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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0779.PDF
28 March 1952 353 *'; SWISSAIR of Switzerland's Airline undertook as much outside contract work as possible in order to keep its workshops active and there was a certain amount of flying training, some Swiss Air Force pilots being trained in civil methods in readiness for post-war work with Swissair. Air transport in Switzerland had progressed rapidly in the 20 years up to the outbreak of World War II. From the original single-engined flying-boats operating from the lakes, and from converted (or sometimes unconverted) 1914-18 military aircraft flying mail and one or two passengers, a modern airline had been built and Swissair had already achieved a good reputation for efficient service. With the ending of the war, the company set about the task of rebuild ing its routes and continuing its development. The DC-3 fleet was increased (at present there are 15 DC-3S and C-47S) and four DC-4S were ordered. By the summer of 1946 Swissair was already flying from Switzerland to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Malmo, Paris, Prague and Warsaw (courier service). Before the war Swiss airports were small grass fields and much of the airline flying was of the contact variety, made possible by the pilots' intimate knowledge of the country; but after the war great airport improvements took place, and now Cointrin (at Geneva) and Kloten (at Zurich) rank among the finest in Europe. These developments made it possible for Swissair to use large aircraft, while the navigational and approach aids installed have made the company an all- weather airline. In November, 1946, Swissair's first DC-4, HB-ILA, was delivered, making the first non-stop U.S.A.-Switzerland flight. The second DC-4 was delivered in February, 1947, and the company was then able to plan its first true long distance operations. A further consolidation of Swiss air transport took place early in 1947, when the small Alpar company joined Swissair. In the spring of that year a regular service was established between Switzerland and Jerusalem and Cairo, thus extending the company's operations into three continents. A fourth continent was added when, on May 2nd, 1947, Swissair made its first flight to the U.S.A.—a DC-4 flew from Geneva to Washington. A regular transatlantic service was not imme diately established but a number of further flights were made. A series of flights to Johannesburg was begun on August 3rd, 1947, and on October 10th Swissair sent a DC-4 on a special flight to Buenos Aires. Special flights were also made to Bombay. It was also in 1947, in July, that the company ordered four Convair-Liners for use on European routes. With its fleet of DC-3S, DC-4S and Convair-Liners Swissair had now taken its place among the great European airlines, so that it was not surprising when, in August, 1951, the company took delivery of the first two 50-passenger Douglas DC-6Bs to arrive in Europe. These aircraft have been introduced on the company's transatlantic services and they have already made some fast crossings of the ocean. On the night of January 30th-3ist the Zurich flew non-stop from New York to Geneva in 10 hr 24 min, making the actual ocean crossing from Gander to Shannon in 4 hr 36 min. Both these times created unofficial records for commercial aircraft. A third DC-6B is due for delivery to Swissair next month and three more are on order for 1953. For many years the unpainted, highly-polished aircraft of Swissair have been a familiar sight in European skies, for the Swiss colours, consisting of a white cross on a red field painted right across the fin and rudder, can be seen from a distance of several miles. With the introduction of the DC-6Bs the company adopted a new colour scheme, having a white-topped fuselage with red "cheat" lines. This scheme has now been introduced on the DC-4S and Convair-Liners, as illustrated on this page. Last year Swissair, for the first time, flew 10,000,000 kilo metres in one year, also for the first time it carried over a quarter of a million passengers in one year. J.S. 1936: Two Junkers Ju86s, each powered by two 600 h.p. Junkers Jumo 205 C diesels, were used on certain pre-war routes. 1937: The famous DC-3, first introduced by Swissair in 1937, still forms the main equipment of the company.
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