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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0311.PDF
16 March 1956 307 CIVIL AVIATION . . . he declared: "No businessman would tolerate a turnover of hiskey personnel like this." Administrators were "being bounced in and out of office like tennis balls," and the severing of C.A.A.from Commerce was, he felt, essential to enable an Administrator to have a "clear and unobstructed channel for creating and imple-menting fundamental aviation policies." Fred Lee was, in his opinion, one of the most competent and well qualified C.A.A.Administrators to-date, and he warned that continued interference of this kind would prejudice safety by undermining C.A.A. morale. Another anti-government voice—that of A. B. McMullen, secre-tary of the National Association of State Aviation Officials—was raised: "Civil aviation has not been given active and vigorousrepresentation at the White House nor has it enjoyed a real cabinet status since C.A.A. was put in the Commerce Department." But Senator Monroney's claim that he has unanimous supportfor his bill has been disputed. The Air Transport Association, embracing the majority of U.S. carriers, has in fact expressed itsoutright opposition; and the National Business Aircraft Associa- tion, whose members fly more aeroplanes than all the airlines, issitting on the fence—as also is the Airport Operators Council. And it would appear that Senator Monroney has done his causelittle good by having just released, against the Commerce Depart- ment's wishes, a report of a two-year-old survey of C.A.A. callingfor detailed changes which, in his view, would be "impractical and dangerous." These recommended changes included the elimina-tion of the Inter-state Airways Communications Stations; a "three- level" system of flight control (distinguishing between local, medium-haul and long-haul flights); modification of C.A.A.'s safetyactivities; transfer of airport development-financing to the Roads Bureau of the Commerce Department; and replacement of thethree C.A.A. assistant administrators by one deputy administrator. The controversy will certainly test the health and constitutionof the C.A.A., even if it does not bring about its independence. The Department of Commerce's case for continued control of theC.A.A. has been effectively and moderately put by the Hon. Louis S. Rothschild, Under-Secretary for Transportation. Theenactment of the Monroney Bill, would, he said, "mean that the C.A.A. would be robbed of its voice at the Cabinet table and inother important inter-governmental deliberations ... the essen- tial co-ordination of its problems with other transportationagencies of the Government and with the Defense Department would be rendered less effective and more difficult." It wasimportant to recognize, he added, that there was involved respon- sibility for the expenditure of millions of dollars of taxpayers'money, the direction of 15,000 government employees, and the operation of complex air transport facilities vital to U.S. civilaviation and "inextricably linked" to national defence. C.A.A. traffic controllers, for example, were responsible not only for civil aircraft,but also for the military, which made up more than half of U.S. air traffic. The basic problem was safety, which was not a com-modity to be purchased in any market, nor traded upon politically. The squabble, even though it may seem a storm in a teacup tothe outsider, nevertheless demands attention, since it is a pre- liminary to a formidable programme for the improvement of U.S.traffic control and airports—a programme which will have to be emulated all over the world during the next decade. BREVITIES C ABENA have increased their order for Boeing 707-320s from ^ three to four. PanAm also have increased their fleet by three; six 707-120s will be delivered first, followed by seventeen 707-320s. * * * T.W.A. Super-G Constellation flights were extended on March3rd to include Cairo and Athens. * * * PanAm has applied for permission to reduce fares between New York and Nassau. * * * Eagle Airways plan to introduce a new scheduled Viking service,twice-weekly as from June, between London and Dinard. * * * Sabena have signed an interline agreement widi the Soviet air- line Aeroflot. * * * Air-India, from April 4th, will include Prague in their U.K.- India Super Constellation service. * * * All U.S.-operated Viscounts are fitted with the Collins Integrated Flight System and not, as stated in our issue of January 20th, with the Bendix system. * * * From Holland it is reported that Trans-Australia Airlines will order 12 Fokker F.27 Friendships, and that another probable customer is Aer Lingus. Queen's Commendations were recently presented by Mr. Harold Watkinson, Minister of Transport and Ciyil Aviation, to (left to right) Capt. F. Ormonroyd of B.E.A., Capt. R. L. Gillett of B.O.A.C., and Capt. R. F. Robinson of B.E.A. The ceremony was at the Ministry. Cambrian Airways announce a twice-weekly Heron service link-ing Cardiff and Bristol with Belfast as from May 7th. . * * * ' -' '•'-• •"": El Al's spring schedules include four weekly flights betweenLondon and Tel Aviv, three transatlantic services, and the opening of new routes to Amsterdam and Brussels.* * * Yeadon Airport, Yorkshire, has been granted Customs facilities,from May 1st, for direct flights to the Continent. This will cut present flying time from the West Riding by almost a half. * * * Trans-Canada Air Lines has been granted permission to operateinto Montego Bay, Jamaica, all the year round. Previously T.C.A. rights into Montego Bay were from December 1st to May 1st ofeach year. * * * The introduction of Viscounts by B.W.I.A. between New Yorkand Bermuda increased January traffic three times in comparison with the figure for the corresponding period in 1955—822 revenuepassengers were carried, compared with 238. . , -V * * * The M.T.C.A. has sanctioned the proposal for Jersey Airlines to take over from B.E.A., as from April 22nd, certain Channel Islands routes including those between Guernsey and Southamp- ton, Alderney and Dinard. * * * B.O.A.C. has confirmed details of its Britannia service to Johan-nesburg, due to be introduced in Ju'y. Th»re will be three weekly services: two by way of Rome, Cairo, Khartoum, Nairobi andSalisbury, and one via Frankfurt instead of Rome. * * * The first Lufthansa service to be operated by an all-Germancrew flew into London from Hamburg and Dusseldorf on March 6th. It was the first time that a B.E.A. pilot did not accompanya scheduled service. * * * The Qantas Super Constellation service between Sydney and London which beean on March 2nd reduced the current journey time between England and Austra'ia from 75 to 54- hours. The airline's operating record for 1955 showed an increase in passenger- miles from 261m to 320.3m. * * * Silver City last year became the world's busiest air freightcarrier; more than 72,000 tons (58 per cent of the total British volume) were flown, the majority of it from the company's airportof Ferryfield—which, incidentally, is to be visited by the Duke of Edinburgh next month. * * * A report from Australia says that A.N.A. is still waiting for alicence applied for ten months ago to import a Bristol Sycamore helicopter. T.A.A. have just been granted a licence to import anAmerican helicopter for rescue and experimental work on the condition that it is not used for passenger-carrying.
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