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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1587.PDF
MISSIONARY SEALAND: The Christian Mission ary Alliance of New York has taken delivery of a Short Sealand for work in the East. Alliance members seen here are: Mr. A. Lewis, pilot; Mr. E. W. Ulrich; and the Rev. B. S. King. BOTH OTTER AND BEAVER (an L-20 version of which is in the background) were demonstrated to the Argentine Ambassador to Canada recently at the de Havilland Canada factory, Toronto. There are now 32 Beavers in service with South American countries. Pictured above (left to right) are Mr. Kettles, Massey-Harris; Dr. L. Galiguiana, the Ambassador; Mr. P. C. Garratt, managing director of de Havilland Canada; and Mr. J. Ayestaran, the Ambassador's first secretary. T.A.A. BORROW A DC-6 '"THE forthcoming Royal tour of Australia is already reported •"- to have caused a large increase in bookings on domestic airline services. To supplement their fleet of Convairs, DC-4s and Dakotas, Trans-Australia Airlines have recently signed a long- term contract with K.L.M. for the charter of one of the Dutch airline's 50-seat DC-6s. As from December 14th this aircraft will operate on T.A.A. routes under K.L.M. command, wearing an Australian registration and carrying both T.A.A. and K.L.M. crew-members. The period covered by the contract is not stated but the DC-6 will presumably remain in Australia until T.A.A.'s Viscounts (the first of which is due for delivery next June) are ready to enter service. T.A.A.'s rival, the privately owned Australian National Airways, are also introducing the DC-6 this month, having recently bought two from an American operator. K.L.M. ROUND-UP Ti ECENT announcements from the K.L.M. headquarters in -*•*• The Hague emphasize the variety of work undertaken by this old-established airline. The company's survey division, which operates under the name of K.L.M. Aerocarto, is at present engaged on the aerial mapping of a 9,000 sq mile region in Syria. Last year six contracts of this type were executed in Syria and four more in Iraq. On November 13th K.L.M. completed their 3,000th charter from New York to Hamburg with 36 seamen. Of this total of special flights, just over 2,500 have been made in the post-war years at an average rate of six per week. The airline's long-range freighting fleet was strengthened by the arrival at Schiphol on November 16th of the second of two DC-6A Liftmasters ordered from Douglas. The first of these, it will be remembered, won the transport handicap section of the New Zealand Race. These aircraft, which can carry up to 11 tons of cargo each, are being operated mainly on the North Atlantic route. It is announced that Super Constellations, which have also recently entered service with K.L.M., will make their debut on the Amsterdam-Tokyo route on January 5th, 1954. There was an increase of 17 per cent in K.L.M.'s passenger traffic during the first nine months of 1953, by comparison with the corresponding period of 1952. The number carried was 470,000, as against 401,000. Last year the number of passengers carried by the airline did not reach the half-million mark until the second half of December, whereas the 500,000th K.L.M. passenger of 1953 travelled in the middle of October. During the period January to September this year K.L.M.'s aircraft carried 10,150 tons of freight, 9,250 tons of baggage and 1,600 tons of mail. ALL-FREIGHT LINES' PROBLEMS A MERICA'S two scheduled all-freight airlines, Slick Airways *•* and the Flying Tiger Line, have encountered considerable opposition to their attempt to obtain C.A.B. permission for a merger. Mr. F. H. McAdams, counsel for the C.A.B.'s Air Opera tions Bureau, is reported as saying that the two companies had not proved that by merging they would benefit the public interest. He claimed that the capital structure of the merging companies would be unsound, although a special examiner, Mr. F. Ruhlen, has stated that the company's economics would be improved con siderably and has recommended to the C.A.B. that the companies should be permitted to merge. United Air Lines and American Airlines are prominent among the large carriers objecting to the merger. For some time both Slick and the Flying Tiger Line have been seeking an increase in minimum freight rates in order to prevent undercutting by subsidized or more powerful rivals. These efforts recently proved successful; on November 20th a 25 per cent increase in minimum charges came into effect. New minimum rates are Is 5d for each of the first 1,000 ton-miles and Is lid for each additional ton-mile. American observers do not expect serious effects on traffic, since most rates were at least 10 per cent above the old minimum. INITIATIVE A RECENT issue of Flagship News, the house journal of •'*• American Airlines, tells a remarkable story of enthusiasm on the part of a 23-year-old ground-staff employee at La Guardia Airport. The man concerned, Dick Franke, was taught to fly at a friend's expense in May 1952. Within twelve months, flying only in his spare time, he had logged the astonishing total of 750 hours. To overcome the problem of paying £3 per hour for aircraft-hire, Franke and another private pilot bought their own machine for £530. This was sold after Franke had gained his private pilot's licence and commercial licence with instru ment rating. He has since graduated to a twin-engined Beechcraft and, having passed the necessary written tests, expects to receive a multi-engined endorsement shortly. His next ambition is to graduate to one of American Airlines' flight training classes Tor co-pilots. TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS' GUILD IN September last year, at a meeting held in Londonderry House, a group of air-traffic control officers made the decision to form a professional guild. Temporary committees were set up to prepare the constitution, objects and ordinances of the asso ciation. A further meeting on November 14th approved the committees' proposals, and the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers is now being formed. The chairman is Mr. C. A. Robin son, A.F.R.Ae.S. A letter from the secretary, Mr. W. C. Woodruff, describes the objects of the guild and reports progress to date in the following terms: "Very briefly, our objects are to promote the practice of the profession of Air Traffic Control and to maintain its efficiency for the benefit of all those who seek their livelihood or pleasure in the air. The Guild is being formed along the lines of existing guilds and city companies. The first Court of the Guild will be elected in the New Year. " We have nearly 300 founder members drawn from the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, International Aeradio, Ltd., and a number of other authorities who employ air traffic control officers. "Membership is limited at present to British subjects who have i
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