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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1546.PDF
661 IGHT, 21 Oct. 1955 The striking similarity between the Douglas DC-8 (left) and the Boeing 707 is apparent in these impressions of the two PanAm Jet Clippers. CIVIL AVIATION THE PAN AMERICAN JET ORDER T>ROBABLY the most significant order in the history of air•*• transport to date was that announced by Pan American World Airways on October 13th. The order—more accurately, orders,since two manufacturers are involved—for 45 American-built jet transports, 20 Boeing 707 Stratoliners and 25 Douglas DC-8s,is the most expensive (£96 million) ever placed by an airline. Its effect on the future development of both sea and air travel overlong distances is certain to be far-reaching; already it seems un- certain that some of the smaller airlines will be able to standthe competitive pace set by re-equipment on such a scale. The PanAm jet fleet alone, when operating at full strength, istheoretically capable of hauling annually three times the total transatlantic passenger traffic carried by all airlines during 1954. The text of the PanAm announcement was as follows: —"Forty-five American-built jet transports—able to fly non-stop at 575 m.p.h. between New York and London in 6 hr 15 min—have beenpurchased by Pan American Airways at a cost of £96,000,000, the largest order ever executed by a commercial airline. The airplanes arethe Boeing 707 and the DC-8 and the order, announced yesterday by Juan T. Trippe, Pan American World Airways president, is the firstto be placed by any airline for U.S.-built jet transports. "Twenty Boeings, carrying 104 passengers in the standard configura-tion, and 125 tourist, will be delivered to Pan American starting December 1958. Twenty-five Douglas aircraft carrying 108 passengersin the standard seating and 131 tourist will be delivered a year later, in December 1959. "The airline has also signed a contract with United Aircraft Corpora-tion for Pratt and Whitney engines to power both planes. . . . This huge financial commitment for new flight equipment 'is completeevidence of Pan American's faith and confidence in the continued expansion of sound two-way international trade,' said Mr. Trippe, aswell as greatly increased tourist travel between the United States and the 74 foreign nations regularly served by Pan American Clippers." Few specific details of either the Boeing or the Douglas jettransports has so far been made available, and we have accordingly prepared the following descriptions, which include all that can bepublished at the present time. These notes, while emphasizing the similarity of the two types, also reveal certain differences. Boeing 707.—A low-mid-wing machine, with 35 deg sweep, poweredby four Pratt and Whitney J57 turbojets. The design is a direct development of the original 707 prototype, which first flew on July 15th,1954. On August 5th last year the U.S.A.F. stated that it would buy a number of tanker versions of this aircraft, and a large contract (be-lieved to be for 250 KC-135s) was signed the following month. The U.S.A.F. has now allowed Boeing to develop and produce a civilairliner in parallel with the tanker, and this is the machine which PanAm have bought. The civil 707 has a span of 130ft lOin and a fuselage of 134ft 6inlength; it is, therefore, a larger machine than the prototype, and the weight has gone up to over 230,000 lb. The power units will be four"advanced models" of the Pratt and Whitney JT3 turbojet (the civil J57), rated at over 10,000 lb thrust apiece (probably 11,000 1b).These will provide a cruising speed of "above 550 m.p.h." between 25,000 and 40,000ft. Seating can be provided for between 80 and130 passengers, according to the route. Structural details are similar to those made familiar by the 707prototype. The JT3s will be in single pods and the landing gear will comprise four-wheel bogie main units and a twin-wheel nose unit.Baggage and power services will be housed in the pressurized "lower bubble" of the fuselage. Owing to the high wing sweep, lateral controlwill be provided by spoilers. DC-8.—In general layout, this can be described as a very slightlylarger, rather more efficient transport than the 707, having an identical layout with the exception of the following details: sliehtly less wingsweep, permitting the achievement of a better lift coefficient and the use of conventional ailerons; a curious type of main undercarriage,with four main wheels on a single axle on each main leg; and com- pletely new powerplants. The latter will be Pratt and Whitney JT4s,civil versions of the new J75 turbojet. The latter engine; which has now been flying in a B-45 test-bed for five months, is initially rated at 15,000 lb thrust, and is a larger and heavier unit than the JT3. On the other hand, it will certainly be needed for the overwater version of the DC-8, which is at present seen as a 257,000 lb machine. PanAm have said that the DG-8 will be rather more efficient thanthe Boeing, and it is expected to cruise at about Mach 0.88 (it is believed Douglas are quoting a guaranteed cruise of 575 m.p.h.). Rangeof the Douglas will also be higher than that of the Boeing 707, i.e., it will be greater than 5,000 miles in still air. It is certain that the DC-8will be an all-the-year-round transatlantic machine (to London or Paris), although Ivar L. Shogran, DC-8 chief project engineer, has stressed the economy of the type on shorter routes. Both the DC-8 and the 707 will have special types of silencingequipment and reverse-thrust mechanisms. Juan L. Trippe is quoted as saying, "the new transports will make little more noise on the groundthan present piston-engined planes." The exact cost of the PanAm order is reported to be £96,071,429,of which Douglas will receive £57,142,857 and Boeing the remainder. On the basis of these figures the approximate costsof the DC-8 and the Stratoliner are respectively £2,285,000 and £1,945,000 each. In 1953 P.A.A. became the first airline to placea firm order for the Comet 3, and though production of this type is not now intended the airline was regarded as a likely customer forthe Comet 4. This possibility cannot be ruled out in the light of last week's announcement, since the Boeing and Douglas jet trans-ports are designed for longer stages and higher densities than the Comet 4 and are thus not strictly competitive. Moreover, PanAm have themselves reaffirmed their "continuinginterest in the de Havilland jet programme" adding that "certain confidential written understandings exist between the two com-panies, looking towards a successful outcome." In addition to their long distance, high-density, mainline routes for which theBoeing and Douglas jet transports are primarily intended, PanAm also carry a great deal of shorter-stage sector traffic in their DC-6Bsand the Comet 4 might be considered as a suitable replacement for these aircraft. The placing of this first firm order for American-built jet trans-ports has been preceded for some months by a "war of nerves" among several United States carriers. Eastern, National andUnited airlines have been quoted as planning the purchase of a total of 51 Douglas or Boeing jet airliners. There is no doubtthat by ordering both types in substantial numbers PanAm have taken by surprise a large section of the airline industry. Thedisadvantages of operating two aircraft types for essentially similar duties are obvious; but presumably these are in PanAm's viewoffset by the lead thus established over all competitors. The majority of PanAm's world-wide services are operated bya fleet of 26 Stratocruisers and 45 DC-6Bs, now being succeeded by the larger, faster DC-7 series. Early this year the airline signeda £43m contract with Douglas for 40 aircraft of this type, of which 33 will be DC-7C Seven Seas, the others DC-7Bs. Last year PanAm's share of transatlantic traffic was almost 30per cent and this proportion, already increased during 1955 by the introduction of DC-7Bs, is certain to be further enlarged whenthe Seven Seas come on to the route next year. Unless unforeseen snags delay the jet programme there can be little doubt that PanAmwill dominate this key route by the end of the present decade. Development of engines giving the requisite power is not theonly problem to be overcome before the new Boeing and Douglas transports enter airline service. ATreminder of the ever-presentnoise problem came from the chairman of the Port of New York Authority, who last week warned PanArn that jets would notbe allowed in the New York area at their present noise-level. Permission to land at Idlewild was denied to Boeing on Sunday,when the 707 flew non-stop from Seattle to Andrews A.F.B., Washington, in 3 hr 58 min. This flight, completed at an averagespeed of 592 m.p.h. (allegedly without tailwind assistance) set up an unofficial transcontinental record.
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