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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2124.PDF
23 July 1954 TAKE-OFF: Four podded JT3Ls and the four- seament flaps, distinctive features of the Boeing 707, are seen to advantage as the prototype climbs away from Renton Airport OFF TO A GOOD START AMERICA'S first jet transport, the • totype Boeing Stratotanker/Stfato- liner, made an impressive first jjj^nt on July 15th, taking off at 2.14 j^m. from Renton Municipal Airport, Jtfashington, and landing 1 hr 24 min later at nearby Boeing Field. At the controls were Boeing's chief of flight test, A. MJf'Tex" Johnston, and R. L. "Dix" LoescjK they reported "a beautiful flight and aJbeautiful airplane." The new Boeing bedame airborne in less than 2,100ft and ba& climbed to 700ft by the time it reachefl the end of the 5,400ft Renton runway^/ It was operating at a take-off weighif of 110,000 lb, including 3,400 lb of flijjfit-test equipment, compared with the evimtual gross weight of 190,000 lb. The ^ftitude limit for the first flight, 20,000ft,^fras reached 15 minutes after take-off. The Oew jet prototype was rolled out of the Boeing factory on May l/th and eight days afterwards was damaged when a main undercarriage leg collapsed during high-speed taxying trials. Observers in this country have been impressed by the speed with which this damage was repaired and its cause rectified. The dura tion of the first flight suggests that—as in the case of the Comet 3— no unexpected characteristics were encountered. THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP LATEST news of the Fokker F.27 Friendship, two prototypes of ' which are under construction at Amsterdam, is that the estimated cost of the aircraft has been jafSed from £141,000 to £165,000. Labour costs and accessory* prices are blamed for the increase. The manufacturers ^SkKo announce that structural development has allowed anjp«fease of the total usable wing fuel capacity—from 704 to 81£«fmperial gallons. The additional fuel raises the economic stage distance from 810 to 1,000 statute miles at a take-off weightxJf34,200 lb. Over this distance about 300 lb of cargo can bp-'carried in addition to the normal complement of 28 passengers. The front part of the fuselage and the wing section of the first prototype are now taking shape in the assembly jigs. BRITANNIA PROGRESS TT might be inferred from Bi^A.C.'s decision to acquire a large * additional fleet of Amejiean-built transports that the introduc tion of the Britannia is still a somewhat distant prospect. The Bristol Aeroplane Co. reports, however, that the programme is running to schedule and that 13 Britannia 100s should be in the hands of the Corporation by the end of 195. It is expected that the first prototype^now back in the shops for overhaul) and the first productiojp^fircraft will be flying within a month and that tropical trials<^will begin as soon as possible thereafter. Four productionBrrannias should have been delivered to B.O.A.C. by the endjrf"T954 and nine more will follow next year. B.O.A.C. hav^oVdered 15 Mk 100s and 18 lengthened Mk 300s (with raefe powerful Proteus 755) of which eight will be the new long-range version; the Corporation also has an option on two more long-range Britannia 300s. CIVIL WIRRAWAYS "IT is reported from Australia that two ex-R.A.A.F. Wirraway A advanced trainers have been placed on the civil register. They will be used by Mr. A. W. Miller and Mr.-C. E. Tadgell, prin cipals of Super Spread Pty., Ltd., to spra^a large area of Brigelow scrub. This scrub, which grows tp*? height of 50-60ft, will be treated with a hormone mixturejswfo, after the effects have reached the roots (this takes some jasonths) the owners will be able to burn off and clear the laffd. Miller and TadgpH" have already experimented successfully along these lines with Tiger Moths, flying 2ft above the tree-tops. Their Wirraw«$i will be stripped of combat equipment, under carriages will be fixed, and belly tanks fitted. In this form they will be capable of covering 100 acres p;r flight. BREVITIES 1 AST year K.L.M.'s operations shewed a surplus of 10.4m •*-' guilders (nearly £980,000) cwfipared with 5.7m guilders in 1952. Half the 1953 surplusu*fflbe allocated to a general reserve and the remainder is bein^*custributed as a 4 per cent dividend. * * • Hunting-Clan Air Transport, Ltd., announcMtte appointment of Mr. John Robinson as sales promotioj!a^Bfta*nager. Mr. Robin son's business career has been devgj0d"fargely to the development of air transport in the FarEa#t? In the late twenties he was the agent in Swantow fog^rfreChina National Aviation Corpora tion, which operatejJ»*rf,aaily service between Hong Kong and Shanghai, andJH*"T938 he acquired a controlling interest in the Far East ""Aviation Co., Ltd., of Hong Kong, and its sub sidiary, the Far East Flying Training School. * * * Figures published by the British Travel and Holidays Asso ciation show that nearly one-third of the oversea£, visitors who c me to Britain in 1953 arrived by air. The.number of flying visitors was 218,310, out of a total of 632«5*#; the corresponding figures for 1952 were 177,510 outo&*f65,540. Of the 186,000 Americans who came to Britaji^ffst year, 81,000 travelled by air, whereas only about 15 osf*'cent of the 63,000 German visitors 1 >ed air transport. T]»*fiost air-minded group of travellers were j e Swiss: abouthrifihe 22,000 visitors from Switzerland arrived cy way of Lgpdonor Manchester Airports. * * * Last week's article on rearward-fadng^seats for transport air craft mentioned three British indepaitdent operators who have adopted these seats. A fourth cperffiany identified with the use of aft-facing seats is Skyway»<Ltd., who in fact were the first civil operator to equip largCaircraft in this way. * * * The cost of chartering a S-51 helicopter, capable of carrying three passengers or 700 lb of freight a distance of 300 miles at 90 m.p.h., is at present in the regiojjKBf*£65 per flying hour. This figure is mentioned in a recejjMitatement by Eagle Aviation who are acting as agents for AjafSftr, Ltd. This latter company, which was recently responsiWefor making the first freight flight to the South Bank, operates three S-51s. * * * It was reported from Delhi last Saturday that the Indian Air lines Corporation had decided to buy five,^fscounts to replace Dakotas on their main internal routes^srifn an option for further Viscounts at a later date. At th^ime of writing no contract had been signed and Vickers^&mstrongs were unable to con firm the report. For wejjp"rjver a year there has been intense competition between Vjreers and Convair for the Indian order; there is confidence thmthe Viscount's performance in airline ser vice during that ponod will ensure a victory for the British firm. * * * Delivery of the last of 45 DC-6Bs ordered by Pan American World Airways was announced onjtfly 14th. Costing almost £21m, the P.A.A. fleet of "Supers" is the largest of its type in service. The airline also jias three DC-6A freighters and between May and August n*x: year will take delivery of seven DC-7Bs, valued at £5m, fa/non-stop transatlantic service.
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