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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0444.PDF
442 FLIGHT, 3 April 1953 BREVITIES AIRLINE transactions at the I.A.T.A. Clearing House in «• London during January totalled £6,168,700 compared with £5,607,000 in the first month of 1952. * •* * The correct method of assembling Rumbold safety belts type M.192 and M.368 is described and illustrated in the A.R.B.'S Notice to Licensed Aircraft Engineers and to Owners of Civil Aircraft (No. 41, Issue 1). * * * K.L.M. have introduced cheaper fares on their DC-6B service between Amsterdam and Mexico City—the only direct route from Europe. Second-class passengers, who pay £68 15s less than the luxury fare, travel in a separate cabin. * * * Switzerland's first concrete runway—the 6,000ft single strip at Contrin, Geneva—is to be extended by 1,300ft. Another projected improvement at this Swiss terminal is the construction of a new airport restaurant. * * * Capt. H. V. Worrall, manager of Lancashire Aircraft Corpora tion at Yeadon Airport, is to retire in April. Capt. Worrall, who has 11,000 flying hours to his credit, will join a Leeds advertising firm. * * * Qantas Empire Airways were the only airline to exhibit at the recent Ideal Home Exhibition. The company's stand showed a section of the interior of an aircraft and a full-size replica of a Constellation galley, in which preparation of pre-frozen meals was demonstrated. * * •* It is believed that Capt. J. Hazzard of A.N.A. is, at the age of 39, the youngest pilot to have reached the total of 20,000 flying hours. Capt. Hazzard, who has been a pilot for 22 years, is the nephew of Capt. K. Virtue, also of A.N.A., who holds the Australian record of 21,700 hours. * * * Traffic statistics for Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney, during the calendar year 1952 show that on average 2,300 passengers arrived at or departed from the airport each day. Thirteen airlines —six domestic and seven overseas—operated 113 services daily from Kingsford Smith at an average load factor of 67.9 per cent. "Flieht" photograph MAINSTAY: Like so many medium-sized airlines, Malayan Airways depends largely on the DC-3; the company operctts a fleet of 11, plus two Rapides, on its domestic and international service. One of the DC-3s is pictured taking-off from Kuala Lumpur, which is connected to Singapore by some 40 return services weekly. Western Airlines have ordered three DC-6Bs for delivery in the summer of 1954. * * * Finnair (Aero O/Y) has now taken delivery of its first Convair 340. Two more are on order. * * * Temporarily recalled for duty nearer home following the recent floods, the Dutch weather ship manning Ocean Station Alpha (350 miles east of Greenland) has been replaced by an American vessel. * * * As from March 5th Alitalia began operating its Rome-Malta- Tripoli twice weekly service with DC-4S. Previously the comoany had worked this route with a DC-3 chartered from L.A.I. Alitalia plans to operate the service with Convair CV 340s in about two months' time. * * * Believed to be the largest single consignment of TV equipment to be exnorted by air from England, over 3,000 lb of telecine and studio lighting equipment was taken to Caracas recently by a K.L.M. Skymaster. Manufactured by Marconi's Wireless Tele graph Co. Ltd, the equipment was needed for the opening of a new "televisa station" in the Venezuelan capital The average daily total of 155 tons of manufactured goods lifted from Berlin to Hamburg by British operators is being in creased by about 20 per cent. Seaboard and Western Airlines recently contracted with the Berlin Senate to carry 220 tons weekly between Berlin and Hamburg; the first flight, by a DC-4, was made on March 10. * * * The Institute of Transport announces that the 1953 Brancker Memorial Lecture, arranged for February 9th and postponed because of the illness of the lecturer, Sir Frederick Handley Page, will now take place at 5.45 p m. on Wednesday, April 15th, in the Jarvis Hall, 66 Portland Place, London, W.i. Sir Frederick will speak on The Influence of Military Aviation on Civil Air Transport. The meeting will be open to visitors. Capt. O. P. Jones, who flies B.O.A.C. Stratacruisers on the North Atlantic route, recently completed his 4,000,000th mile of flying; he is probably the first British Pilot to reach this total. Since 1917 Capt. Jones has flown some 20,540 hr. in 100 types of aircraft and has carried 131,479 passengers. * * * B.E.A. carried over 75,000 passengers last November, 31 per cent more than in the corresponding month of 1951. Over the same period associate services carried 3,000 passengers, an increase of 91 per cent (accounted for largely by the "Safari" services to East Africa). B.O.A.C carried 23,000 passengers during the five- week period ended, compared with 17,000 in the calendar month of November, 1951 (B.O.A.C.'s operations are now calculated on a weekly basis). DUNSTABLE DINNER THOUGH formed in 1933, tne London Gliding Club is now in its twenty-third year. This baffling historical fact was disclosed, but not explained, by Mr. Dan Smith, chairman and C.F.I, of the club, at the annual dinner, held at the Dunstable clubhouse on Saturday, March 21st. Mr. Smith went on to speak of the club's most important asset —the friendliness and goodwill of its members—and to forecast, for the future, far more cross-country flights. Winching up to more than 1,500ft was now available, and if one couldn't get to Cornwall from that height—well, the winching height would have to be raised further. Surveying the club's achievements, the chairman pointed out that, in addition to giving the present world champion his basic training in gliding, it had—through its members—helped in forming other gliding groups in many parts of the world. Proposing the toast of "The Guests," Mr. Dudley Hiscoa (formerly club chairman) first mentioned the world champion Mr. Philip Wills and the world champion tailplane-retrieving wife, Mrs. Kitty Wills. Also present he continued were Mr. Tipper, the captain of the neighbouring golf club ("we try not to land on their golf course, but we do replace divots") and Mrs. Tipper and Mr. and Mrs. Kay, whose farm adjoined the club's ground. Replying on behalf of the guests, Mr. Philip Wills told a "Little Red Riding Hood" story—with a Dunstable emphasis—and con gratulated the club on its site, clubhouse and aircraft. One of the most attractive things about gliding was its unexpectedness, he continued, for—as Dan Smith had just pointed out to him—who would have thought one year ago that he (the speaker) would soon be able to paint the initials of "World Champion" on his door? Mr. Wills went on to emphasize that the red tape which tended to throttle other branches of aviation was not present in gliding. All should endeavour, he concluded, to keep things that way. Bouquets were then presented to Mrs. Betty Smith, wife of the chairman, by Mr. Geoffrey Steohenson on behalf of the club's flying committee; and to Mrs. Turvey, responsible for the club house catering, by Mr. Smith on behalf of the club. The fina; sneech consisted of some brief remarks bv Mr. Tipper, of the Dunstable Golf Club; "We don't reallv mind you knocking our wires down," he affirmed, and in fact gliding proficiency must be imnroving, for fewer such occurrences were now taking place. The dance which followed gained much afmosphere from the music of the excellent auartet present—the fact that two of tht club's flying members belong also to one of I ondon's better danc orchestras being no coincidence. Dancing continued unti midnight.
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