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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0361.PDF
FLIGHT, 8 February 1952 CIVIL AVIATION FLIGHT FROM EGYPT: This photograph of a busy scene at Wadi Haifa was secured when a B.O.A.C. Hermes landed there with only a half-an-hour's fuel on board after a hurried departure from Farouk Airport during the recent disturbances in Egypt. U.S. AIR-SAFETY INQUIRY pOLLOWING the recent incidence of airline accidents in the •*• United States, the House of Representatives has ordered a full- scale investigation into air-safety standards. A five-member sub committee has been established to make the inquiry and all Government departments which make and enforce air-transport regulations have promised their full co-operation. The C.A.B. has announced that the inquiry will start almost immediately, so that members of the sub-committee will be able to witness the methods adopted by the Board's experts investigating the recent accident suffered by American Airlines at Newark Airport, near Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was the second to have occurred at Newark within five weeks : on December 16th, 1951, 56 people lost their lives when a C-46 crashed soon after take-off. The committee will investigate all air regulations, pilot training programmes, airport equipment and location, aircraft maintenance and electronic landing aids. Particular attention will be paid to the question of moving Newark Airport to a better site. Since these accidents there have been continuing demands from the public that the airport should be moved because it is now located in a congested area. On the question of U.S. air-safety generally, Mr. Donald Nyrop, chairman of the C.A.B., has pointed out to the committee that there has, in fact, been a steady improvement in the accident rate during recent years. It was better, he suggested, to review the problem in the light of achievement during successive five-year periods rather than study the results for single years. For example, non-scheduled airlines had a relatively poor record in 1951 because of two crashes in December which together caused 82 deaths. Had they happened a few days later, 1951 would have been a perfect year except for a single fatality which occurred during a military contract flight on November 5th. C.A.B. statistics show that the scheduled airlines had a fatality rate of 1.4 persons per 100,000,000 passenger-miles in 1951, as compared with a figure of 1.2 for the previous year. Last year's rate for the non-scheduled operators is estimated at about 7.3'per 100,000,000. In 1951 there were 291 deaths among passengers and crews on American internal and international scheduled and non- scheduled airlines. These took place in a year when the companies carried a total of 25,000,000 passengers and flew more than 14,000 million passenger-miles, the busiest year in the history of the industry. Although the scheduled airlines show higher fatality totals, their safety record is, nevertheless, better because, on internal routes alone, they flew more than ten times the passenger-mileage achieved by non-scheduled operators. DAKOTAS FOR SALE THE market for second-hand commercial aircraft changes very quickly, and although their disposal is unlikely to prove difficult, there will be no unholy rush for the Dakotas—the num ber is understood to be 30—put up for sale by the R.A.F. We learn that they are all standard freighters in good shape, though entirely without spares backing. There should be no difficulty in obtaining a C. of A. for any of these machines. The sale involves certain restrictions, designed to retain the aircraft in the hands of operators who could be called upon in the event of a national emergency. Thus, one of the conditions is that there shall be no redisposal to foreign countries, even for dollars. The Dakota spares position (particularly so far as the airframe is concerned) while not critical, is definitely sticky for most owners. There are a few operators, however, who laid in a good supply in the past and are therefore better placed. It seems likely that the Corporations will have a go and, in fact, B.E.A. have already earmarked at least two of the machines. If others are permitted to be based overseas, some of B.O.A.C.'s associated companies would no doubt also like to have them— Middle East and African operators, for example. Whether the disposal of Dakotas at this time indicates an im provement in the supply of new aircraft for Transport Command is undisclosed. If it does not, it seems at first thought to be an untimely move. NATIONALIZED MEXICAN AIRLINES IT was announced last week that the Mexican Directorate of Aeronautics has decided to nationalize the country's civil air transport industry. In a speech given in his honour by the Aviation Club of Mexico, the Director of Civil Aviation stated : "It is no longer just or fair to Mexico that most of the earnings of the air lines and airports should go abroad now that the country ranks seventh in the list of the world's most important air transport industries." In point of fact, the Mexican Minister of Communica tions later denied the validity of the disclosure, but the Directorate ANOTHER ROYAL CREW: The East African Airways Dakota "Sagana" will be used to fly T.R.H. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh from Nanyuki to Mombasa at the end of their stay in Kenya and before they embark upon their Australian tour. Right to left in this group are WjC. A. N. Francombe, deputy manager of the Corporation; Capt. G. 0. P. Watson; RjO. I. Morris (Radio); and Steward G. F. Mathews.
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