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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1082.PDF
484 "Talk-down completed." A Convair 240 of Swissair passes over Calvert approach lights to touch down on Runway 10R at London Airport. London Talk-down "FLIGHT" Photographs LONDON Airport is acquiring an extremely high reputation and there is no doubt that when the new passenger and control buildings are completed this terminal will be a model one in every respect. Meanwhile, LAP. provides airlines with a wealth of aids to safe and regular operation: fine runways, the best approach lighting system in the world, excellent radio and radar aids, and effi cient control staff. It was recendy our privilege to observe an I.L.S./G.C.A. landing from the cockpit of a large airliner arriving by night in very unpleasant weather. We were impressed by the smooth precision with which we were guided through the control zone and on to the runway, and also by the admira tion of our American crew for London Airport's facilities. The G.C.A. talk-down was particularly good and we deter mined as soon as possible to examine the ground part of the Inside the G.C.A. van the stage is set (apart from the lighting required to take the picture) for an approach. In the foreground is No. 2 traffic director, with the talk-down controller and tracker (far corner) on his left. system. L.A.P. is one of six civil airports in this country to be equipped with G.C.A. Civil operation of die American-built Federal radar equipment began there early in 1947 and the total number of G.C.A. landings made at London has since passed the 38,000 mark. London is the only British airport with two complete G.C.A. caravans, providing insurance against the unlikely event of failure of one set and allowing quick change of landing direction. The efficiency of the training provided by the M.T.C.A. control school at Hum is reflected in the exceptional pro portion of 98 per cent "first-time successful" G.C.A. talk- downs at U.K. airports. One controller at London Airport told us that in two years of unbroken G.C.A. duty he has never found it necessary to order an overshoot. As might be expected, British winter weather keeps the London G.C.A. controllers extremely busy and, in fact, last December saw a record total of 1,467 full G.C.A. landings. This was about 85 per cent of the total number of landings made by transport aircraft at L.A.P. during that month. Some of the airlines operating into London always ask for G.C.A., regardless of weadier, to provide their crews with experience which cannot be obtained at their home airfields. Midsummer usually gives the G.C.A. crews more frequent breaks from their exacting duties, although die onset of autumn brings a rash of requests for practice radar approaches. Even in aviation circles there are a number of misconcep tions about the workings of the system, because only those few people who are actually at die sending or receiving end can become thoroughly familiar with the operation of G.C.A. Our own confidence in flying by airline in all weadiers has more than once been greatly strengdiened by listening-in to a G.C.A.—either on the flight-deck of an aircraft descending through cloud, with wheels and flaps down, towards the un seen runway ahead, or in the equally confined controllers' caravan, flickeringly lit by die green glow of die radar scopes. Two complete radar systems are used by the G.C.A. con trollers to bring an arriving aircraft from about 26 nautical miles from the airfield to a point 400 yd from die touch-down area. The search system provides a radar map of the circuit, and die precision system has two aerials and two scopes giving
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