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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1547.PDF
662 FLIGHT, 21 October 195f CIVIL AVIATION . . . NEW HERON ORDERS TWO repeat orders for Series 2 Herons have been announced byA de Havilland. One is from the Shell Petroleum Company who have bought a second "special executive version"; the other, fromWest African Airways Corporation, is for three 14-seat airline ver- sions. This latter order will bring the number of Herons orderedby W.A.A.C. to eight, of which four are already in service with a fifth due for delivery shortly. LUFTHANSA TRANSATLANTIC (COMPLETION of the airline's 200th crossing of the North^-/ Atlantic was announced by Lufthansa on October 14th. The use of tip-tanked L.1049G Super Constellations on this ser-vice, which was inaugurated in June, has enabled Lufthansa to operate all eastbound crossings from New York to Shannon,Dusseldorf or Frankfurt without a refuelling stop. Lufthansa's North Atlantic services, which account for abouttwo-thirds of the company's revenue, have been running at a load factor of some 45 per cent. On the European services, the loadfactor has been about 60 per cent. AIRPORT ENTERPRISE DY and large, the airports of the world are run at a loss, to" the extent that income from landing fees, rents, concessions and the like do not offset capital costs and running expenses. Itis not possible, of course, to assess in terms of hard cash the military or social value of an airport, or even the benefits of thetrade which it attracts. It need not be assumed that this situation will never change; with each passing year, the majority of air-ports earn more revenue from traffic, and the burden of capital costs tends to decrease. Meanwhile, are airports doing everything possible to cut theirdeficits? An I.C.A.O. document of a few years back concluded that some were relying too heavily on their supporting com-munities and their users to carry them through the lean years. It is probable that, in many cases, this view holds good today.One wonders, for example, whether European airports have explored all the possibilities of increasing concession revenues,or of stimulating traffic. The Port of New York Authority, which controls the terminalfacilities for one of the world's busiest air-traffic centres, recently set an example of enterprise in airport management which mightwell have applications elsewhere. This takes the form of a remarkably comprehensive "service to shippers," applying equallyto all potential users of air freight, large and small. The Authority undertake to provide information, without charge, on types ofaircraft, schedules, customs procedures, freight forwarding and warehousing facilities, financing and insurance and several otheraspects of air-freighting procedures. The P.N.Y.A. also offer an advisory service, through the U.S. and N.Y. State Departmentsof Commerce, "to foreign buyers looking for products, markets and outlets." In launching this service, the P.N.Y.A. have shown a far-sighted approach, for though it is of direct value mainly to shippers and operators, the long-term benefits to the airport management,in terms of increased turnover, should be considerable. Further details of the plan may be had from the Aviation DevelopmentDivision of the P.N.Y.A. Aviation Department at 111, Eighth Avenue at 15th Street, New York 11, N.Y. WATERLOO-L.A.P. HELICOPTERS TNITIAL results of the helicopter service between the South•*• Bank site and London Airport, which began on July 25th this year, are reported by B.E.A. By the first week of October thetwo Whirlwinds had operated 1,000 flights with a regularity of 97 per cent. Passengers carried totalled 2,000 and loads ofnewspapers and freight brought the achieved load factor to 71 per cent. Subject to V.F.R. conditions, this 15-minute servicewill continue throughout the winter at a frequency of four return flights daily on week-days. FRENCH RESTRICTION IT was announced by the French Transport Ministry onOctober 7th that over the next five years only one privately owned French airline would be allowed to compete with AirFrance on any one air route in the French union. The Ministry said that Air France would also continue to receive preferentialtreatment on international routes, except in South Africa, south- east Asia and Oceania. According to an agency report, the Ministry statement addedthat: "Until now Air France, governed by a legal statute, and the big private companies which were still under a system ofprecarious permits subject to cancellations, joined in disorganized competition which was ruinous for them all." BREVITIES THE Aer Lingus Viscount fleet, which went into operation inApril 1954, has just completed its first 10,000 flying hours. Over this period the four aircraft have carried more than 250,000 passengers and made 7,000 take-offs and landings. * * * The president of K.L.M., General Alger, visited the UnitedStates last month for jet-transport discussions with Douglas and Boeing. Members of K.L.M. are among airline executives whohave piloted or flown in the Boeing 707 prototype during recent weeks. * * * Iraq has officially stated that the use of Iraqi airports will bedenied to any commercial aircraft passing through Israel on the same journey. The statement, which followed the landing atBaghdad of an Air France aircraft which had previously called at Israel, was described as "a final warning." * * * Mr. Vernon D. Crudge, who was manager of B.O.A.C.'sAtlantic division from 1946-1948 and of the Corporation's western division from 1948-1950, has been retained by the Boeing Air-plane Co. as a special consultant. Mr. Crudge, who joined Imperial Airways in 1931, has been an aviation consultant inNew York since 1950. * * * One of the tasks faced by the delegates to the 1955 I.A.T.A.traffic conference, results of which were reported in Flight last week, was the scrutiny and approval of charts showing minimumseating densities for all the major types of aircraft used by mem- ber airlines on tourist services. Altogether 29 types were involvedranging from DC-3s to Britannia 300s. It was announced at the conference that despite a twelve-month study by traffic andengineering experts, it had proved impossible to evolve an accept- able "standard formula" for tourist seating accommodation. * * * Charter work, surveys, crop-spraying and forest control aresome of the duties envisaged for A.N.A.'s Bristol Sycamore, which will be delivered before the end of this year. Capt. Max Holyman,who is to be chief test pilot of the airline's helicopter division, recently began a 40 hr conversion course on the Sycamore atFilton; earlier, he had completed basic training with Fison- Airwork at Cambridge. It is reported from Johannesburg that South African Airwaysare considering the operation of an Indian Ocean service to Sydney when their three DC-7Bs are delivered early next year.The opening of a service to Israel is also under consideration. * * * Ten DC-7Cs ordered by B.O.A.C. will be equipped withR.C.A. storm warning radar, as already adopted by Swissair and a number of American airlines. For their Britannias, B.O.A.C.have already specified British Ekco radar. * * * After ten years as Airwork's publicity manager, Miss Ann Finnie (in private life, Mrs. Edward Moore) is retiring to devote more time to her family. Miss Finnie is succeeded by Miss Elisabeth de Stroumillo. ' .-_• •-.". * * * *•.-....•••• The Armagnac of S.A.G.E.T.A. which landed at Vnukovo onSeptember 14th was perhaps the largest civil aircraft to have visited Moscow. During the visit, it is reported, the opportunitywas taken to distribute among Soviet aviation authorities leaflets (in Russian) giving details of the Caravelle jet transport and the Armagnac itself. * * * Although the 1956 Olympic Games, to be held at Melbourne,do not begin until November 22nd, 1956, Qantas Empire Air- ways have announced that all seats have been reserved on ser-vices scheduled to operate between North America and Australia during the period preceding the Games. It is expected thatinternational air traffic attracted to Australia by the Games will amount to some 200 flights, carrying over 10,000 passengers.* * * In a new Notice to Licensed Aircraft Engineers and to Ownersof Civil Aircraft (No. 47, issue 1), the A.R.B. emphasizes that passenger safety belts "are approved as types but can be and aresupplied in a variety of lengths to suit particular seats and installa- tions." Great care must be taken, says the notice, that, when seatsare changed or new belts fitted, the belt has sufficient adjustment to give adequate restraint to all likely users, including children.The notice follows a recent accident investigation, when it was found that several seats were fitted with belts which could notbe tightened enough to restrain the occupants.
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