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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1478.PDF
FLIGHT, 21 May 1954 645 EACH post-war year has seen fresh advances in the design, development and operation of transport aircraft, and 1954 is no exception. Britain's aircraft of the year is the medium- stage Viscount, first turboprop airliner, now in its second twelvemonth of revenue service and bearing the colours of Air France, Aer Lingus and B.E.A. The progress of pure-jet passenger travel is temporarily halted, but interest in jet airliners reaches a peak as, on opposite sides of the ocean they are designed to cross, two competitive prototypes emerge from the factories of de Havilland and Boeing. Britannia, first and only long-haul turboprop transport, nears her certification and operational debut with B.O.A.C. Meanwhile, America's West Coast remains the main supply- source of big airliners. Within the U.S.A., the DC-7 and Super Constellation provide the coast-to- coast passenger with his first non-stop, 300-m.p.h. service. Elsewhere, the new Lockheed mainliner enables Commonwealth and foreign operators to improve schedules and comfort. Small-scale helicopter services are in daily operation. Bristol, Fairey, Piasecki and Sikorsky are prominent as potential suppliers for this new short-haul market. TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT • 1954 Over 70,000 lb AVRO TUDOR • "An aircraft with a relatively low capital value which can operate more economically than the York and has a performance comparable with that of more modern aero planes such as the Argonaut and Hermes." This realistic assess ment of the Tudor has been applied by Mr. F. A. Laker, managing director of Air Charter, Ltd., whose recent actions have proved that this robust and capacious transport can still offer a useful working life. His company has bought the entire ex-M.T.CA. stock of ten Tudors and is already operating five on both long and short hauls, carrying passengers and freight. Extensive modifications, including complete deletion of the pressurization system, were made before the Tudors' return to service. Tudor IVB (four Merlin 623, total 7,040 h.p.).—Span, 120ft; length, 85ft 3in; take-off weight, 82,000 lb; wing loading, 57 lb/sq ft; take-off distance, 5,000ft; passenger capacity, 42; typical performance, 200 m.p.h. for 2,500 miles at 8,000ft with 12,000 lb payload. BLACKBURN UNIVERSAL • The fact that the R.A.F. has ordered a number of Beverleys, production of which is under way at Brough, greatly increases the makers' prospects of selling the civil version of this 61-ton multi-purpose transport. To be known as the Universal, it will be capable of carrying more passengers than any airliner yet introduced—132 in high-density seating. The tail boom alone has more accommodation than the average twin-engined transport, being capable of seating 42 people. As a freighter, the Universal can carry a useful load of 22 tons—mostly in the rear-loaded main hold, which is 10ft wide and high and 40ft long. A scheme involving permanent "airlifting" for both agricul tural and industrial purposes by a small fleet of Beverleys is being advocated for Australia. One of the points made to sup port this contention is the estimate that a single Universal could move a trainload of fat cattle over a distance of 200 air miles in one day. Although the standard power unit for the Beverley is the Centaurus, design studies have been made for an improved Universal with Wright Turbo-Compounds. The longer-term pro posal for using Napier Nomad compound diesels might well pro duce an unmatched combination of lifting capacity and operating economy. Universal (four Centaurus 173, total 11,400 h.p.).—Span, 162ft; length, 99ft 2in; take-off weight, 135,000 lb; wing loading, 46.4 lb/sq ft; take-off distance, 3,540ft; passenger capacity, 132; typical performance, 175 m.p.h. for 200 miles at 8,000ft with 46,300 lb payload. BOEING 377 STRATOCRUISER • Although civil pro duction ceased with the completion of B.O.A.C.'s tenth Strato- cruiser in 1949, this double-deck giant retains a unique position on the Blue Riband international routes. With a take-off weight of 145,800 lb, it is still the heaviest aircraft in scheduled airline service, and many experienced travellers still regard it as the most comfortable. As employed on the renowned "Monarch" ser vice, the Stratocruiser carries 52 passengers in great comfort; sleeping berths are available for a £12 10s surcharge. On P.A.A.'s transatlantic Stratocruisers, payment of $125 (£44 12s) admits the passenger to a two-berth "President Stateroom" which, together with the competitive "Golden Parisien" service offered by Air
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