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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1494.PDF
648 FLIGHT, 13 November 1953 F.27 Friendship: of similar configuration to the CL-21, but employs Rolls-Royce Darts. Fokker are building two prototypes. P.87: Percival's new project with Napier turboprops and seating for 36. Details had not reached Mr. Larsson when he presented this paper. H.P.R.3: the only DC-3 replacement with four engines (Alvis Leonides Majors). Handley Page have completed a mock-up. Accountant: Aviation Traders also chose two Dart turboprops. Replacing the DC-3 transport passengers over hauls of 50-200 miles, with an average hop of 75 miles, in an economic way, and in competition with private automobiles, bus and railroad. I think that this requires a new form of vehicle—a rotary-type aircraft which can pick the passenger up and deliver him closer to the spot where he wants to go, thus short-circuiting the present ground transportation from a down-town centre to an airport. The higher operating cost of rotorcraft would be balanced out by the time and cost saving in ground transport. We have just witnessed in the last few months the inauguration of helicopter passenger services in the New York area. One of the local-service lines—Mohawk—has announced its intention to switch to helicopter operations. National Airlines have similar plans in the Miami area. I think these initiatives are a step in the right direction. It is a pity though that development of the rotorcraft is only in its be ginning and that there will be quite a few years yet before twin- engined, 40-seater economic air coaches will be available—probably by 1959-1960. In the rest of the world there is also a definite demand for a DC-3 replacement. Canadair did a market survey last year which showed a need for roughly 150 aircraft by 1955. Recalling that present operations outside America are generally over longer dis tances (200-300 miles), and that competition from surface trans portation is not as keen as in the U.S., this calls for an airliner of conventional type and modern design. In some cases—for example, Belgium and England—popula tion density is such as to make rotorcraft service advantageous. Sabena have already inaugurated helicopter service with pas sengers. The difficulty in satisfying this international market is that the needs are divided up into small lots—maybe three to seven aircraft each—and cannot be put together in one single order for 150 aircraft, a figure which would be a necessary minimum in order to embark on die manufacture of a new type of commercial aircraft. My conclusion, therefore, is that the need for a replacement of the DC-3 is not so much because of shortcomings of the DC-3 as an aircraft, but for odier reasons. In the U.S. the reasons are to be found in die characteristics of the traffic itself, route pattern, density, competition, etc. In the world at large the need is for additional capacity of a conventional but modern aeroplane, re flecting die latest advances in the state of the an. Such an aeroplane, however, cannot be counted on to being a marked economic improvement. It will have direct operating costs equal to—perhaps five per cent better—than those of the written- off DC-3. Have any efforts been made to build a DC-3 Replacement? Yes, but none that have been successful so far. Some of them still exist only on paper and have yet to prove their merit. Super DC-3: Douglas, very logically basing their programme on the existing large numbers of DC-3s, proposed in 1948 the so-called Super DC-3, embodying new wings, new engines and a longer body, increased speed to about 225 m.p.h., seating capacity of 31 and payload capacity of 7,000 lbs. However, the landing gear still remained the old type and the cabin was not pressurized. These reasons, plus trie fact that the conversion cost came close to $300,000, made the airlines reluctant. Only three Super-DC-3s have operated commercially, but some 200 are being delivered for military transport services. Scandia: Saab, about the same time designed and built the Scandia, a twin-engined 32-seater airliner with tricycle gear. Unfortunately it did not have cabin pressurization and was built only on a limited scale. Scandinavia has six Scandias and four are flying in Brazil. A few more are being built on licence by Fokker. CL-21: at one time Boeing negotiated with Saab to build a pressurized Scandia on licence, but the deal was never consum mated. It was for this reason that, in 1952, Canadair undertook to study the possibilities of building a DC-3 replacement. With the local-service airlines in the U.S. urging very strongly at the time for a new aircraft to meet their requirements, we naturally used their specification as a basis. The result has been presented to the airlines as the Canadair 21, a twin-engined, high- wing, 32-seater with tricycle gear and pressure cabin. Compared with the DC-3, the CL-21 offers 50 m.p.h. more cruise speed, 50 per cent higher payload and seat capacity, plus all the design improvements, at five per cent lower direct operating cost per seat-mile. We made the market survey on the basis of an assumed selling price of $450,000, and we think that about 300 could have been sold at this price by 1955-1957. However, after completing the design specification and going over the cost again, we found ourselves unable to produce it at the price mentioned—it would have to cost about $530,000. Since the CL-21 would be a privately financed undertaking, without Government support of any kind, we would require assurance from the airlines of a substantial order before we could possibly embark on the project. Anything else would be sheer suicide. The only group from which such a con certed effort could come, would be the U.S. local-service lines, who—living on the verge of break-even with the help of sub sidies—are not financially strong enough to foot the bill on their own. The international market, which is about the same for an equal number of aircraft (i.e., 150), is split up into perhaps thirty different airlines, each waiting for the other to take die first step. Friendship: The Fokker F.27, or Friendship, is a turboprop powered, high-wing, 28-seater, with Rolls-Royce Dart engines; two prototypes are now being designed and built. This machine has very similar characteristics to the CL-21 and what has been
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