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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0386.PDF
3»4 FLIGHT TOWARDS TURBOPROSPERITY . . . Armstrongs for potential Viscount operators. It is proposed to quote a set of typical performances from these analyses, since they give a realistic impression of the speeds and payloads achieved on varying stage lengths. The following examples are taken from an assessment of the Viscount 700 on longer stages of the type which might be flown by Airwork, Ltd., the British independent operator. Distances, alternatives and wind strengths were given by Airwork, the all-up weight assumed was 58,500 lb and the conservative figures of 13,300 r.p.m. was assumed. These and other factors mentioned in an introduction to the original analyses suggest that the resulting studies may be regarded as completely realistic (Vickers-Armstrongs have gone to considerable lengths to provide potential operators with unvarnished and honest performance estimates). Malta to Khartoum Blackbushe to Entebbe Alternative airfield Distance Block time Payload Block speed Fuel for distance Fuel for 45 min stacking Fuel for diversion Headwind It will be seen that on both these long stages even a high-density Viscount would be capable of carrying a full complement of passengers, allowing 200 lb for a passenger plus baggage. The Viscount's weight-carrying ability is further illustrated by these examples of payloads and speeds on routes of widely varying length in different parts of the world:— Manston 1,160 n.m. 5.2 hr 11,851 lb 223 kt 10,365 lb 1,185 lb 975 lb + 8kt Kisumu 930 n.m. 4.02 hr 13,020 lb 231 kt 8,250 lb 1,350 lb 1,475 lb 0 Route Madras-Bangalore Recife-Sao Salvador Singapore-Djakarta Bombay-Madras Rome-London ... Okinawa-Tokyo Bombay-Calcutta Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires ... Singapore-Hong Kong... Distance (n.m.) 151 351 481 560 791 841 900 1,079 1,400 Take-off Weight (lb) 51,003 55,319 55,745 55,498 58,500 58,500 56.000* 58,500 58,500 Block Speed (kt) 165 213 205 212 238 208 216 207 221 Payload (lb) 12,725 13,695 12,695 12,725 11.869 12,093 9,481 10,026 8,918 •a.u.w. of early-type Series 700. B.E.A- and the Viscount.—British European Airways have, over the past three years, built up a great deal of experience in the operation of turbine-powered aircraft. While the Corporation's primary purpose was to pave the way for high-speed and efficient Viscount services on its own routes, other operators will obviously reap considerable benefit. Practical study of Viscount opera tions began in 1950, when the prototype Series 630 was lent to B.E.A. The aircraft performed most encouragingly, completing 320 hours' flying in the Corporation's service, of which nearly half was spent on scheduled passenger-carrying services on the London-Paris and London-Edinburgh routes. Further experience with the relatively untried Dart turboprops has been gained from mid-1951 onwards with the two Dart-Dakotas, which were used on scheduled freight services; hours flown by the two aircraft are in the region of 1,600. One of the Dart-Dakotas is still being flown in order to assess the effects of cruising at a constant 13,600 r.p.m. (This is 300 r.p.m. more than the figure at present agreed for Viscount operations between B.E.A. and Rolls-Royce, Ltd., and when approved for all services will probably give the Viscount an extra 20 kt.) Last August the B.E.A. Discovery fleet, under Captain A. S. Johnson, began a 250-hour series of proving flights between London and practically all ths points likely to be covered by regular services; the aircraft used was the Viscount Series 700 prototype, G-AMAV. Introducing his official report on the trials, Captain Johnson wrote that ". . . the aircraft and engines behaved very well, and if this performance is the standard which may be expected from production aircraft, it is sure of a bright future in operation." B.E.A. pilots were also among the crew on several flights made by this aircraft while in the hands of the manufacturers, including the icing and tropical trials and a tour of Germany, thus adding a further 300 hours' experience. Discovery (G-ALWE), the first production aircraft, completed its acceptance trials in January and has subsequently been subjected to an intensive flying pro gramme. Teething troubles are usually experienced in this stage of the development of an airliner, but so far remarkably few snags have been encountered, despite the fact that Discovery has often logged 10 hours' flying out of 24, completing up to 30 landings per day on four, three and two engines. Crew training has been the main activity, coupled with a succession of proving flights. G-ALWE established, on January 22nd, the first official F.A.I, "speed record on an air route," flying from London to Wahn, Cologne, at 283 m.p.h. in unfavourable conditions. B.E.A.'s experience shows that while crews must be taught to appreciate the importance of the precise handling techniques of the Viscount, the actual time and cost of crew training should be no more than for a comparable piston-engined airliner. The Viscount's reputation is such that literally 99 per cent of the B.E.A. pilots eligible applied for posting to the new Discovery fleet. Conversion of those initially selected—22 captains and 22 first officers—is now well under way. After 9 hr 30 min type training, captains are transferred to "line" operations for a flexible period of combined route and type training before returning to base for a final check. On the successful completion of this check the prized Viscount endorsement can be entered in their log books. This new procedure is also being followed in the case of first officers, who receive a shorter period of base training (5 J hr) before flying on the route under supervision, pending the final check. Between 10 and 14 complete crews will have com pleted their training when scheduled services begin. Ground courses (totalling eight weeks in the case of pilots) ensure that both flight and ground crews are fully conversant with all the charac teristics of their new aircraft. After studying electronics for a week at Northolt, pilots undergo a three-week course at the Vickers Aircraft Servicing School, followed by a two-week study of engine handling problems with Rolls-Royce, Ltd. One week's revision and a further one-week course on the Decca Navigator complete the syllabus. Preliminary to the introduction of the Viscount by Aer Lingus, one of the Irish airline's senior captains has been attached to B.E.A. for 12 months. The Vickers School, incidentally, runs courses for engineers and electricians as well as pilots; over 140 people have completed Viscount courses there, including 46 B.E.A. pilots, 15 from Air France, and a corresponding number of engineers from each airline. It is expected that, from April 19, Viscount services will be progressively introduced on the following routes: London-Cyprus via Rome and Athens) (two weekly); London-Istanbul (w'a.Rome "Discovery," the Viscount flagship, is pictured in the new B.E.A. maintenance base at London Airport. Remarkably few mechani cal troubles, even of a minor variety, have cropped up during this aircraft's brief but inten sive period of service.
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