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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0737.PDF
19 March 1954 329 with fleets unsuited to it. They are relegating their DC-3s to their minor routes. Their cut-fare seating capacity is most probably limited to their DC-4s, unless they make a decision which neither at present will admit as a good one—mixed fares on the same aircraft. This just wouldn't suit the Australian passenger, if only for psychological reasons. The Britannia's capacity, speed and promised operational economics place it as No. 1 choice for Australian tourist-fare operation, but neither T.A.A. nor A.N.A. will take the gamble just now .on an unproven aeroplane. Today, the introduction of tourist fares into Australia must be delayed until die operators are well on the way with purchase of new aircraft. Railway comfort (or, rather, the lack of it) is such that the airlines have only to offer tourist fares on fast modern aircraft to secure a vast new market of perhaps 2,000,000 passen gers a year within the next several years. To handle that traffic they may invest up to £A10,000,000 in new aircraft. Beyond this problem of new equipment for the major services is Australia's share of the world-wide problem of DC-3 replace ment. Local operators bought their Dakotas and C-47s from U.S.A.A.F. Disposals, from India, from any seller who would not charge more than a few thousand pounds. Replacement has been a nightmare easily avoided by ignoring the future. Australia's general development is now compelling operators to face the problem at once. The late 1950s will most probably see the Dakotas fading away from Australian air routes. T.A.A. require a pressurized type to offer passengers a reason ably comfortable daylight summer-time flight from Adelaide through Alice Springs to Darwin, and on the various inland routes such as Brisbane-Darwin. Heat turbulence has made day light summer flying hideous for inland passengers on DC-3s. As frequency of operation is an essential on the Adelaide-Darwin route, T.A.A. need a type seating something like 24 passengers. The best bet to date is the Fokker Friendship, which was designed partly to a T.A.A. specification, I understand, or at least modified to the T.A.A. philosophy. In common with the Viscount, the Friendship has the added advantage of the Rolls-Royce Dart engine. T.A.A. and Fokker have been in constant touch since this aircraft was first designed. None of the British DC-3 replace ment ideas are in the same class, according to T.A.A. thinking. A.N.A. at the moment are not thinking of a DC-3 replacement, as they are substituting the DC-4 wherever possible, and making their DC-3s a Rapide and Dragon replacement—which, after all, is a general trend. Australia's smaller operators are now being forced to consider the purchase of aircraft to replace DC-3s—but not DC-3 replace ments from the capacity viewpoint. Ansett's are getting 4,000 hours a year from their DC-3s on their inter-State services in the Eastern States, pardy by remov ing the seats at night for freighter operation. They realize that the two major operators will not use DC-3s for tourist-fare operation. They are now forced to consider 40-seat types and at present it is practically certain that Ansett's will buy a small fleet of Viscounts. The argument against the Ambassador with all the smaller Australian operators is: If it is good why hasn't some operator other than B.E.A. bought it? [By the time B.E.A. had worked the "bugs" out of the Ambassador and turned it into The first phase in re-equipment of A.N.A., the largest privately owned Australian airline, began recently with the purchase of two DC-6s from an American carrier, National Airlines. These aircraft, one of which is illustrated above, have the same R-2800 engines as the DC-6B and are claimed to be the fastest of their type in the world. one of the world's best medium-range airliners, the type was no longer on the market.—Ed.] Vikings could not be given away here for coupons. Another potential buyer for Viscounts, almost a certainty, is Butler Air Transport, the New South Wales operators, whose fleet is today basically DC-3s plus two Herons. The Herons have proved admirable, but B.A.T. extensions planned through the Eastern States demand aircraft comparable with those of the major operators. In the West, the oil discoveries have proved a bonanza for MacRobertson-Miller, who have a monopoly of the Western Australian coastal route and the Kimberley region. M.M.A. have just bought another Dakota from India, but the potential offering in the North-West will bring a demand for more comfortable aircraft than the DC-3, particularly under the summer conditions. Present thinking is for the purchase of secondhand Convairs in a year or two—T.A.A. may sell their Convair fleet if and when they standardize on Viscounts and Friendships. Airlines (WA), Ltd., operating through the centre of Western Australia, have a perfectly rationalized fleet of five D.H. Doves. The oil development of the State may force purchase of larger aircraft but at present the Dove is perfect for the airline's requirements. This is one satisfied operator. The one other carrier with the great decision to make is Guinea Airways, the South Australian intra-State operator which records a steady 80 per cent seat loading year after year on several services. As this operator is really an annexe of A.N.A., its DC-3s will most probably be replaced when A.N.A. purchase an aeroplane in the 40-seat category. Guinea could well absorb three to four aircraft of the Convair/Viscount class or five to six Friendships. By 1960 all these problems will have been resolved and Australian airline operation will have a completely New Look. EDITORIAL ODYSSEY 'T'HIS week-end the Editor of Flight, Maurice A. Smith, leaves * for America by B.O.A.C. Monarch service on the start of a two-month round-the-world tour. His trip is primarily one of making personal contact, so far as time permits, with this journal's many friends in the aircraft industries of various countries. After a ten-day stay in America— in the Washington and New York areas—he flies to Montreal and Toronto, and then west to Vancouver. He will next visit the principal west-coast American aircraft factories, later returning to Vancouver, where he will take the B.C.P.A. service via Honolulu and Fiji to Sydney. After visiting aircraft companies in Sydney and Melbourne he will fly to Johannesburg by Qantas Empire Airways via Cocos and Mauritius, thence to Salisbury and Nairobi, and back to London. TUNNELS FOR MISSILES ©EVERAL special wind tunnels have been constructed in ^ Britain for the testing of both the bodies and motors of guided missiles. One of these is the Vickers high-altitude test chamber described in Flight of March 5th; many aero-engine manufacturers also have test tunnels for ramjet and rocket-motor work. Some details have now been released of the very-high-speed tunnel lately completed for the miided-missile department of the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., at Filton. Using hot air derived from the turboprop test-beds as a working fluid, it is designed for the testing of missiles at speeds from Mach 1.75 to 3.5. Later modi fications will also permit transonic testing between Mach 0.9 and 1.5. The use of hot air from the turboprop test-beds—which run continuously—represents a considerable economy, since there is no necessity for the air-drying and cooling apparatus normally associated with high-speed tunnels. The models to be tested in the Bristol tunnel are made of high-grade tensile steel and finished to a tolerance of less than one thousandth of an inch. REACTIONARY TRAINER FLIGHT TESTS of the Percival Jet Provost are expected to begin in die near future, and several examples have been ordered to facilitate an operational assessment of the all-jet train ing scheme. The difference in piloting technique between piston and jet aircraft has already led to the adoption of the D.H. Vampire T.ll for advanced "pre-wings" flying training. The new conditions also underline the adoption of the comparatively high-powered Provost (550 h.p.) as opposed to the previously accepted 145 h.p. Chipmunk or the 250 h.p. Prentice. The next step is evidendy "all-through" jet training, using a basic trainer of the Jet Provost type. Under the existing system the pupil-pilot's most impression able early flying hours are spent in assimilating many piston- engine techniaues which he must shortly afterwards "unlearn." One object of the Jet Provost design is to overcome this dis advantage. The increased cost of training on such aircraft is considered justified in view of both the capital and operating costs of complex and large modern operational types.
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