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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0157.PDF
FLIGHT, 4 February 1955 157 CIVIL AVIATION . . . * used for this purpose by the pioneering S.A.S. service inauguratedlast November. According to the president of C.P.A., Mr. G. W. G. McCona-chie, Amsterdam was chosen as the European terminal of the service because of its equidistant location between most of themajor continental cities, and because passengers in transit through Schipol do not require customs or emigration clearance. B.E.A.S BEST YEAR STATISTICS published on Mr. Peter Masefield's "ChiefExecutive's Page" in the current B.E.A. Magazine show that 1954 was by far the most successful year in the Corporation'shistory. Mr. Mascfield notes that Viscounts and Elizabethans attracted 19 per cent more traffic while bringing operating costdown to a record "low"—44 pence per capacity ton-mile, com- pared with 48 pence in 1953. A "great selling effort" resulted in improved load factors, which,coupled with increased use of large aircraft, enabled the extra traffic to be carried widi an average fleet of 110 aircraft, flying155,000 hours, compared with 175,000 hours by 126 aircraft in 1953. The deficit in 1954 was reduced by rather more than £lm.Excluding the cost of fuel tax and interest on capital—which together amounted to £1,064,000—the Corporation succeeded, forthe first time, in making an "operating profit." "One of the biggest problems of the year ahead," writes Mr.Masefield, will be "shortage of aeroplanes—particularly Viscounts." By August, when the summer traffic is at a peak,B.E.A. hope to have in operation their full Viscount fleet of 26 aircraft, as well as all 20 Elizabethans. Meanwhile, three of the 24 Viscounts delivered so far are outof service as a result of accidents; one is being rebuilt following the "wrong-runway" incident at London Airport, and two otherswere damaged in training mishaps at Blackbushe. B.E.A.'s effec- tive Viscount strength has been further reduced by a modificationprogramme under which the first 20 machines are being tempor- arily withdrawn from service in batches of four. Parts of the aircraft affected by the programme are under-stood to include the flap-operating mechanism, engine-bearer fittings and fuel system. The modifications, which result fromB.E.A.'s experience of operating Viscounts on scheduled services for nearly two years, were embodied in subsequent aircraft at thedesign stage and are thus indicative of the disadvantages inevitably faced by the first operator of a new type of airliner. In financialterms, the penalty is considerable, since one B.E.A. Viscount earns some £350,000 per year. Capacity ton-miles offered Load ton-miles sold Revenue load factor Seat-miles available Passenger-miles flown ... Passenger load factor ... Passengers carriedMail ton-miles flown Freight ton-miles flown Average staff* ... Staff at December 31st 1954 95.258,000 61,626,000 64.7%822,068,000 557,018,000 67.8% 1,829,2212,846,000 5,692,000 •9,112 8,903 1953 80,905,000 51,951,000 64.3 <\, 696,706,000 463,541,000 66.6% 1,630,6902,569,000 5,561.000 8,876 9,042 Percentage Increase 18 19 1 18 20 2 12 11 2 3 1»» This stamp, honour- ing the International Civil Aviation Organ- ization, will be issued on February 9th by the United Nations. The issue of 1,000,000 (in 3c and 8c denom- inations) will be used primarily on letters and parcels posted from the U.N. head- quarters in New York. NACIONIS UNIDAS O5'b£ZUUI£ttHUE.KAIIHH 00 im v> •Includes temporary staff for summer peak. »*Decrease. . GREEK AIRLINE INQUIRY ACCORDING to an Athens report, an official investigation has•**• been ordered into the administrative and financial affairs of T.A.E., the Greek national airline. The report said that theairline had deteriorated to such an extent that the State had been forced to extend loans—now amounting to over £1,300,000—tothe company to prevent a break-down of air communications. T.A.E. are a private company in which the Greek Governmentretain a 10 per cent holding. T.W.A.'s "COSMIC CONTEST" TN celebration of their 30th anniversary, T.W.A. are staging* a public competition for cash prizes totalling $100,000 (£35,714). To be known as the "Cosmic Contest," the competitionis in two parts, prize money being divided equally between the two. Part One offers 30 awards ranging from $30,000 to $250 forthe best reasons (in 30 words or less) why "Flying is the way to travel and T.W.A. is the way to fly." Part Two should have more appeal to the serious-minded, sinceit invites 200-word essays on "Commercial Aviation in 1985." Entries "will be microfilmed and sealed in a special vault" atT.W.A.'s new maintenance base in Kansas City until 1985, when they will be examined by a "selected board of judges." Thewinner (or his heirs) will thus have to wait 30 years for the $50,000 "jackpot." BREVITIES SCHEDULED airlines operating intra-European services will*** offer 14 per cent more seating capacity than in 1954 during the forthcoming summer season. At a recent I.A.T.A. meetingin Paris, April 17th was chosen as the starting date for summer schedules. * * * .•••••„•-• On average, 2,970 landings and take-offs per aircraft were madelast year by die Silver City fleet of Bristol 170s. Total number of flights made by the company's aircraft was 20,870, compared with18,972 in 1953; the number of trips flown on the cross-Channel ferry services last year was 18,200, on which 126,000 passengersand 42,500 vehicles were carried. * * * Mr. J. R. Ashwell-Cooke, advertising manager of B.O.A.C.,retired in January on the grounds of ill-health. He has been succeeded by Mr. J. B. H. Wilson, assistantadvertising manager. Mr. Ashwell-Cooke, one- time racing pilot and a founder of the LondonGliding Club, was serving in the R.A.F. as a wing commander when seconded to B.O.A.C.in 1944. American Airlines announce a settlement of thedispute between management and pilots which brought about last summer's 25-day suspensionof services. Pilots now agree to the scheduling of flights in excess of eight hours by DC-7s flyingnon-stop, westbound coast-to-coast services, for which they will receive extra pay. The eight-hour limitation will apply to all other services. Stratocruiser G-AKGK "Canopus," in which H.R.H. Princess Margaret left London tor Trinidad last Mon- day, is seen undergoing a pre-departure check in one of the new B.O.A.C. hangar bays at London Airport. In command on the royal flight was Capt. P. C. Fair.
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