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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1228.PDF
384 FLIGHT, II September 1953 CIVIL AVIATION . K.L.M.'s RACE ENTRY T HE illustration of the DC-6A entered by K.L.M. in the London-Christ- church race has prompted the reminder from an official of the airline that a K.L.M. DC-2 not only took second place in the speed section of the 1934 Mildenhall- Melbourne race, but also achieved first place in the handicap section. He adds that: "Conditions have changed very much since 1934, and it is quite obvious that no airliner today would have any chance of competing successfully in the speed section with such contenders as a Canberra and the Valiant. Nevertheless, it is naturally the hope of the Royal Dutch Airlines that they will repeat their success in the transport handicap section." IN OUTLINE: On the eve of the S.B.A.C. Show, Handley Page (Reading) gave the first details cf their projected DC-3 replacement—the H.P.R.3, powered by four 870 h.p. Alvis Lecnides Majors. A mock-up has been completed. Dimensions are: span, 95ft; length, 70ft 3/n; height, 22ft 6in. CONVAIRS' CLOSE CALL 'TWO Convair-liners which took off from Chicago about a * minute apart on August 26th touched while flying at 11,000ft over Indiana. One, belonging to United Air Lines, suffered a punctured cabin, and made an emergency landing. The other, operated by American Airlines, returned to Chicago with a 3ft hole in its tail. None of the total of 51 passengers and six crew was injured. GLOBAL AIR CRUISE PROBABLY the most sumptuous "inclusive tour" ever offered by an airline is now being planned by P.A.W.A. in conjunction with a travel organization. Taking in five con tinents and covering 55,000 miles, the tour begins on January 21st new year and will last for 85 days. The aircraft, a DC-6B, will be at the exclusive disposal of its 30 passengers, who will be provided with "Sleeperettes," and a lounge and bar. The fare, including accommodation, meals, entertainment and shore excursions, will be $15,000 (£5,375). TO THE MAN ON THE SPOT EXPERIMENTAL mobile V.H.F. radio has been produced by the General Electric Co., Ltd., for the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is now on trial at London Airport. Essentially, the equipment is a mobile extension of the airport telephone exchange and allows any subscriber on that exchange to keep in touch with a vehicle which may be anything up to ten miles away from the airport centre. It allows airport staff working away from normal fixed telephones* to communicate with their own offices or with other parts of the airfield without leaving their work, thus affording a time-saving which may, on occasions, prove vital in maintaining service schedules. The mobile part of the equipment consists of an amplitude- modulation 10/12 V.H.F. transmitter-receiver, installed in the back of the vehicle and working from the vehicle battery. It operates in frequency bands between 70 mc/s-180 mc/s, includ ing the frequency allotted to vehicles towing aircraft. There is no "press to transmit" switch, the user being able to speak and listen simultaneously, as with a normal telephone; a control panel conveniently sited in the vehicle incorporates a loudspeaker, control switch and volume control. An exchange matching unit connects a central static V.H.F. set to the telephone exchange. This central set may be sited up to five miles away from the telephone exchange, with a land-line connection between the two. HANDLEY PAGE'S NEW TRANSPORT PRELIMINARY details were announced on Friday of the Handley Page (Reading) project for a DC-3 replacement. As the accompanying drawings show, the aircraft, designated H.P.R.3, differs in several respects from contemporary designs aimed at the same market. The most important difference is the use of four engines (870 h.p. Alvis Leonides Majors) which should provide a high cruising speed and the ability to meet rigid air worthiness requirements, particularly in hot climates or high altitudes. Handley Page say that, to all intents and purposes, the H.P.R.3 has been "designed by operators themselves" since the specification was the result of a world-wide survey of nearly every airline in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and South America. The high-position wing, with underslung engine installations, is intended to facilitate loading and servicing, as well as helping to keep the cabin cool in warm climates and giving passengers a wide field of vision. The fuselage, which is fully pressurized, will house 36-44 passengers or an equivalent payload of freight, or a combination of both. The standard tankage of 700 gal will provide a range of 1,500 miles at 220 m.p.h. with a payload of 7,050 lb, and extra tanks can be fitted if required by die operators. A 1,000 yd grass strip is stated to be sufficient for take-off. Operating costs are quoted as li pence per passenger-mile or 15J pence per ton-mile. NEW CAMBRIAN SERVICES SEPTEMBER 13th is the inaugural date for another addition & to the growing network of Cambrian Air Services, who now operate three Doves and seven Rapides, as well as four single- engined aircraft. The new service, between Southampton and Paris, will be flown with Doves on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays throughout the winter months. On the same days the company will also operate an inter-port service linking Southampton, Bristol and Cardiff. BREVITIES T\ELIVERY of twelve Convair 340s ordered by K.L.M. is about •*-' to begin shortly and the Dutch airline is reported to have agreed to sell two of the Model 240s now in service to Swissair. The deal awaits the approval of the Swiss government. * * * A merger is announced between two Australian local service operators: East West Airlines, Ltd., and South Coast Airways (Pty.), Ltd. * * * Executives of B.O.A.C. played a match at Sunningdale Golf Club on August 22nd against a team from the Aircraft Golfing Society, winning by 4? points to Z\. * * * Central African Airways experienced a 33 per cent increase in passenger traffic in July, carrying 18,626 during the month compared with 14,019 in July, 1952. Revenue for July totalled £162,000, of which £11,900 was profit. * * * New commandant of Birmingham Airport, Elmdon, is Mr. J. A. Gordon, who was formerly in charge of Garwick and Stan- sted Airports. Mr. J. Jackman, who has been temporarily in charge at Elmdon since Mr. Peter Scott retired last month, is taking up an M.C.A. appointment at Liverpool. Qantas announce the arrival in this country of their chief engineer, Mr. D. H. Wright, who will be in charge of liaison between the airline and the Bristol and de Havilland com panies. Both Britannias and Comets will be operated by Qantas in the near future. The company has placed a £A6m order for six of the Bristol turbo prop airliners, and will operate Comet 2s in conjunction with B.O.A.C. on the Kangaroo route next year. Delivery of Britannias is expected to begin in 1956. Air. D. H. Wright
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