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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1006.PDF
i6o FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS LIGHT RELIEF: Something—or somebody— amused the Duke of Edinburgh and a party of Cranwell Cadets during the formation aero batics which followed the Royal visitor's inspec tion of the passing-out parade last week. (An account and pictures appear on page 183). Mr. John Brancker joins I.A.T.A. CHANGES in the day-to-day administration of the traffic con ferences in which international airline rates and fares are worked out, and the appointment of Mr. John Brancker of B.O.A.C. as traffic director, were announced last week by the International Air Transport Association in Montreal. Mr. Brancker, who has been general manager, international affairs, of B.O.A.C. since 1951, relinquishes his post by agreement with the Corporation. The I.A.T.A. executive committee have created a new traffic advisory committee to give more concentrated attention to the growing volume of traffic work. With headquarters in Montreal, Mr. Brancker will be responsible for the supervision of all I.A.T.A. traffic activities, direction of conferences, preparation of their agenda, and for continued supervision designed to enable the conferences to reach decisions in the shortest possible time. The basic principle that new rate structures must be unanimously approved by the airlines concerned remains unchanged. To his new appointment, which took effect on August 1st, Mr. Brancker brings a wealth of air-transport experience. He joined Imperial Airways in 1929 and has held important traffic and man agerial posts in that company and its successor, B.O.A.C., and their affiliates, in many parts of the world, and has served as chairman of the former I.A.T.A. traffic committee. Aged 43, he is a son of the founder of I.A.T.A., the late Major-General Sir W, Sefton Branck;r, who was the first Director of Civil Aviation in the United Kingdom after World War I. No Gnats? A REFERENCE to the Folland Gnat project was made in the Commons on July 29th, when Mr. George Ward, Under- Secretary for Air, was asked by Mr. E. A. A. Shackleton (Lab., Preston South) to initiate the placing of a development contract for a light fighter of this type. During a defence debate on the same day, Mr. Arthur Henderson (Lab., Rowley Regis and Tipton) said he had been informed that 900 Gnats could be provided for £6m, as compared with 215 Hunters or Swifts. Mr. Ward said that the Air Ministry and the M.o.S. had for some time been giving careful consideration to the potentialities of a lightweight type of fighter; but from information available from the designers of the Gnat, its performance and fighting qualities as at present envisaged would seem unlikely to meet essential R.A.F. specifications. Mr. Shackleton said that as the designers of the Gnat claimed a performance comparable with that of other existing types, and as these were unlikely to be available for NATO countries in sufficient numbers, it did seem desirable to place a development contract for a prototype Gnat. Mr. Ward said that to produce a satisfactory engine for the Gnat would involve considerable expenditure and would take some years. Even then the performance would only be similar to that of aircraft now available. The question about NATO procure ment was one for the Minister of Supply. A.Cdre. A. V. Harvey ("Con., Macclesfield) nevertheless felt that there might be a requirement from NATO countries for this type; he suggested that engines might be made in France to overcome the difficulty—and, incidentally, encourage a firm showing great initiative. Mr. Arthur Henderson asked what was the difference between the performance of the Gnat and the Hunter as regards altitude and speed. To this Mr. Ward replied: "Not very marked." The prototype Gnat, now under construction, is likely to be powered initially with the Armstrong Siddeley Viper (a detailed description of which, incidentally, appears in this issue). In a leading article on May 15th, Flight said: "It would be regrettable if the light fighter concept were to be dismissed because of the many other costly military commitments.... In fact, it might help [through "offshore" sales abroad] to alleviate those very financial problems which are now influencing its development." Major Sir Hew Kilner IT is with deep regret that Flight has to record the death of Major Sir Hew Kibier, M.C., until recently a director of Vickers, Ltd., and Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. He died in hospital at Weybridge last Sunday, August 2nd, at the age of 60. As recorded in an appreciation which appeared in Flight on July 10th, on the occasion of his retire ment due to ill-health, Sir Hew Kilner joined Vickers - Arm strongs in 1930, on leaving the Army. In 1940 he became general manager of Vickers' aircraft sec tion and from then till his retire ment devoted his energies to aircraft production. A member of the company wrote: "to Sir Hew must be given most of the credit for organizing and leading a team which has successfully produced Spitfires, Wellingtons, Vikings, Valettas, Var-sities, Attackers and now Swifts, Viscounts and Valiants . . . For the company to whom hs has given such signal service, his retirement from active work is a severe loss both to his colleagues and to all those who worked under him; the aircraft industry has also lost an active, kindly and energetic supporter." These words were written only a few weeks before his death. In recognition of his services to the nation Sir Hew was knighted in 1947. Comet 2s for Air France and B.O.A.C. FOLLOWING the experience gained during training and proving operations with the Comet la (three of which, ordered last year, were recently delivered) prior to its introduc tion into service this month, Air France has now signed a contract for three Comet 2s. These are to be delivered early in 1955, and will be 44-seat versions. With an all-up weight of 120,000 lb, the series 2 machines will operate stage lengths greater than 2,000 miles with capacity payload of 13,500 lb. It can also be stated that the company is interested in the Comet 3, for delivery following the series 2s. The 58-76 seat series 3 will have a capacity payload of up to 20,000 lb on 2,600- mile stage lengths, and an all-up weight of 145,000 lb. Other Comet news is that a Comet 1 fitted with Rolls-Royce Avons (which will power the Comet 2s) was flown by B.O.A.C.'s operational development unit last week for the first time, from London Airport. Later this year the corporation will receive its first Comet 2. Maj. SirHew Kilner
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