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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2079.PDF
492 FLIGHT 12 Oct. 1951 ROYAL DEPARTURE: At fifteen minutes past midnight on October 8th, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh left London Airport for Montreal in "Canopus." a &.O.A.C. Stratocruiser. This was the first occasion on which members of the Royal Family had crossed the Atlantic by air. H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. Princess Margaret, together with the Minister of Civil Aviation and numerous officials ofR.O A C were on the tarmac to see the take-off. As reported more fully on page 472 of this issue, "Canopus," piloted by B.O.A.C.'s three-million-milt veteran Capt. 0. P. Jones, reached Gander at 0950 hr G.M.T. and Montreal at 1700 hr G.M.T. A slight diversion was made to avoid storms. CIVIL AVIATION COMMONWEALTH JET CONFERENCE T^HE final session of the conference of representatives of Com--•• monwealth and Colonial Governments, which has been meeting in London since September 25th to consider problems associatedwith the introduction of turbine-powered aircraft, was held last Friday. The meeting took place under the chairmanship of AirChief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill, G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., the M.C.A.'s chief aeronautical adviser. During the week the delegates considered the advantages to bederived from, and characteristics peculiar to, jet airliners, and attempted to assess the extent of the new requirements which theiruse will involve in the fields of air traffic control, navigational aids, communications and airport facilities. Apart from the openingand final sessions, the conference itself was held in camera. A number of more general conclusions have been published, however.From these it appears that the conference concluded that it would be practicable to introduce the D.H. Comet into regular servicewith existing facilities, but that if its full commercial capabilities are to be realized certain improvements must be made to thepresent facilities. It was agreed, for example, that the existing network of radiosonde and radar wind stations for forecasting wind and tempera- ture at heights up to 50,000ft must be expanded and that at certainpoints the frequency of observations must be increased. The pass- ing of "actual" weather reports by aircraft en route will also, it isthought, assume much greater importance in future. While flight trials with the Comet thus far are said to haveshown that jet airliners could be fitted into existing traffic patterns, it is considered that improvements in traffic control methods willbe needed later when this type of airliner is operated in larger numbers. Among the requirements foreseen are improved radarsystems and radio aids which can give accurate position indication over medium distances and the development of some more efficientform of long-distance navigational aid. The delegates agreed also that the increased cruising speeds ofaircraft such as the Comet emphasize the need to put into effect quickly the improvements in fixed ground communication systemswhich have already been internationally agreed. It would also be desirable, the conference concluded, to develop an efficient air-to-ground R.T. system for long-distances as well as short. Despite the greater sensitivity of jet aircraft to tropical condi-tions, it is considered that they can be satisfactorily operated from runways planned for piston-engined aircraft of comparable sizeand weight. It was also decided that facilities adequate for turbojets would more than meet the requirements for turboprops. THE GROWTH OF AIR TRAFFIC 'X'HE steady growth throughout the world of passenger and•*• cargo traffic by air in the last decade forms an interesting background to the problems which, as mentioned in the previouscolumn, were recently discussed in London prior to the introduc- tion of high-speed jet aircraft on commercial services. The twographs reproduced below show the aggregates for the past ten years of passenger-kilometres and cargo net ton-kilometres for thescheduled domestic and international routes of nine countries; U.K., Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand,U.S.A., France and Holland. — zpoo o J 1.SOO I ipoo err | 5OO Sf t/J ? o lit! MM. / / r Mr-1 \ y !•»•' •— s \ \ 1939 (945 1946 1947 1948 1949 195O ITALY'S AIR TRANSPORT CRISIS "COR some time past the unhealthy condition of the air transport -T industry in Italy has been proving a source of concern and embarrassment to the Italian nation. Recently appeals have been made, with growing insistence, by various political factions, by the national press and by economical circles, that the Italian Government should re-examine the existing problems and establish a policy which would promote a more stable situation. Some light has been thrown on the reasons for the present impasse by a documentary enquiry which has been carried out by Dott. Ing. Salvatore Tomasino, the Secretary of the Air Transport Development Centre. He has indicated two main causes for ihe problems, one psychological and the other concerning organization. With regard to the former, he believes that in many Italian minds there is still the erroneous belief that the growth of aviation '-yas one of the "pet fads of Fascism." This is said to have ha ; a certain influence in forwarding the re-construction of other fortis of transport to the detriment of civil aviation. The second reaon is thought to be the fact that the air transport industry still comes within the administrative sphere of the Air Force. Both Alitalia and Ali-Flotte Riunite are at present run by Air Force generals.
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