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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0254.PDF
252 FLIGHT, 2 March 1956 A Convair 340 of Finnish Air Lines landed on the snow-covered airport of Moscow for tht first time on February 10th, after a proving flight for the six-times-weekly service—the first to be operated by a non-Communist country—which began on February 18th between Copenhagen, Helsinki and Moscow. CIVIL AVIATION DEBUT OF THE VISCOUNT 700D— AS recorded by the photograph below, the first Viscount 700D• has been completed at the Vickers factory at Hurn. Allocated to Capital Airlines it had, as this issue went to press, completedits flight trials and was due for delivery—with a sister aircraft— to the U.S.A. where it will join the nine Capital Viscounts alreadyin service. The aircraft is the North American "plush" version of the 700D, known as the 771D—in effect the basic NorthAmerican 770D with extras. Completion of the first Viscount 700D makes it appropriate torecall the improvements offered by this new version and its 770D and 77ID North American cousins. The basic 700D embodies theexperience Vickers have to date of the requirements of 28 different customers, plus the day to day operation of the earlier Viscount700, amounting now to about 150,000 hr. The most important improvements include the four-tank fuel system (with the optionof long-range wing slipper tanks); an improved cockpit, suitable for two crew operation; a comprehensive installation of Britishradio equipment; and luxurious American-style cabin appoint- ments with improved panelling and upholstery and two toilets.Maximum take-off weight of the 700D is increased from 58,000 lb to 60,000 lb, or 62,000 lb with slipper tanks. A total of 800 extrahorsepower is provided by the four Dart RDa.6 Mk 510 engines, each of 1,600 s.h.p. compared with the Dart 506s of the series700. The increased power raises cruising speed from 320 to 325 m.p.h. at a lower fuel consumption—305 gal per hour com-pared with 309 for the Dart 506. Rotol airscrews (or, alternatively, de Havilland units) have blades of increased chord and high-activity section, and a lower diameter resulting in slightly lower tip-speeds. Maximum landing weight is increased from 52,000 lbto 54,000 lb, allowing full payload to be carried with full fuel reserves. Seating accommodation is for 40 to 58 passengers. The 770D, the North American "basic" version, is in all respects a 700D embodying North American equipment and modificationsto meet the requirements of the C.A.A. One typical such require- ment is the raising of landing weight by 3,500 lb to 57,500 lb tocater for the extra fuel reserves needed for high-density American domestic operations. The 77 ID is, in turn, a refinement of the770D with all the optional extras so far chosen by the principal North American operators. These include built-in air-stairs, withfront-door passenger loading, racks for carry-on luggage, airscrew reversing, and the Janitrol cabin heater. As in the 770D, seatingaccommodation is for 40 to 48 passengers. —AND T.C.A.'s THIRD REPEAT ORDER AS this issue goes to press we learn that Trans-Canada Air Lines- have ordered a further 11 Viscount 700 aircraft (Dart RDa.3 Mk 506 engines). This is T.C.A.'s third repeat order, bringingtheir total order to 36 aircraft: the first order for 15 aircraft was in 1952, which was raised to 22 in August, 1954 and to 25 inApril, 1955. The original order for 15 was completed recentlyj and a total of 25 aircraft will have been delivered by about thistime next year. Delivery of the further 11 just announced will begin soon after that. T.C.A.'s Viscount services now extend to 11 Canadian citiesand to New York and Chicago in the U.S.A. Their latest order brings the number of Viscounts sold to 288. Total value, withspares, approaches £100 million. AIRPORTS FOR THE DC-8 AND 797 A DDRESSING the Jet Age Conference of the Air Force Asso-•**• ciation in Washington recently Mr. Charles J. Lowen, Administrator of Civil Aeronautics said: "While our major air-ports will be able to handle domestic jet operations they may come into trouble when it comes to jet intercontinental flights." Hesaid that C.A.B. were "urgently reviewing" the situation, under First picture of the new Viscount 700D shows the slightly different profile of the more powerful (1,600 s.h.p.) Dart 510 nacelles. This air- craft is allocated to Capital, and is the U.S. airline's tenth Viscount. The 700D has increased take-off weight, and a higher landing weight which permits operation with full payload and fuel reserves. Cruising speed is up to 325 m.p.h. and consumption down by 1.3 per cent.
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