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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 2109.PDF
FLIGHT, i August 1952 a« CIVIL AVIATION COMETS FOR JAPAN— ATOKYO report that Japan Air Lines have ordered two Series II Comets was confirmed last week-end by de Havil- lands, who add that Japanese orders have also been placed for three Herons and four Doves. Together, the contracts represent some £i§ million in the U.K. export drive. J.A.L., who have led the Japanese civil-aviation revival, at present link the main islands by services operated with Martin 2-0-2S and DC-4S, The Avon-Comets are intended for the first external services, which the company hope to extend westward to India and eastward across the Pacific. The same operators have ordered the Herons for new feederline routes to supplement the existing inter-island services. Three of the four Doves are understood to be for a new concern which is to organize local services radiating from the industrial city of Nagoya, while the fourth is to be used for executive and publicity work by a powerful Japanese newspaper. The de Havilland agency in Japan is held by Comes and Co., Ltd., of Tokyo. Japan—whose peace treaty with the Allied Powers was signed only three months ago—is said already to have a large sterling balance, accumulated with the aid of her export revival. Another recent report from the Japanese capital says that Osaka Chosen Kaisha shipping line is forming a subsidiary named Japan International World Airways, to open a passenger-cargo service to the U.S.A. and South America on October 1st. Initially, American crews and aircraft are likely to be employed, and Eastern Airways are said to have tentatively earmarked four DC-4S for the service; this company has an option to buy a 25 per cent interest in J.I.W.A. Proposed schedules are given as two weekly return nights between Tokyo and San Francisco, and one return flight between San Francisco and Sao Paulo, Brazil. —AND TO CEYLON PLANS to introduce the Series I Comet into regular service between London and Colombo, Ceylon, were announced by B.O.A.C. last week. From August nth, the service will operate once weekly in each direction through Rome, Beirut, Bahrain, Karachi and Bombay. Actual flying time for the 5,940-mile journey will be 16 hr 35 min, compared with 29 hr 35 min for the existing Argonaut service via Frankfurt, Rome, Cairo, Bahrain and Karachi. Total journey-time for the Comet will be 21 hr 35 min (the Argonauts take 33 hr 45 min). The Ceylon service follows successful experience with B.O.A.C.'s thrice-weekly services by Comets in both directions between London and Johannesburg. The Corporation also plans to inaugurate regular Comet services to Singapore in the autumn and to Tokyo early in 1953. C.A.T. WINS APPEAL LAST Monday, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ' allowed the appeal of Civil Air Transport Inc., of Delaware, against the dismissal in the Hongkong Supreme Court of their claim that 40 civil aircraft, valued at over £1 million and grounded at Kai Tak airfield, Hongkong, were their property. Lord Oaksey ruled that judgment should be entered that the 40 aircraft were the property of the appellants. There would be no order as to costs. He said that their lordships would give their reasons at a later date. . . The case hinged on whether the recognition at midnight on January 5th-6th, 1950, of the Central People's Government as the de jure Government of China could affect a contract 01 Dec. 12th, 1949, for the sale of aircraft by the Nationalist Govern ment to an American partnership, predecessors-in-utle ot the appellants. . „ , The machines, which were operated by the Chinese Umtrai Air Transport Corporation, were flown to Hongkong in the summer of 1949 on the orders of the Nationalist Government, then recog nised by the British Government. After they had been sold to the American concern, Britain recognised the Communists, and tne Supreme Court of Hongkong held that the aircraft were now their property. SOUTH BANK ROTOR STATION? TWO weeks of tests began last Monday, July 28th, when a Sikorsky S.51 of the B.E.A. Helicopter Umt TO flora in» the South Bank site at Waterloo. The object is to ascertain the "Hight" photograph SIKORSKY AT WATERLOO: W/C. R. A. C. Brie, who has piloted rotating- wing aircraft for more than 20 years and is now in charge of the B.O.A.C. Helicopter Unit, fliw as an observer to the South Bank Site (see below). The pilots for the tests are Capts. J. G. Theilmann and J. A. Cameron. suitability of the site to become a main rotor station for Central London. The S.51 approached along the Thames after flying from Gatwick via Barnes Common and Hurlingham. On Wednes day the Unit's Bristol 171 was due to follow suit, and both machines will, during the fortnight, fly over the Houses of Parlia ment at a height of 500ft so that noise measurements can be made in the chambers of both Houses. This series of test flights marks the latest stage in the prepara tions for regular helicopter services which began in 1947 and will, it is hoped, culminate in regular passenger services with 12-seat twin-engined helicopters in about two years' time. INTEREST IN THE BRITANNIA RECENT criticisms of B.O.A.C.'s policy in ordering Bristol 175 Britannia turboprop-powered transports are not supported by re-equipment trends in America, where backlogs for "stretched" versions of the DC-6 and Constellation are growing almost daily. Present indications are that the Britannia will be superior on all counts to its rejuvenated American competitors. B.O.A.C. are confident that it will prove one of the most economical transport aircraft ever built, and some of the larger independent British operators make no secret of their high opinion of the Britannia as a vehicle for long-haul trooping, tourist and freight services. PanAm president Juan Trippe was reported to have been very im pressed when he saw the 175 prototype at Filton recently, and pub lished performance-estimates for the aircraft will not have passed unnoticed by other American airline executives. One potential customer might be Bob Prescott, president of the non-scheduled Flying Tiger freight company, who (according to Aviation Week) "looks for airfreight really to come into its own when efficiently operating turboprop planes are available. He wants one in the vicinity of 150,000 lb gross with a 50,000 lb payload and enough range for transatlantic non-stop with that load. . . ." AER LINGUS PROSPERS AER LINGUS reports a record profit of £92,180 in the financial year ended March 31st, 1952 (last year the profit was £14,646). Gross revenue rose by £317,618 to £1,619,670; but operating expenses also increased by £243,946. Revenue derived from passenger traffic formed the bulk of the company's earnings. Over 269,000 passengers paid £1,342,851 in fares—an increase of £208,080 over the 1950-51 figure. The average passenger load factor was 74 per cent. Earnings from cargo traffic (nearly 4,000 tons—an increase of 33 per cent.) were £131,335. Aer Lingus carried 1,410 tons of mail (six times last year's total) which added £77,133 to the com pany's income. A 96 per cent, degree of regularity was maintained on the mail service. In view of the expected continued increase in the Aer Lingus cargo and passenger traffic, the company placed in 1951 orders totalling £1,558,000 for the purchase of eight new aircraft—four Vickers-Armstrongs Viscounts and four Bristol Wayfarers. Aer Rianta, which administers Dublin Airport, also had its most successful year, making an airport-management profit of £19,595, as against £3,884 last year. Although aircraft movements showed a slight decrease over last year's total, the number of pas sengers passing through the airport increased from 235,905 in 1950-51 to 279,618 this year.
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