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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1507.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2339 Vol. LXIV. FRIDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 1953 EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH. D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. ART ED/TOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1. Telegrams, Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams. Autocar, Coventry. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 260, Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 3 lines). Deansgate 3S95 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00. BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Sea Legs 666 The Fledglings of Rhodesia 668 Helicopters and the Independents - - 671 On a Sabre Coming Over 674 Rapide with Royal Urge 676 Stability and Control - 678 Pterodactyl to Sherpa - 680 A DC-3 Successor There Must Be W E were pleased last week to publish Mr. Karl Larsson's excellent review of the requirements and tenders for the DC-3 replacement. We were also rather cross with him for beating us to it, for we had just such a review in preparation. The illustrations, already selected, we used with his paper; but so far as the stories are concerned ours would have had a different ending. With a dollar-wise North American outlook no one could find much fault with his conclusion as written, but the result of his survey and deliberations is depressingly negative—namely, that there is little chance of the Canadair CL-21, for one type, materializing unless some sort of Government backing is forthcoming. And that, unfortunately, is what most other would-be manu facturers have said or are thinking. Although it would not be found listed among the requirements of the DC-3 replace ment, a price comparable with that of the ex-Service Dakota is one of the things of which operators still dream fondly. The cost-difference between a surplus transport just post-war and a new one in the year 1955 comes as a nasty shock which small operators have tried not to think about. It is the difference between £5,000-£10,000 and £100,000-£ 150,000. But replacements DC-3 operators all over the world must have, and it will eventually prove more expensive—to the extent of putting them out of business—to be without aircraft than to foot the bill, somehow or other, for the right kind of new equipment. If a new design is to be ready for use by the time the majority of the 1,500-odd DC-3s still operating have to be withdrawn, work must start without more delay. As many as half of these old faithfuls will probably be succeeded by something larger and more elaborate (and requiring better airfields); but quite a number of direct replacements will also be called for, and many new requirements for such a machine are to be expected. A Bird in the Hand In the meantime, DC-3s slog on, some change hands and others yield to rejuvenation treatment; and all the time the small airlines, operating aircraft up to this capacity, increase in number and scope—as undoubtedly they will continue to do. One happy result, at least, has been to bring a British feederliner further into the picture. This, tie Heron, has much to offer, and by the latest standards its cost price may be described as modest. While for the operator it may not be the most economical way of tackling the job, from the passenger's point of view there is much to be said for twice-as-frequent services with machines of about half the size. Thus, two aircraft representing £90,000- worth of equipment might be used to handle the same work as, say, one new £120,000 DC-3 replacement. A machine such as this D.H. product would also permit consider able flexibility on feeder routes and could, as a sideline, handle Rapide traffic from light-aircraft fields. Small and simple as it is, the Heron conforms with current views on the safety value of having four engines. This is particularly important outside the first-class airfields and fully-aided areas of Europe ancLthe United States. Mr. Larsson's pronouncement on this important topic, incidentally, leaves us somewhat nonplussed. After advancing some of the accepted reasons for having only two engines, he goes on to argue that the twin-engined aircraft operating on both engines has 100 per cent surplus power, and therefore has an advantage over the four-engined one, which has only 33 per cent. A case, perhaps, of figures being made to prove anything? But to revert to the main theme. Obviously, if a government were to place an order for, say, 75 transport aircraft of DC-3 size the whole position would be changed. We have not heard the views of the R.A.F. on a new medium transport to take over the duties of the remaining Dakotas and the Valettas; but if they are, in fact, definitely contemplating a replacement then it would be of enormous value to the British manu facturers if they could say so. The promise of a military order—even at a later date— should tip the scales in favour of an immediate start on the construction of an appropriate prototype. And it may well be a case of die early bird catching the bulk of the orders, which must assuredly be placed—and very soon.
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