FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1090.PDF
180 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS ALPINE CHASSEUR: Taken during recent demonstration flights in Switzerland, the atmospheric picture on the right shows a Hawker Hunter F.6. The Swiss authorities were much impressed by the Hunter's excel- lent take-off and handling qualities. Britannias for T.W.A.? INVENTS since our reference Quly 26)•*-' to T.W.A.'s interest in the Britannia have moved quickly. The AmericanAviation Daily on August 2 stated that B.O.A.C. would release its order for Britannia 312s to Howard Hughes—i.e., to T.W.A.—who wassaid to have agreed to the purchase of a total of 30 Britannias provided he could have quick initial deliveries. The Corporationdenied this report, but said that they had been approached to release "some" of their 18 Britannia 312s. It would be surprising if B.O.A.C. were persuaded to post-pone delivery of more than a small number of 312s. They need these aircraft, which are already late, to give them a long-awaitedcompetitive advantage on the North Atlantic. But the prospect of a big T.W.A. order is so attractive that B.O.A.C. and the Gov-ernment (and Bristol, despite their other urgent deliveries this year to three overseas airlines) are seeking every possible way of lettingHoward Hughes have at least some Britannias by mid-58. It remains to be seen whether he will modify his conditions.While major airline operators cannot reasonably expect to do eleventh-hour business which drastically affects a manufac-turer's commitments to other customers, a U.S. dollar-order of this magnitude from T.W.A. could have a profound effect onfuture Britannia sales. Already other U.S. airlines (including United and National) are said to be closely considering the pur-chase of long-range turboprops—in the shape of Tyne-powered Douglas DC-7Ts. A curious aspect of the business, which lends weight to thepossibility that B.O.A.C. may release more than a few Britannia 312s, is the Aviation Daily report that the Corporation haveapproached Douglas for 15 more DC-7Cs. Of this report a B.O.A.C. spokesman said: "We have made provisional enquiries." Although Mr. Hughes has quite a reputation as a businessman,there is no doubt of his serious desire for Britannias—provided he can get early delivery of an initial batch by this time next year.His definition of an initial batch may be ten or a dozen aeroplanes; and though such a number could not be delivered in time bystepping up production alone, there appear to be high hopes that B.O.A.C., the M.o.S. and the R.A.F. might each agree to postponedelivery of some of their Britannias during the coming months. The M.o.S. have three 252s on order, and the R.A.F. thirteen 253s.Production of these mixed cargo-passenger versions, which could be converted to all-passenger use, is well advanced at Belfast. Joint H.Q. for U.S.A.F. and R.C.A.F. AN agreement by which the United States Air Force and the•**• Royal Canadian Air Force are to set up a joint headquarters and integrated control of North America's air defence systemwas announced in Washington and Ottawa on August 1. In command will be Lt-Gen. Earl Partridge, U.S.A.F., andAir Marshal C. R. Slemon, the present Canadian Chief of Air Staff, will be his deputy. H.Q. will be at Colorado Springs, Col. The official statement said that the new organization would"develop plans and procedures for the tremendously rapid decisions that will have to be taken in a war over this Continent."In war, it would direct operations and put the plans into effect. Dewline Complete /"COMPLETION of Dewline, most northerly of the three early-^-/ warning radar chains in North America, and another joint U.S./Canadian enterprise, was officially announced by theU.S.A.F. in Washington last week. Extending over some 3,000 miles from Cape Lisburne, in Alaska, to Baffin Island, the chainhas taken two years and eight months to construct, at a cost of some £200m.Transport of men and materials by U.S. and Canadian military and civil aircraft has played an essential part in the work, andhelicopters have been extensively used in the more inaccessible situations. The number of stations which constitute the chainhas not been revealed. Air Warfare—Within Limits AS recorded in these pages last week, R.A.F. activity against the• rebels in Oman was renewed on Monday, July 29, when it had become apparent that the air attacks of the previous week hadnot succeeded in discouraging their defiance of the Sultan. On that day, ten Venoms from Sharjah attacked a fort at Birkat,near Izki, and during the following 24 hours a Shackleton on a reconnaissance flight over central Oman dropped leaflets threaten-ing intensified action. Translated, the warning read : "Notice is hereby given to all inhabitants of inner Oman that the followingmeasures will be enforced until they have turned out the traitors Talib and Ghalib and renewed allegiance to the Sultan. No carsare to be used, and no persons or animals are to move by day in the area bounded on the north by. . . ." The notice then wenton to define the area. Meanwhile, the Venom pilots were given instructions whichmust have sounded like a cross between an operational briefing and the timetable of a bank-holiday air display. The officialoperations order said, in part: "Offensive action can begin in the area on July 30. On the first dayoperations are to be limited to reconnaissance and dummy attack by aircraft, but motor transport in the open can be attacked after firstmaking a dummy attack to ensure that the vehicles are evacuated by their passengers."On days two to four action can be extended to men and load-carrying and ridden camels and donkeys in the area, but during this period until VISITING DERBY: Seen on the occasion of a recent visit to the Rolls- Royce works at Derby is Mr. Airey Neave, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (fourth from left). On Mr. Airey Neave's right are Air Marshal Sir Colin Weedon, general manager, commercial sales, Rolls-Royce; Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest, M.T.C.A. and Mr. R. H. Walmsley, M.T.C.A. On his left are Mr. J. D. Pearson, chief executive and deputy chairman, Rolls- Royce, and Mr. W. Lappin, P.A. to the chief executive.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
