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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1396.PDF
508 FLIGHT LOUD CHEERS and waving (red?) flags sig- nalled the departure of the first service by an 11-14 of East Germany's airline ("A Rival Lufthansa," below). FROM ALL QUARTERS •i A Rival LufthansaW HAT was described as the "first official flight" of the newEast German airline took place on September 16th, when an East German Government delegation flew from Berlin toMoscow. Like its West German counterpart, the airline is known as Deutsche Lufthansa; it was established on June 1st, 1954,with headquarters at Schoenefeld Airport, Berlin, and is equipped with Il-14s, one of which is seen in the photograph on this page.At present the pilots are Russians, though East German pilots are believed to be under training. The airline is headed by HerrArthur Pieck, a son of the East German president. C.A.S. in North America THE Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal of the Royal Air ForceSir William Dickson, left by air for the United States and Canada last Monday and is to return on Sunday. He is having discussions in Washington with Gen. Twining,Chief of Staff of the U.S.A.F., and other senior American officers, on matters of mutual interest; these, it is officially stated, includeco-operation between Strategic Air Command of the U.S.A.F. and Bomber Command of the R.A.F. From Washington the Chief of the Air Staff was due to goon to Ottawa for discussions with Air Marshal C. R. Slemon, Chief of the Air Staff, R.C.A.F. CD. Helicopter THE Home Secretary, Maj. Gwilym Lloyd-George, made a-*• flight from London's South Bank site on September 14th in a helicopter—Whirlwind G-AOCF, chartered from B.E.A.—whichis being used in a series of trials by Civil Defence. Explaining the project, the Home Secretary said that it wasdesired to find how such machines could best be employed in air-raid damage reconnaissance. In the course of the inquiriesthe helicopter would visit all the CD. regions in England, Wales and Scotland. Other work in which such aircraft could provevaluable, added Maj. Lloyd-George, might be in the aerial measurement of atomic-bomb fall-out. Air-to-ground loud-hailerexperiments would also be made. :. Exports Up iC I : ^ AIRCRAFT exports from the United Kingdom last June—•**• figures for which have recently been announced—totalled £5,070,741, compared with a monthly average of £4,649,086 overthe previous twelve months. Imports, at £1,139,496, were 22 per cent of exports; in the previous twelve months they had averaged£1,976,993, which represents 42 per cent of exports in the same period. The export total included complete aircraft to the value of£3,419,050 and engines to the value of £1,397,137. Titanium Cut-back THE American Office of Defense Mobilisation last weekannounced the suspension of the Government programme to assist in the expansion of titanium-sponge capacity. The director,Mr. Arthur S. Flemming, stated that "sponge production at present is considerably ahead of the indicated rate of militaryutilization of the metal." He added that sponge capacity under Government contract appeared to provide for projected militaryuse until 1957, but that the programme would be kept under continuous study. At present the U.S. Government has sponge-production con-tracts with five companies: Cramet Inc. (6,000 tons); Dow Chemical Company (1,800 tons); E. I. du Pont de Nemoursand Co. (2,700 tons plus 900 tons not under contract); Titanium Metals Corporation of America (3,600 tons); and Union Carbideand Carbon Corporation (7,500 tons). Within the past two years the market price of sponge has dropped from $10,000 to $7,900per ton, and it is reasonable to expect further reductions. Pro- duction is expected to reach 8,000 tons this year, and 22,500 tonscapacity by 1957, of which 21,600 tons are currently under contract. Major Air Defence Exercise AT noon today, September 23rd, this year's major United**• Kingdom air defence exercise begins, code-named "Beware." The first phase will last until midnight on Sunday. The twoother phases will take place between noon on Tuesday and mid- night on Wednesday and from 0500 hr on Saturday, October 1st,and the afternoon of Sunday, October 2nd. The object of the exercise is to test the strength of the country'sair defence and to exercise the various elements in a full-scale operation. All commands will be involved, together with someunits from Germany and aircraft of the U.S.A.F. Strategic and Tactical Air Commands. For the first time, large numbers ofHunters and some Valiants will take part. The A.O.C-in-C. Fighter Command, Air Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, will be incommand of the operations. CAPT. MAX HOLYMAN, who will be chief pilot of Australian National Airways' new helicopter unit, is at Filton for a course on the Sycamore, which A.N.A. will use; he has received basic helicopter training with Fisons Pest Control, Ltd. Here he is seen seated in a Sycamore cockpit and talking to test pilot Peter Wilson.
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