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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0119.PDF
FLIGHT, 25 January 1957 121 Gathered under one roof—the lofty root of the Britannia hangar at Bristol—are three of the four main variants of the Britannia family. In the doorway is G-ALBO, the prototype 100; in the left background is G-ANCA, the prototype 300; and in the foreground is G-AOVA, first of the long-range 310s. CIVIL AVIATION S.A.A. AND THE COMET A STRONG de Havilland team left London Airport on**• January 18 to spend two weeks in Johannesburg discussing the Comet 4 with South African Airways. The party consistedof Mr. R. E. Bishop, design director; Mr. Frank Lloyd, com- mercial sales manager; Mr. John Cunningham, chief test pilot;and Mr. George Wilkes, aerodynamics. It will be recalled that South African Airways, who operate inpartnership with B.O.A.C. between London and South Africa, flew Comet Is chartered from B.O.A.C. on this route in 1953 and1954. TWIN PIONEER IN SERVICE A FORTNIGHT ago we recorded the departure for Switzer-•**• land of the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer G-AOEO. It was not at the time disclosed that soon after arrival the aircraftwould be used by Swissair to operate a regular service—thus introducing the Twin Pioneer on passenger-carrying operationsfor the first time. But earlier this week there came the best piece of Twin Pioneer news yet—a firm order for three from K.L.M.for the airline's Dutch New Guinea associate De Kroonduif. Delivery will be in April. Twin Pioneers will, K.L.M. state,replace the Beavers at present in service. G-AOEO, which arrived inZurich some days ago for crew familiarization, has been charteredby Swissair while the airline makes up its mind whether it wants to buy—an unusual but welcome "on approval" procedure. It will beoperated in the Swissair colours which it has worn since the S.B.A.C.Display last year, but with its British registration, on a regular ser-vice from Zurich to Davos, St. Moritz, La Chaux-de-Fonds, andGeneva. Two services will be flown. Thefirst, called "Swissair Pioneer Ski-lift," will operate three times aweek until the middle of March from Zurich to Davos and St.Moritz. The timetable will be arranged to connect the service withSwissair's international flights into Zurich. The second service, the"Pioneer Jura Airlift" was scheduled to start last Tuesday and will beoperated by the same aircraft as the "Ski-lift" service. Until March 29, American Airlines are installing at their four major training bases DCS and DC-7 cockpit-procedure trainers of the kind shown here. The instructor (left) can test the reactions of the crew by introducing any emergency likely to be encountered in operation. when the period of the charter expires, the Twin Pioneer willoperate a service three times a week between Zurich, La Chaux- de-Fonds, and Geneva. PLANS FOR THE CARAVELLE 'T'HE second prototype Caravelle, which is to make a six-weekA tour of the U.S.A. in April, is now being test-flown by Sud-Est, Marignane, to perfect the pressurization and air conditioningsystems, the cabin sound-insulation, and the radio equipment. When this work is finished in a few weeks' time the aircraftwill return to the hangar to be brought up to standard—both in equipment and cabin furnishings—for its important sales tour.When the Caravelle returns to France at the end of May it will be handed over to Air France. It will then continue the620 hours of Caravelle operational flying completed by the first prototype last November. That machine is now being given astructural overhaul, but it will be ready by about March 15 to start its final de-icing tests. These will be followed, at theother climatic extreme, by tropical tests. It will appear at the Paris Salon in June, after which it will again return to thehangar for the embodiment of improvements to the flying con- trols feel system. When this work is finished, by about Octo-ber 15, the aircraft will rejoin Air France.
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