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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0518.PDF
323 FLIGHT, 16 March 1951 CIVIL AVIATION BEAUTY IN THE CLOUDS: An impressive glimpse of the first production Airspeed Ambassador, as it flew on a recent test-flight over Bournemouth Bay. The Corporation hopes to take delivery of the first of these aircraft shortly. MORE extensive use is to be made of British turboprop-powered aircraft on B.E.A.'s regular services this year. To gain further operating experience, the Corporation intends to fly the prototype Viscount on scheduled services on the London-Paris and London-Edinburgh routes this summer. It will be recalled that the Viscount put in 120 hours on these routes last year. As readers who saw our report (February 15th) of the lecture by Lord Douglas will be aware, two Dart-powered Dakotas will also be introduced this summer—on the Corporation's freight services. They will be flown by specially trained crews whose duty it will be to keep a technical eye on the Dart's performance. In this way B.E.A. hopes to accumulate at least 5,000 engine-hours under operational conditions. The first Viscount 700 (the production version) has already flown over 100 hours since September, 1950. The first of B.E.A.'s fleet of 28 of these machines is due for delivery early next year. B.O.A.C.'s FIRST COMET ONE of the two D.H. Comets ordered by the Ministry of Supplywill shortly be handed over to B.O.A.C., for operational and route trials including experimental flights between the UnitedKingdom and India. The first of these is expected to be between London and Cairo, via Rome, and will be made with the particularaim of giving communications and control staffs at these airports a first-hand knowledge of the Comet's operating requirements. At some airfields, radio facilities will have to be improved. AtCairo, for example, it is understood that the Egyptian authorities are already tackling the problem. The Corporation hopes to takedelivery of the first of the production Comets towards the end of the year. This machine will first be used for crew training. Last year, incidentally, B.O.A.C.'s operating and traffic statisticsshowed that the total of revenue passenger-miles flown rose by 32 per cent to 542 million, as compared with 410 million in 1949.The total of passengers carried rose from 151,000 to 184,000. TALKING OF RADIO AIDS PROBLEMS concerning radio-navigation were reviewed ata recent meeting of the I.A.T.A. Radio Aids Group in Montreal. Approximately 35 representatives of airlines and radiomanufacturers attended the conference. Among the major subjects on the agenda was one dealing withthe co-ordination of frequencies to be used for radio altimeters, airborne radar and other equipment, within the limitations of thenew bands allocated by the International Telecommunications Union. The various standards for R/T. and navigation aids werealso reviewed. Much of the work was actually done in preparation for the meeting of I.C.A.O's Communications Division, which isto take place on April 24th—also in Montreal. Among the specific items dealt with at the I.A.T.A. meetingwere considerations of communications problems concerning high altitude flights by jet aircraft; standardization of system charac-teristics for R/T. between air and ground; standard procedures for testing I.L.S. installations and standards for the use of D.M.E. asa navigation aid. In addition, the conference reviewed I.C.A.O. standards for I.L.S. on the basis of two years' experience, and also concerned itself with the evaluation of Decca as a short-distance navigation aid. CONVERTIBLE SEATS FOR PAN-AMERICAN ANNOUNCING the purchase of new Sleeperette seatingequipment for the 18 DC-6Bs which they have on order, P.A.W.A. claim that the seats will incorporate new standards of safety and comfort. They will be stressed at iog, nearly twice the strength called for by the C.A.A. safety regulations. As an additional protective measure, a special shock-absorbing, sheet-metal "crash plate," designed to die approximate shape of the human body, will be built into the rear of each seat to increase the safety factor during forced landings. A new method of installing the seats on tracks will make it possible to convert the layout in a few hours to the varied requirements of de luxe Sleeperette, standard or low cost tourist flights. CIVIL AVIATION'S SHARE PI the course of the debates on the Air Estimates (see report onpage 302), Mr. Arthur Henderson stated that aircraft of the civil Corporations and of the charter companies have been, and are being, chartered for a variety of tasks. During the last financial year some £250,000 was spent in this way. He said: "I think it can be regarded as money well spent, not only because of the value of the service received, but also because it has helped to main- tain a valuable and considerable potential represented by the civil aviation industry. During the coming year additional use will be made of civil aircraft for the regular movement of troops." He referred also to the formation of the first of the auxiliary transport squadrons "with the wholehearted co-operation of Airwork, Ltd.", and to the plan to form similar squadrons. On another subject, also of great interest to civil aviation, Mr. Henderson said that the flying scholarships scheme had proved most successful. Seventy-seven cadets qualified for a Private Pilot's Licence at flying clubs in 1950, and 112 were under training when the year ended. The number of scholarships to be awarded in the next financial year was to be increased from 200 to 250. THE AIR FRANCE FLEET lURING the course of a recent French Cabinet meeting, the question of replacement aircraft for Air France came up for discussion. It was decided that contracts placed for a number of French-built airliners would be confirmed. The French aircraft industry will now be called on to supply 12 Breguet 763 Deux- Ponts and eight S.E. 2010 Armagnacs for Air France's colonial routes. At the same time, permission was given for the ordering of ten L-1049 Super Constellations, which the company will put into service on transatlantic routes. The delivery cf these machines will bring Air France's long-range fleet to 81 aircraft, of which 28 DC-4S and 19 L-749 Constellations are already in service; four additional L-749S are due for delivery this year. D1
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