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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0253.PDF
FLIGHT, 25 February 1955 253 CIVIL AVIATION ... BE.25 BRITANNIAS FOR QANTAS AUSTRALIA'S international airline, Qantas Empire Airways,**• is discussing with the Bristol Aeroplane Co. the possibility of an order for a number of later-model Britannias powered byconstant-power BE.25 turboprops. This was announced in Lon- don last Monday by the airline's general manager, Mr. C. O.Turner, who said that the aircraft would be required for delivery in 1959-60. Mr. Turner did not specify the reasons for postponingthe introduction of Britannias, but the fact that Qantas now have a brand-new fleet of nine Super Constellations, with a tenth duefor early delivery, suggests diat the company is well placed to await the debut of the improved-type Britannia. Earlier, Qantas had given Bristols a letter of intent for sixMk 250 Britannias, to be powered, like B.O.A.C.'s Mk 300s, by Proteus 755 turboprops, but specially designed to carry a mixedload of freight and passengers in the main cabin. Mr. Turner said that the ability to parry mixed loads would also be a featureof the BE.25-powered machines now under negotiation. He added that by 1956 the airline's Super Constellations will be modifiedto carry up to 16,000 lb of freight in addition to 57 passengers on the London-Sydney route. Apart from cabin modifications,the aircraft will require wing-root strengthening to permit an increased zero-fuel weight. As a first step towards increasing freight capacity on theKangaroo route, Qantas will shortly introduce direct all-freight service between London and Sydney; a DC-4 freighter has beenbought from die United States for diis purpose, increasing the airline's DC-4 fleet to six aircraft. Previously, the only all-freightroute to Sydney has been by B.O.A.C. York to Singapore,and thence by Qantas DC-4. Including the cargo space offered on passengeraircraft, die two airlines have been offering a total monthly freight capacity in each direction between London and Sydney of 80 tons;this figure is now to be increased by 50 per cent. SUPER SUPER CONSTELLATION 'T' HOUGH its existence has not yet been officially announced,-*• the Lockheed L.I549 can be regarded as a formidable com- batant in die growing sales battle for the custom of die long-rangeinternational airlines. Towards the end of 1954 it became gener- ally known that Lockheeds were sounding operators' reactions tothe L.1449, a lengthened version of the L.1049 Super Constella- tion with a new wing and four 6,000 h.p. T-34 turboprops (firstdetails were in Flight for December 17th, 1954, and January 14th last).This sales reconnaissance produced a number of design changes, Lockheeds are reported to be grooming a con- tender for the trans- atlantic non-stop stakes in the form of the L.I 549, a stretched, turboprop version of the Super Constella- tion. This "Flight" artist's impression shows it in the colours of T.W.A., who are said to be considering an order for 25. This drawing of the Fokker F.27 Friendship—described as a Dutch- British venture on account of its English Dart turboprops, their airscrews, the landing gear, wheels, instruments, seats and Redux-bonding—pro- vides an impression of the aircraft in its latest form and, for the first time, in K.L.M. colours. The prototype is well advanced and is expected to fly early in the summer. resulting in die new designation L.1549. It is believed thatT.W.A. have signed, or are on die point of signing, an initial order for 25 L.1549s, with first deliveries in 1957. There is a good case for expecting T.W.A. to place such anorder. First, die company must prepare for competition from Pan American, S.A.S. and Swissair, who have ordered DC-7Cs fornon-stop transatlantic service in 1956-57; secondly, T.W.A., now operating the largest Constellation and Super Constellation fleetin the world, would be reluctant to change over to Douglas equip- ment unless diey stood to gain some significant lead. It might well be asked why Lockheeds have not formallyannounced dieir plans for the 1549. The best explanation is diat over-emphasis of projected designs can prejudice sales of currentmodels. This is reflected in die sales techniques of bodi Douglas and Lockheed: publicity campaigns are centred on the DC-6B,DC-7 and L.1049, while tomorrow's aircraft are discussed behind die scenes widi executives of die major airlines. The DC-7C wasnot "unveiled" by Douglas until last September, by which time the P.A.A. contract had already been clinched. Similarly, it isexpected diat die L.1549 will not be formally revealed until T.W.A. choose to announce die signing of a contract; there mayeven be a clause in die contract reserving die initial publicity rights to the airline. Meanwhile, it is possible to piece together,from various sources, die essential features of the aircraft. In relation to the L.1049, the major design innovation is dieadoption of a high-aspect-ratio, tapered wing of increased span (150ft, compared widi 113.7ft) and greater area (1,850 sq ft, com-pared widi 1,650 sq ft). The 1549 has already been dubbed die "thin-wing" Super Constellation; diickness-chord ratio has, infact, been reduced by nearly 17 per cent. The 1549 will be powered by four 6,000 h.p. Pratt and WhitneyT-34 turboprops, fed by a four-tank fuel system containing 10,200 U.S. gallons. The power-units are housed in nacelles of lowfrontal area, the inboard nacelles being bulged to accommodate die main undercarriage (which—surprisingly, in view of die sizeof die aircraft—is not of bogie-wheel type). The fuselage of die 1549 is expected to accommodate about90 tourist-class passengers, or 60-75 in a first-class layout; it will be about 10ft longer dian die L.1049, which measures 113ft 7infrom nose to tail. In relation to die proposed all-up weight of die 1549 (18,500 lb), die capacity payload of about 18,000 lb isdecidedly low; die aircraft is intended, however, to be capable of carrying diis load over distances of nearly 4,500 miles. Thoughextremely valuable for specialized long-haul work, it would be inflexible and uneconomic over the routes flown by a majorityof international operators. Cruising speed of die L.1549 is ex- pected to be 410-420 m.p.h. NEW AERAD FLIGHT GUIDE A RECENT change in die format of the Aerad Flight Guidehas been explained by International Aeradio, Ltd., who originally introduced die Guide in 1947. In its revised form,die new Guide is designed to provide quicker references to radio call signs, frequencies, control procedures and airwayssystems. It is in two sections, die first (die Radio Handbook) containing such information as radio details, diagrammatic chartsshowing airways, safety altitudes, tracks and distances, danger areas and meteorological information; it is published as sevenseparate spiral-wire bound and expendable volumes which are re- issued periodically. Interim amendments are issued weekly. The Radio Handbook covers die following areas: Europe andMiddle East; Africa; Asia; Far East and Pacific; Australasia; Nordi Adantic and Seaboard of North America; and Soudi Atlantic andSoudi America. The second section, die Pilot's Handbook, contains charts for
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