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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0435.PDF
FLIGHT, 1 April 1955 435 CIVIL AVIATION . . . NEW SUPER CONNIES FOR T.W.A. "pIRST deliveries are now being made in the United States of-1 model L.1049G Super Constellations, powered, like the L.1049C, by 3,250 h.p. Wright Turbo-compounds, but embody-ing a number of detailed refinements. The new version has provision for wing-tip fuel tanks to give increased range, and itsall-up weight has been increased from 133,000 to 137,500 lb. Some examples, including the first of the fleet of 20 ordered byT.W.A., will be equipped with storm-warning radar in a nose installation which increases the fuselage length by 34in. Thetype is being advertised as the "Super-G" Constellation by T.W.A., who were due to introduce it to regular service on their domestictrans-continental routes today, April 1st. As used by this airline the L.1049G will carry 66 first-class passengers; the fuselage isdivided into three passenger compartments, a lounge and an eight-berth sleeper section. Also taking delivery of L.1049Gsare Northwest Orient Airlines, one of whose aircraft is illustrated on page 434. RECORD SALES FOR DOUGLAS ALES of Douglas commercial transports have recently reacheda record level. During the first two months of this year 17 airlines placed orders valued at some £65m for a total of 109aircraft in the DC-6/7 series. These orders bring the number of aircraft in the series sold to date to 819, of which 208 haveyet to be delivered. This commercial backlog, valued at £125m, is the largest in the Douglas company's history. The 109 aircraft ordered in January and February comprise49 DC-6Bs, for delivery to eleven United States and six non- American airlines and 60 DC-7s, including 38 Seven Seas. Thesix airlines which have ordered this longer-range development of the DC-7 series are B.O.A.C., PanAm, Sabena, S.A.S., Swissairand—the most recent purchaser—Braniff International Airways. VISCOUNT'S AMERICAN DEBUT THE Vickers Viscount is due to make its North American debuttoday, April 1st, on the Montreal-Toronto-Lakehead-Winni- peg route of Trans-Canada Air Lines. Next Monday, April 4th,will see the Viscount's first appearance on scheduled passenger services within the United States—at Idlewild, New York, whichwill be linked with Toronto by five Viscount services, instead of three North Star flights, daily. On this route T.C.A. operate incompetition with American Airlines, who use DC-6s. T.C.A.'s introduction of the Viscount has been preceded byintensive crew-training, route proving and demonstration flights. Their first aircraft has already flown over 400 hr since its deliveryin December. Last week several local demonstration flights were given at Idlewild, and a number of North American airline, Press,radio and TV representatives were given "courtesy flights" between New York and Montreal and Toronto. NEW ATLANTIC CARGO RATES A STATEMENT issued early this week by I.A.T.A. indicatesthat the member airlines who operate over the North Atlantic have, temporarily at least, patched up their long-standing disagree-ments as to the rate structure applied to cargo traffic on this route. Without the new agreement, which was reached at a specialI.A.T.A. Tramc Advisory Group meeting in New York last As recorded in a news item on p. 406, the Bristol Aeroplane Company recently sold their 200th Freighter. Here Mr. F. A. Laker, managing director of Air Charter, Ltd., accepts it from Mr. C. F. Uwins, managing director of the Bristol Aircraft division (right), while Mr. R. S. Brown, divisional general manager, looks on. Friday, an "open situation" would have occurred on expiry of the present rate structure on July 1st next. The new system represents a compromise between the twobasic schools of thought on cargo rating, one of which advocates larger discounts for bulk shipments, the other calling for increasedapplication of the existing system of discounts for specific com- modities. The number of commodity classifications will now bereduced to fewer than 50, but the present 30 per cent discount for general shipments of 440 lb or more will be dropped in favourof other bulk discounts within the commodity rating system. VIKING ACCIDENT REPORT TPHE accidents investigation branch of the Ministry of Transport-*• and Civil Aviation have published a report on the accident to Viking G-AIXS (operated by Airwork, Ltd.) at Blackbushe onAugust 15th, 1954. The aircraft had taken off from Blackbushe on a charter flight to Nice and, after oil had been seen streaming fromthe starboard engine, the captain feathered the airscrew and returned to Blackbushe. During the single-engined landingapproach the machine struck the ground 135 yards short of the runway. The Viking was badly damaged and fire broke out. The loss of oil from the starboard engine, the report concludes,was due to "gulping"—caused by the breakdown of the oil scavenge system. "Gulping has taken place on numerous occasionsover the past 7.\ years and the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Ltd., have recently introduced several modifications which they hopewill alleviate and might eliminate it." None of the modifications were incorporated in the starboard Hercules in G-AIXS, as it hadbeen installed before they were introduced. The report expresses the opinion that "The accident was theresult of the captain allowing the aircraft to stall when making a single-engined approach to land. A contributory factor wasdistraction of the captain's attention by the flickering of the under- carriage red indicator lights during a critical stage of the approach." Passengers embark from Gate IB at Idlewild, New York, for a demonstration flight in T.C.A. Viscount CF-TGI, flagship of the Canadian airline's new turboprop fleet. Regular Viscount services between Toronto and New York are scheduled to begin next Monday. "Flight" photograph
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