FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1838.PDF
25 June 1954 813 Viscount Order Book YMTTH the signing of an order for two Vickers Viscounts for " Butler Air Transport (photograph below), the total of firm orders has reached 101. The breakdown of this fine total is as follows: B.E.A., 38; Air France, 12; Aer Lingus, 4; Trans- Australia Airlines, 6; Trans-Canada Airlines, 15; British West Indian Airways, 4; Hunting-Clan Air Transport, 3; Iraqi Air ways, 2; Fred Olson Air Transport, 2; Indian Air Force, 2; Canadian Department of Transport, 1; Misrair (Egypt), 3; L.A.V. (Venezuela), 3; Capital Airlines (U.S.A.), 3; Butler Air Transport (Australia), 2. The total value of these orders, including spares provision, amounts to about £27m, of which over £16m are for the 60 Viscounts for export. In addition, options are held by Capital Airlines (for 37 Viscounts) and Butler Air Transport (for 4). The Rhodesian Government has just approved a loan for the purchase of 5 Viscounts by Central African Airways, and orders for some 50 other Viscounts are in process of negotiation, includ ing, we believe, some specially equipped, for the Queen's Flight. Swiss Convair Lost CARRYING five passengers and a crew of four, Swissair Convair 240 HB-IRW descended into the English Channel near Folkestone late on Sunday, June 20th. The crew and two pas sengers were rescued, but two women and a child were lost. The aircraft was making a scheduled flight from Geneva to London. It is reported that the captain noticed that fuel was abnormally low, possibly as a result of a leak, just after crossing the French coast. He decided to try to reach Manston, but both engines stopped over water. There was no survival equipment aboard. I.C.A.O. Annex 6 requires the carriage of lifejackets only when a transport aircraft flies more than 30 min from shore at cruising speed (one engine inoperative), although more stringent require ments are sometimes applied by national or company regulations. Airwork-Blue Star Link TT WAS announced last week that the Blue Star Line, Ltd., has •*- acquired a substantial interest in Airwork, Ltd., and that the shipping company is appointing two directors to Airwork's board. It may be recalled that Airwork is already closely associated with Furness, Withy and Co., Ltd., whose ships operate to the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Mediterranean. The Blue Star Line operates to Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa and the North American Pacific coast. Northern Heights Gala ON Sunday, June 20th, the Northern Heights Gala Model Air craft meeting was held at Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., Langley airfield, Bucks. The main competition of the day was for the Queen Elizabeth Cup (presented by Lady Boyle, wife of Air Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, to the winner, C. J. Marsh, of St. Albans—aggregate 687 seconds), a duration contest for powered aircraft. Besides this cup, many other awards were competed for, and the air was filled throughout the day widi gliders, rubber- and diesel-powered models, and with control line creations of all types; luckily the weather held good, and the full programme was completed. Canberra Tour—Continued AS recorded in Flight of last week, the team of No. 27 Squadron • Canberras landed at Athens on June 8th on the third stage of their goodwill tour of Europe. The weather had been dull and chilly during the earliest stages of the tour, but by the time they reached Athens the crews were wearing ventilated suits and taking salt tablets to reduce excessive perspiration while diey waited in their cockpits on the ground. The team first landed at Hellenikon, Athens, and were welcomed by A.V-M. Doukas, Vice-C.A.S. of the Royal Hellenic Air Force. Many R.H.A.F. officers trained in Rhodesia or England and served with the R.A.F. during the war, and many links still exist between the R.H.A.F. and the R.A.F. On the evening after their arrival they were entertained at a reception given by the C.A.S. of the R.H.A.F., Air Marshal Kelaidis. The following day the six aircraft split up into two formations of three, one team flying to Larissa, the H.Q. of No. 28 Tactical Air Force and of No. 110 Combat Wing (F-84s). The Other formation visited Elevsis, where R.H.A.F. pilots convert on to T-33s and F-84s after preliminary training at Tatoi on Tiger Moms, Har- vards. Spitfires and Hellcats. By June 17th the force had gone on to Belgrade, and—in spite of transport difficulties—many thousands of Yugoslavs made their way to the military airfield of Batajnica, 15 miles from the city, to see the Canberras perform. In the evening the jet bombers put on an impressive display, supplementing it with low-level flights over Belgrade itself for the benefit of immense crowds on the roofs of prominent buildings. SNOOTY: Although it lacks airscrews, this Convair R3Y-2 Tradewind can show off its new bow-loading door and integral ramps. In production for the U.S. Navy at San Diego, these 400 m.p.h., 80-ton transport flying boats should bejn service later this year. A Flap at Bristol TT can now be revealed that the first prototype Britannia was •*• involved in a minor mishap about a month ago. During modi fication to bring G-ALBO up to the standard of production air craft, in order to undertake C.o.A. trials, a non-standard portion of the flap linkage was fitted and passed by an inspector, although it was not in accordance with the drawings. During flight trials, with W/C. W. F. Gibb at the controls, this component failed. As a result, flap was applied on one side of the aircraft only, and the Britannia turned on its back. During the resultant pull-out the airframe was stressed beyond its design loading, but W/C. Gibb made a normal landing. This incident can have no bearing on any production machine. OTHER AIR NEWS NEGOTIATIONS are in progress for the supply of 30 Hawker- built Hunters to the Danish Air Force. IN the normal course of his flying training, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh has graduated to the Boulton Paul Balliol. On June 16th he was airborne from White Waltham in a Balliol T.2, accom panied by his instructor F/L. Caryl Gordon, for 30 minutes' familiarization with the type. NEW aircraft designations are Canadair CL-28 for the Britannia sub-hunter, and Hurel Dubois H.D.35 (an anti-submarine develop ment of the H.D.32) and H.D.36 (another version of the same basic type, equipped as a flying classroom for radar/navigation instruction). IN an effort to make more efficient use of the manpower and finance at the disposal of the Royal Air Force, a special com mittee has been convened. Among its members will be Air Chief Marshal Sir Leslie Hollinghurst (who was Air Council Member for Personnel when he retired in 1952), a serving Air Vice-Marshal, a senior civil servant, and two prominent businessmen: Mr. S. V. Swash, chairman of Woolworth Stores, and Mr. F. C. Hooper, managing director of Schweppes, Ltd. VARIOUS newspaper accounts of plans to boost Viscount pro duction to a rate of 100 per year at Hum by the autumn are incorrect. Vickers say that, in fact, two new hangars will be ready at Hum in September, permitting output to be increased from three to five Viscounts per month. Eventually, should there be sufficient demand, production could be raised to eight per month. LAST Sunday, the Italian newspaper II Tempo claimed that a Piaggio P-136L amphibian (two 250 h.p. Lycoming) had flown about 1,850 miles non-stop from Brescia, N. Italy, to Luxor, Egypt. The crew were both women: the Marchesa Carina Negrone and Signora Ada Marchelli. This has been put forward as a world record non-stop flight for a twin-engined amphibian, although it could easily be beaten by a Grumman SA-16 Albatross. AT Bordeaux-Merignac airfield on June 18th a short ceremony marked the transfer of the first French jet fighter to the air forces of NATO. The aircraft was the first "off-shore" Dassault Mystere IV, and it was "handed over" by the Chief of Staff of the French Armee de I'Air, Gen. Fay, to Gen. Parker of the U.S.A.F. CROYDON Airport, due to close in a few years' time, will pos sibly be bought by various local authorities. A suggestion has been made that a British Museum of Aeronautics might well be established there, and the site has some chance of becoming a helicopter station.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
