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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2212.PDF
FLIGHT, 2 November 1951 575 FIRST IN EUROPE: A sub- stantial improvement in G.C.A. facilities at the French international airport ofOrly is expected to result from the recent installation of Gilfillan Moving Target Indicator equipment. Radar operators are now housed in a new annexe of the control tower (extreme left) and the man-power problem has been alleviated by the fact that both scopes can now be handled by a single oper- ator. In the right-hand photograph is seen the newly erected scanner. Surveillance radar gives effective coverage for up to 60 m/7es fwm'the airport. "Flight" photographs CIVIL AVIATION C.P.A. s PLANS FOR THE COMET AS mentioned briefly in Flight last week, the Comets now being- built for Canadian Pacific Air Lines are likely to be seen first on the South Pacific sections of the company's network, rather than on the northern arc to Tokyo and Hong Kong, as was previously contemplated. Delivery is expected late next year, by which time C.P.A. will stand to benefit considerably from the experience which B.O.A.C. should have accumulated on the type. The Vancouver-Australia over-ocean service has particular need of Comet speed, because the stages are at present long and boring; and it suits jet-aircraft characteristics in that there are no calls for the substantial fuel reserves associated with bad-weather diversion and stacking. The weather is normally reliable in this part of the world and, although the temperatures are tropical at some of the stopping points, the runways are of adequate length for take-off. The existing stage-lengths are specially suitable for the Comet Series I (Ghost engines), except for the Honolulu-Vancouver stage of 2,800 statute miles. This would call for the range of the Series II, powered by Rolls-Royce Avons. The intention, there- fore, is to introduce the Series I Comets on the sections south of Honolulu, in conjunction with Douglas DC-6bs (Pratt and Whitney R-800 engines) on the Honolulu-Vancouver leg. The Series I aircraft will be based in Sydney. They will work two return trips weekly, one from Sydney via Fiji and Canton to Honolulu (5,200 statute miles), and another from Sydney via Auckland, Fiji and Canton to Honolulu (5,600 miles). Australia will thus enjoy two, and New Zealand one, weekly fast services to Hawaii, with all the refinements of smooth, vibration-free travel which are the main attractions of the jet airliner. From Honolulu to the Canadian coast passengers must, for the time being, make the long stage at a more ordinary speed and height. The actual stage-lengths for the Comet sections in statute miles are approximately as follows : Sydney-Fiji, 2,000; Fiji-Canton, XJ27O; Canton-Honolulu, 1,900; Sydney-Auckland, 1,350; Auckland-Fiji, 1,320. An agreeable facility for the C.P.A. trans-Pacific traveller will be the 30-hour stop-over at Honolulu which is permitted by the ticket. Certainly the prospect of spending a short time at Waikiki rather than of drumming through the weather layers over the vast ocean without a break seems likely to attract many passengers. MORE AIRCRAFT FOR CHARTER pOLLOWING the completion of the air evacuation of AbadanA there has been some slight improvement in the general situation on the charter market. The evacuation had the effect of releasing the Halifax aircraft which for the past three months had been virtually grounded through lack of crews. They will now be manned by crews who have been engaged in operating Yorks for the R.A.F. in North Africa and the Middle East. These machines are not immediately available, but are gradually returning to this country and, after overhauls, and Cs. of A. where necessary, will be put on the market again. Apart from the R.A.F. contract, other Yorks have also become available on completion of their contracts to fly pilgrims to Mecca from various parts of the Middle East. The situation with regard to lighter machines, however, "a* shown no signs of improvement. Medium transport aircraft are scarce because of the widespread selling of Dakotas during the past few months for prices of up to £25,000. The few remainingDC-3S are heavily committed and Vikings are even more difficult to obtain, because of long-term commitments on troopingcontracts. It is also difficult to find foreign aircraft available for charter,as all scheduled lines have far more traffic than they can cope with and, in most cases, are operating with almost 100 per centutilization on the regular routes. Although there are some signs of improvement in the availability of aircraft, the situation is stillfar from stable. With the possibility of further political difficulties in Egypt and Iraq, operators are wondering whether there may beanother spate of Government charters for the carriage of civilians, troops or supplies. No definite moves have yet been made in thisdirection but—probably judging from past experience—operators now seem unwilling to undertake any long-term contracts or tomake quotations for flights more than a few days ahead. Among the more unusual of recent fixtures were two BristolFreighter loads of horses from Lympne to Le Touquet and from Copenhagen to Cambridge, and a Dakota load of 2,000 kg of beer-bottle corks from Paris to Lagos. Enquiries have also been circu- lated for the transport of 1,000 live minks in cages from Milwaukeeto Oslo in December, and for 12 tons of yeast from Amsterdam to Lydda immediately. There are also numerous enquiries forContinental tourist traffic and from prospective visitors to next year's Olympic Games. . .,-.-.: THE RINGWAY DAKOTA ACCIDENT THE M.C.A. has now published its report on the accident toDakota G-AJVZ, operated by Air Transport (Charter) (C.I.), Ltd., which crashed at Ringway Airport (Manchester) on March 27th last. The aircraft was operating a night newspaper service from Ringway to Nutts Corner, Belfast. Following an erratic take-off in falling snow, says the report, it swung to port and failed to gain height. One or both of the engines were heard to cut before it struck a tree half a mile from the end of the runway and was wrecked; both pilots lost their lives. The M.C.A.'s Chief Inspector of Accidents, A/Cdre. Vernon Brown, considers that the crash was due to the inability of the aircraft to gain height because of a loss of power attributed to ice formation in the carburettor intakes. Had the captain not failed to make use of the heating controls, says the Chief Inspector, the accident might not have occurred. An extended under- carriage and the presence of snow on the wings are also thought to have been contributory factors. Weather .conditions at the time were said to have been ideal for the formation of ice and the blockage of the carburettors by snow freezing on the intake screens. There was no evidence of pre-crash mechanical failure, and the Dakota's all-up weight was less than the maximum permitted. Since the accident, incidentally, the M.C.A. has issued Informa- tion Circular No. 132/1951 warning pilots of the adverse effects of frost, ice and snow on take-off performance. It points out that thrust, lift and drag characteristics may be impaired, with a consequent increase in the stalling speed and in the take-off dis- tance; a decrease in the subsequent rate of climb may also follow. A number of methods of protection are specified, includ- ing the provision of covers for aircraft parked in the open and the
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