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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1461.PDF
634 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS Viscounts for Africa TT was announced on Saturday that the Federal Government of * Rhodesia and Nyasaland have authorized the purchase by Central African Airways Corporation of five Series 700 Viscounts. The airline's general manager, Mr. P. J. B. Wimbush, has said that the Viscounts, which would probably be equipped as 48-seaters, would replace the company's Vikings on the main domestic and regional routes and would also take over the Zambezi (Colonial Coach) service to London. This announcement was foreshadowed in Flight of May 14th. It is believed that East African Airways Corporation are also likely to place an order for Viscounts. B.O.A.C. Profit PROVISIONAL operating and financial results for B.O.A.C. during the year ended March 31st were announced last week in a message from the chairman, Sir Miles Thomas, to the Cor poration's employees. Ton-miles offered for sale totalled 220,467,460, compared with 214,550,753 during the previous financial year, and the number of passengers carried increased from 290,629 to 300,800. Total expenditure per ton-mile offered was reduced from 40. Id to 39.6d, and at the same time there was an increase in the rate of revenue per ton-mile performed—62. Id in the latest financial year, compared with 60.7d for the preceding twelve months. The result is a surplus, after payment of interest on capital, of £1,072,600 compared with a deficit of £838,664 for 1952-53. Comet Inquiries THE appointment of Lord Cohen to preside over the public inquiries into the causes of the two recent Comet disasters off the Italian Coast was the subject of simultaneous announcements in both Houses of Parliament on May 12th. Sir Lionel Heald, the Attorney-General, informed the Com mons that the Government were anxious that these inquiries should be held as soon as possible, although the date on which they were likely to begin could not yet be indicated. Salvage operations were still going on, and an exhaustive technical investi gation was being carried out under the co-ordinating authority of the Minister of Supply. In view of the great importance of these inquiries, it had been decided that they should be presided over by a Lord of Appeal, and that the same court should inquire into both cases. Lord Cohen had accepted this appointment. The Italian Government had appointed two accredited repre sentatives, Col. R. Miniero and Signor R. Roveri, to be present at both inquiries, and South Africa had nominated Lt. Col. L. E. Lang and Major J. J. Granzier as accredited representatives at the inquiry into the Naples accident. The names of the assessors would be announced later. Air Transport, Ancient and Modern PURTHER details of arrangements for the Royal Aeronautical ••- Society's Garden Party have been issued. This year's event takes place on Sunday, June 13th, at London Airport, and it is now known that among the transport aircraft which will be available for inspection by members and their friends are a T.C.A. Super Constellation and a B.E.A. Viscount. Special buses will be available to take the visitors on conducted tours of the whole airport. As already announced, the central theme of the occasion will GROOMING the "Horace" (i.e., part Maurice, part Henri) Farman of the Nash Collection—now the property of the Royal Aeronautical Society — which will appear, with other historic machines of the Collection, at the Society's Garden Party, referred to above. be the first exhibition of the Nash Collection of veteran aircraft and engines since its acquisition by the Society. By an odd coincidence, the central area of London Airport, where the party is taking place, is on the exact site of the pre war RAe.S. Garden Parties at the old Heathrow Aerodrome, which formed the nucleus from which L.A.P. was laid out. Attendance at the Garden Party is restricted to R.Ae.S. mem bers and their guests. The National Air Race Displays A SPLENDID collection of aircraft, old and new, will grace the "Fifty Years of Flight" display at Baginton, Coventry's civic aerodrome, in connection with the National Air Races on June I8th and 19th. Full details of the proceedings will appear next week; meanwhile the following particulars will allow intend ing visitors to lay their plans. Tickets for the reserved public enclosure are now available, on written application to the Town Clerk, Council House, Coventry, or on personal application at the Council House information bureau or at Godfrey's Travel Agency, Pool Meadow. Tickets for the Friday are 2s (adults) and Is (children under 15); for the Saturday they are 4s and 2s. There is no advance sale of tickets for the general public enclosure, admission to which will be Is (adults) and 6d (children under 15) on the Friday and 2s and Is on the Saturday. The car-parking charge will be announced later. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE of fight- testing new engines will be a useful background to WjC. J. H. Heyworth, A.F.C., in his new assignment to Rolls-Royce sales promotion in the Far East; he recently joined the company's export sales organization after relinquishing the post of chief test pilot. He is a Master Pilot of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The Hermes Dispute TTHE ban placed by trade-union officials on the servicing of -*- B.O.A.C. Hermes offered for sale to independent operators was reported to have been lifted as this issue went to press. The B.O.A.C. engineers involved, who had already been advised by their unions to agree to service ten aircraft sold to Skyways, who, it is claimed, were the only operator to have agreed to any sub stantial number of conditions demanded I by the unions, were subsequently told to prepare nine other Hermes for sale to independents. B.O.A.C. have stated that these were to be sold to Britavia (six) and Airwork (three). Last week the chairman of Britavia —parent company of Silver City Airways—announced that his company intended to issue a writ against B.O.A.C. for breach of contract. For several weeks Britavia had been repeatedly told that the next meeting of B.O.A.C. employees would resolve diffi culties standing in the way of delivery of the Hermes. His com pany had paid a substantial deposit on the aircraft but had not been allowed to go near them, much less inspect them. The situation was further complicated by the news that B.O.A.C. now wish to postpone the delivery of a number of Hermes (three or four, it is reported) for temporary return to service on the African routes This step would enable Argonauts to resume the South American services, which have been suspended since the grounding of the Comets early in April. The "Formidable" Gyron TN a reference to the Gyron at the recent annual general meeting •*• of the de Havilland Engine Co., Ltd., Maj. Frank B. Halford, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S. (chairman and technical director) said that it was the largest jet engine yet announced—and in point of fact they did not know of any prototype engine in the world which had comparable output today or potentiality for the future. "Even at the start of its design life," said Maj. Halford, "it had a most
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