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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0529.PDF
19 April 1957 55* International Aeradio are providing telecommunicationsengineering staff to assist the Ghana Government. * * * Starting today, April 19, Alitalia will include Salisbury in itsDC-6B service to Johannesburg. * * * Seaboard and Western made a net profit in 1956 of £173,500.Revenue amounted to £6.7m. * * * T.C.A. operations last year showed a surplus of £557,000 on a revenue of £3,330,000—a record. * * * Following the Budget tax-relief on petrol, B.E.A. have removedthe five per cent surcharge on domestic fares. The Corporation is, however, planning—along with other European carriers—toincrease its international fares by five per cent on May 1. * * * T.W.A. claim that refusal of the right to join their routes toFrankfurt through London and to Zurich and India through Paris was "solely responsible for failure to make a profit oninternational operations in 1956." T.W.A. reported a net loss in 1956 of more than £800,000, compared with a profit in 1955 of£1.93m. The loss was incurred in spite of increased revenues. * * * Irish investigators have blamed the pilot for the SwissairConvair 440 accident at Shannon last July. The probable causes are stated to have been the execution of an abnormally steep turnwith insufficient visual guidance from the ground, and the impair- ment of the pilot's proficiency as a result of the length of time hehad been on duty. Officials of Finnan watch a David Brown 30 IDT tractor demonstrating its haulage capacity on the snow-covered airport of Centala, Helsinki. Equipped with chains, it had just successfully towed a 100,000 Ib PanAm DC-6B across a 6in-thick carpet of snow and ice and in a strong gale. The Finns placed an order. CLUB AND GLIDING NEWS TO celebrate the Tiger Moth's 25th birthday, a "Tiger MothSilver Jubilee Race Meeting" is being held at Sandown air- port, Isle of Wight, on Easter Monday, April 22. The winnerwill receive a trophy presented by Alderman Basil Monk, a vice- president of the Surrey Flying Club. In addition to the races (limited to Tiger Moths and flown overa course some five miles in length, three laps constituting a heat) there will be aerobatics and demonstration flying in a Chipmunkand a Comper Swift from Elstree. "PIFTIETH applicant for a set of plans for the Turbulent ultra-•*- light single-seater was Mr. Stanley McLeod, of Winnipeg, who accordingly received the drawings free, with the compliments ofthe Popular Flying Association. CECOND international rally to be organized by the Aero-Club^ des Greves du Mont Saint-Michel at Avranches Aerodrome (Manche) will take place on Saturday May 4, and Sunday, May 5.The winner of last year's rally was a London pilot, Mr. Willingar. ON Saturday, May 25, the Elstree Flying Club is holding an"at home" and flying display, objects of which are to show the club to the general public, to point out to local residents thatit is undertaking serious flying training, and to give people a chance of seeing plenty of small aeroplanes on the ground and in the air.Elstree also announce that they hope to start a full-time course for the Commercial Pilots' Licence in the middle of May. PI its tenth annual report the Association of British Aero Clubsand Centres (whose annual dinner was reported in our news pages last week) records that current membership totals 104 clubs,centres and groups. Reviewing its first ten years' existence, the Association recalls its success in obtaining the amendment orrelaxation of certain regulations—for example, the reduction to 10 hours of the previous 15 hours' solo flying before the grant ofa P.P.L.; and it stresses that no type of activity "which fairly falls within the ambit" of the flying club and air centre movement istoo small to merit its concern. LIGHT aircraft (other than helicopters) were involved in 61•" accidents during 1955, out of tie total of 96 recorded in A Survey of the Accidents to Aircraft of the United Kingdom inthe Year Ended December 31, 1955, recently published for the M.T.C.A. by Her Majesty's Stationery Office at 2s 6d. Sevenof the accidents to light aircraft were fatal. Three of the accidents are attributed to reckless flying, the aircraft concerned in each case having stalled and spun while the pilot was carrying out aerobatic manoeuvres near the ground. "Exhibitionism of this nature," the Ministry comments, "is costly in lives and contrary to the best interests of private and club flying." Seven accidents are attributed to failure to compensate for wind conditions. The Ministry claims that there has been a steadyincrease in accidents of this type over the past few years, and that "this suggests that pilots of light aircraft are exercising insufficientcare when taking off or landing in crosswinds or gusty conditions." Six accidents are attributed to failure by the pilot to observeaircraft or other obstructions. In two of these cases aircraft collided with other aircraft on the landing area and in three caseswith radio masts or high-tension cables. "These accidents," the Ministry concludes, "emphasize that pilots must maintain a mostcareful look-out at all times." The sections of this report relating to commercial-aircraft acci-dents were the subject of a note on page 353 of Flight for March 15. A N appeal has been made by the British Gliding Association•**• for glider-towing aircraft, which the B.G.A. wishes to hire during the National Gliding Championships, being organized bythe Surrey Gliding Club at Lasham from July 27 to August 5. It is expected that each aircraft will do approximately 15-20hours' flying during the period; the organizers can provide ex- perienced pilots to fly them; they will be well looked after and canbe hangared at night. Offers should be sent as soon as possible to David Darbishire, Oakhurst, Frith Hill Road, Godalming, Surrey. A CLUB record was set up on Saturday, April 6, by John Holderof the Southdown Gliding Club, when he flew 90 miles in its Olympia from Firle to a point three miles south of Salisbury.Describing the flight, the Southdown publicity officer, Ray Marshall, says that Holder gained 1,450ft above the site, "crossedthe long gap in the South Downs by Lewes, and carried on for 50 miles along the Downs to Petersfield. From then on the flightbecame a purely thermal one, and a further 40 miles was made until die closing weather made a landing necessary three milessoudi of Salisbury at Coombe Bissett." "TWO other gliding records were set up on that date by•*• members of the Surrey Gliding Club. Lt-Col. Anthony Deane- Drummond, in a Skylark 3, flew from Lasham to Land's End,a distance of 215 miles, in 4 hr 55 min, averaging a speed of just over 40 m.p.h.—a British 300 km speed record; and Mrs. AnneBurns broke her own British women's distance record of 134 miles by flying from Lasham to Harrowbeer Aerodrome, near Launces-ton in Cornwall, a distance of 144 miles, in a Skylark 3b. Col. Deane-Drummond had an auto-tow launch from Lashamat 10.20 and arrived at Land's End (St. Just Aerodrome) at 15.15, his last thermal carrying him up to 2,000ft over Penzance. Theflight gained him a Gold "C" and he now has two Diamonds (goal and height). Mrs. Burns, whose 134-mile record was set up a year ago, isa senior research aeronautical engineer at the R.A.E., Farn- borough. She received the Queen's Commendation for her workas one of a technical team who flew in a Comet to investigate the 1954 disasters.
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