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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1026.PDF
i8o FLIGHT, 7 August 1953 CIVIL AVIATION . . . (who between them carried most of the passengers using our air ports and whose problems were admittedly different from those of the independants) nor the travel agents could arrange this. In consequence, most airlines collected the charges from indi vidual passengers as they left the town terminal or the airport. This caused inconvenience to passengers and, after most careful thought, the Minister had decided to withdraw the passenger service charges as such and to raise compensatory revenue by means of increases in landing fees. Adjustments to the landing fees were now being considered in consultation with the interests concerned, and the change would be introduced in the spring of 1954. A. Cdre. Harvey's question was not reached in time for supple mentary questions to be asked, but it may be taken that the Minister's announcement was welcomed by many Members who have some time protested severely against this particular imposi tion. RARE BIRD: An airliner unlikely to be entered in the log of many collectors is this Curtiss C-46 of the Chinese People's Aircraft Corporation. The markings are mainly in red. As reported on the opposite page, El Al, one of the many airlines still using this type, are adding auxiliary jets to improve the performance of their Commandos. Paris on my way from Algiers to London. Jacques Noetinger of the U.S.I.A. insisted on rushing me, at terrifying speed, to the Hurel-Dubois establishment on my way from Paris to Orly. I had ten minutes in the factory and arrived at Orly with one minute in hand. In that ten-minute call I met Commandant Maurice Hurel, had a quick look at the HD 31 (which had made its first flight about six weeks earlier) and, dare I mention it, met M. Andre Pean, chief engineer of Air France on his way in as I came out. I brought away various interesting documents including one entitled The Advantages of High Aspect Ratios, an impression of a team of people who knew what they were about and a high opinion of the workmanship on the HD 31. I also glimpsed the fuselage of the HD 32 progressing nearby. On arrival at this year's Paris Salon I sought and received Commandant HurePs permission to fly in the HD 31, which was then making its first public appearance. The aircraft is at present unsoundproofed and unfurnished, containing mostly instruments, ballast boxes and a lot of space. The noise was terrific and up in its cathedral-like roof thin control cables could be glimpsed. When Max Fischl opened up the two 800 h.p. Wrights, the aircraft began to roll and, after running about 900ft, the great structure leapt into the air and began its fantastic climb, passing nearly over the exhibition hall at the end of the runway at about 1,500ft. The take-off was made at a weight of about 27,500 lb (fully loaded weight is 29,762 lb) and the temperature at the runway was about 35 deg C. We continued climbing towards Paris in what were quite turbulent conditions. In more orthodox aircraft it would probably have been a rough ride but in the HD 31 the fuselage rode smoothly while the great stretch of wing flexed merrily and absorbed the turbulence. Having seen the flexing to starboard and checked that the same thing was happening to port I settled down to enjoy the view, as there were too many people forward to allow penetration to the flight deck. We made a couple of wide tours around the area with quite steep turns at each end and it was an impressive sight to see the great wing pointing at the ground or straight up towards the sky. Coming in off one such turn and making a steep approach we "Flight" photograph HUREL HEAD-ON: Spanning neatly 150ft, the HD 31 makes an impressive picture, particularly with one of the 800 h.p. Wrights inoperative. FLYING IN THE HUREL-DUBOIS D URING the 20th Paris Aeronautical Salon [writes John Stroud] I was fortunate enough to fly in the Hurel-Dubois HD 31; in fact I was one of the first outsiders to do so. However, this story does not begin at that point. At the 1949 Salon in the Grand Palais I noticed a very high-aspect ratio monoplane model, thought it looked odd and passed on. That was my mistake. About a year later, on May 14th, 1950, to be exact, at the R.Ae.S. Garden Party at White Waltham, I saw the little HD 10 F-WFAN, aspect ratio 32.5, flying most impressively with little apparent means of support, at least in the sense that we have to come to accept it. Research has now tied up the little model and the HD 10—it was the | scale wind-tunnel model tested at Toulouse. My next encounter with the Hurel-Dubois aircraft and their paper-knife wings was in March this year, when I passed through pulled to a stop after running perhaps less than 900ft. I don't think we were more than 1,200-1,500ft from the runway threshold when we stopped. We didn't exactly fly back to our parking place but we did clear the runway at high speed and, during the great flying show on the following Sunday, Max Fischl did in fact fly the HD 31 from his touch down point to the end of the runway at a height of about 2-3ft. This is a most impressive aeroplane and the HD 32, which is due to fly in November, should be even more so, with its two 1,200 h.p. Twin Wasps enabling it to be compared directly with the Dakota. Operating costs for the HD 31 are 40 frs per tonne/km; in addition Commandant Hurel has plans for a large 60-ton trans port powered by four Wright Compounds and carrying 30 tons of payload at 20 frs/tonne/km. I think we shall hear much of these aircraft and it is not improbable that some of what we hear may be connected with one of the world's major airlines.
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