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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1051.PDF
FLIGHT, 29 July 1955 163 TABLE I: HOURS BETWEEN CHECKS 26 July 1950 March 1952 April 1953 August 1953 April 1954 December 1954 ... Check A 35 38 50 50 50 50 Check 1 50 80 100 100 100 110 Check 2 110 160 180 180 200 200 Check 3 220 320 350 350 360 360 Check 4 660 1,230 1.250 1,400 1,400 1,400 TABLE II: SCHEDULED ELAPSED TIME PER MAINTENANCE CHECK 19501954 Check A 1i days16 hr Check 1 14 days 24 hr Check 2 2 days 30 hr Check 3 3* days 50 hr Check 4 7 days 6 days TABLE III: ENGINE HOURS BETWEEN OVERHAULS 1950 800 March 1951 900 September 1951 1.000 October 1953 1,250 first time the Certificate of Airworthiness was renewable overtwo years instead of one only. For this purpose, and because of the continuous utilization requirement, the C. of A. overhaulwork was divided into eight groups to be spread over the two years, each part being done during an appropriate Check 4.This prevented duplication of work between Check 4s and over- haul and, at the same time, reduced specialized work on over-hauls to a minimum. Component hours were matched to Check 4 hours so that, normally, component changes took place onlyon Check 4s, or occasionally on Check 3s. By this means the minor checks were kept free of more complicated matters, anddetailed component-change programmes were worked out which ensured that no two C. of A. groups overlapped and enabled stocksfor overhaul to be kept to an absolute minimum. 2fi7\ \ \« ^3> O76 k~-QJ9 oeT~— O72O71 Fig 3. Co-efficient of engineering effi- ciency (elapsed engineering time per flying hour), January and Jury 1950-54. 0 JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUt JAN JUL 195O 1951 1952 1953 1954 Delays.—Fig. 6 shows the delay rate in hours per flying hourfor the months of January and July in each of the five years under review. The total rate, given on the top line, is divided cumula-tively into the main sections of "Mechanical." "Weather," "Traffic and Miscellaneous" and "Consequential" delays. Theselatter are partly the effect of other types of delay at overseas terminals, causing late initial departures homeward-bound, andpartly their effect by causing unscheduled night-stops when a service has become a few hours behind schedule.The overall trend is one of improvement as utilization increases. This is to some extent paradoxical, as the higher tempo of workwith less time spent on maintenance and reduced traflfic stops and turn-round times might reasonably be expected to have an adverseeffect on delays. The facts prove the contrary. All types of delay, on the whole, show a tendency to improvement, although weatherin January 1953 and mechanical delays in July and January 1953 and 1954 were against the trend. The figures given are, of course,only samples of two months in each year but they are, neverthe- less, representative of the whole picture and were selected forthat purpose. The Aircraft—The aircraft, as originally delivered in 1949,were straightforward 40-seaters, with two cargo holds underneath 3O Z 26 22 18 10 JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL 195O 1951 " 1952 1953 1954 Fig. 4. Total engin- eering man-hours per week for 22 Argonauts (first week in January and July 1950-54). Fig. 5. Engineering man-hours per fly- ing hour for the 22 Argonauts (first week in January and July 1950-54). 24 2O 18 V/ V \ —• < '"JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN "JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL 195O 1951 1952 1953 1954 the fuselage, a third hold behind the control cabin, a lounge at theextreme rear and a mid-ships pantry. Opposite the pantry was a toilet and coat stowage and another toilet was forward of thepassenger compartment, together with a ladies' powder-room. This remains the basic standard version today. The average air-craft empty weight in January 1950 was approx. 22,000 kg, but by the end of 1954 this had increased to 22,630 kg, the additional630 kg representing a combination of the accumulated modifica- tions of five years' intensive flying and the intrinsic heavinessof age. Many of the modifications were for commercial development,such as the incorporation of cross-over exhausts during 1952-3 to reduce the cabin noise-level. Similarly, increases to maximumtake-off and landing weight respectively from 36,378 kg and 31,751 kg to 37,195 kg and 32,659 kg took place in 1953 andimproved the range/pay load characteristics of the aircraft. Changes in the interior layout were also made, for applicationas required. Freight bins were built to replace either the front four or front eight seats in the forward passenger cabin, reducingthe total seating to 36 or 32 if cargo or mail loads were high on Fig. 6. Delay hours **• fli hper flying hour (January and July 1950-54). go JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL JAN JUL 195O 1951 1952 1953 1954 certain services. A quick-fitting freight floor for the main cabinwas designed in 1951 to enable large cargoes to be carried when required, usually on charter work. A modification to the rearcabins of six aircraft was made in 1952, giving a standard V.I.P. arrangement of considerable comfort. (It will be recalled thatan Argonaut brought the Queen back to this country from East Africa on the death of her father King George VI and, morerecently, carried Her Majesty from Aden to Tobruk on her return from the royal Pacific tour.) Finally, between August 1952 andSeptember 1953 the entire fleet was modified to permit a high density layout with 54 seats instead of the standard 40. With thisnew layout other changes were included. The midships toilet went forward; the ladies' boudoir became a freight hold; and thecoat stowage and lounge disappeared. All these alternative layouts, or combinations of them, can nowbe arranged at a few hours' notice. An Argonaut can return to base fitted with 36 standard seats and a freight bin in the cabin andleave again on a different route 12 hours later with a full high- density layout. A service may arrive at Hong Kong fitted with32 seats and two cabin cargo bins, because of heavy outward mail loads, and leave the following-morning for London with 40 seats.The cabin bins are capable of carrying the chairs (in a folded state) they replace, plus the full allowance of cargo (weightrestricted structurally to 453 kg per bin); and, when the chairs are fitted, the bins can be folded and stowed in the main holds with aloss of only 82 kg per bin. Similarly, freight floor sections or V.I.P. fittings can be carried in the holds for fitting when required.Such arrangements make the Argonaut extraordinarily flexible from a commercial point of view, although more modern aircrafthave improved schemes for interior layout changes. Table IV gives details of the principal alternatives on the Argonaut and thecapacities thereby available; further permutations may be achieved by giving different standards in front and rear cabins. The high-density modification permitted a wide selection oftourist services to begin operation, while the take-off/landing weight increases not only pennined fuller use of the high-densityaircraft but improved payloads on long stages where fuel require-
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