and were later replaced by Argonauts operating weekly flights through to Singapore. Solents were introduced on routes to the Far East and Pacific in 1949. At the end of that year B.O.A.C. was acting as adviser to some 14 companies. The Airways Corporations Bill was passed by Parliament on July 26th, 1949—and, following the Royal Assent a few days later—B.O.A.C. and B.S.A.A.C. were'officially merged. B.E.A. showed considerable expansion of its internal ser- vices and on June 1st, 1948, started the world's first helicopter mail service between Peterborough and Norwich. At the end of 1949 B.E.A. had an interest in ten subsidiary and associated companies. Air-Lift Contribution Berlin Air Lift.—A short account is given of civil aviation's contribution to the Berlin Air Lift. Twenty-three charter com- panies and two of the Corporations took part at one time or another, and, in the period of little more than twelve months during which the Air Lift was in operation, nearly 22,000 sorties were made, carrying a total of 147,000 tons of supplies. Airfields.—At the end of 1949, 141 airfields were available in the United Kingdom for civil flying; 97 of them were under civil control. Scarcity of materials and the need to reduce expenditure slowed down the pace at which airfields could be developed and work was confined largely to essential services. Some new major works were started at London Airport and a new maintenance base for B.O.A.C. was provided at Filton to replace that at Montreal. The main runway and taxiway.s at Prestwick were strengthened to withstand landings by air- craft of Stratocruiser weight. Operational and Technical Services.—In the field of navi- gational aids and radio communications a great deal of useful work on the international standardization of equipment and procedures was done through I.C.A.O. and its specialist 4 The new Ariel House—in Theoljald's Road, London, W.C.I— housing the major part of the M.C.A. headquarters staff. divisions. Following a British ^ • • i - u, the use of the line- and-bar airfield approach-lighting system—a purely British development—was given the status of an internationally recommended practice. Another major achievement was the agreement to establish defined "airways" over Great Britain. At the end of 1949 the Interdepartmental Aircraft Control Committee was engaged on long-term planning for a common air-traffic control system on U.K. and Empire routes. The total number of traffic-control officers employed by the Ministry is now 375, and control facilities are provided at 36 airports. British equipment is being developed for such land- ing aids as I.L.S. and G.C.A., and navigational aids such as D.M.E., cloud-warning radar, and various types of search radar. The provision of V.H.F., R/T coverage of the: country continued throughout the period under review and the programme is now well advanced. Installation of the Scottish Gee chain was completed and the introduction of new semi-automatic equipment begun. M.C.A.'s Operational Research Section, together with workers loaned by the Cor- porations, carried out extensive research into problems relating to air-traffic control, particularly at London and Northolt. ; Licensing.—New classes of licensing for pilots and aircrews were introduced in April, 1949, giving effect to this country's obligations under I.C.A.O. The principal change was the replacement of the pilot's "B " licence by a graduated system of licences relating the privileges bestowed more closely to the - flying experience of the holder. At the end of 1949 courses for the Private Pilot's Licence at 20 flying schools and clubs had been approved. The M.C.A. Flying Unit added nine new aircraft to its strength bringing the total to 27 The introduction ot the Instrument Rating system provided a new commitment for the unit. In 1949 some 349 pilots were tested at Gatwick and other airfields. The unit flew 8,039 hours in 1949. Ministry of Civil Aviation (Headquarters).-—during the two years under review a policy oi decentralization was carried through under which th? four divisions—located at Heston, Bristol, Liverpool and Prestwick—assumed increased response bility. At the end of 1949 the Ministry employed a total of 7,687 persons. Accident Investigation.—During 1948 there were 82 notifi- able air accidents, in which a total of 200 persons were killed. In the following year there were 08, and the total of fatalities fell to in. Ten of the n accidents in which charter aircraft were involved occurred on the Berlin Air Lift.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
