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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1489.PDF
11 October 1957 579 Aviation Traders Account- ant (two Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.6). in hard-wearing material which tones with thecolour of the exterior finish. There is ample leg- room between the front and rear seats, and atransparent roof and large windows afford a wide field of view. There is a compartmentbehind the rear seat for the stowage of per- sonal luggage. Maintenance costs are verylow, and four persons, or their equivalent, are carried for one hundred miles in one hour onabout 7i gallons of petrol. Alpine This Auster type has been speciallydeveloped for operations from high-altitude fields in hot climates. Essentially it is a com-bination of the Aiglet's fuselage with the Autocar's wings; but other modifications, in-cluding more effective ailerons, have given it quite outstandingly good handling qualitiesand a degree of comfort superior to that of earlier Auster models. Though the Autocarhas a capacious cabin and large payload capa- city, in tropical climates and at high take-offaltitudes these often cannot be fully utilized. The Alpine's rear-cabin accommodation istherefore scaled down while the large wing and powerful engine are retained, resulting intake-off and landing characteristics which are excellent for such operations. Yet the Alpineis more comfortable, for the front seat gives more leg-room and elbow-room than in theAutocar; and deep cushions, shaped to give pleasant support to the small of the back, havebeen added. The fact that the full 42.5in cabin width of the Aiglet is also retained meansthat two large people can be very comfortably seated. A rear bench-seat will accommodatea third person. There are also four adjustable ventilators, which mean much in the tropics,while sunblinds covering the whole of the roof Perspex are optional equipment to specialorder. Auster Aircraft, Ltd., Rearsby Aerodrome,Nr. Leicester. Aviation Traders Accountant Announcing the maiden flight ofthe Accountant turboprop transport last July, Aviation Traders (Engineering), Ltd., de-clared potential markets to be "world wide—particularly to replace the DC-3 andDakota-type aircraft and also for the business and executive operators on the Americancontinent." They state that the Accountant has been produced at a cost far below thatnormally associated with modern aircraft, and they consider it to be capable of manufacturefor sale at a price which should be competitive throughout the world. Although it is recognized that differentareas of the world present specific problems, Aviation Traders see a common pattern execu-tive operation, and they state requirements as follows: (a) low initial cost; (b) ease and sim-plicity of maintenance, coupled with depend- ability; (c) high versatility in range; (d) abilityto use airfields of restricted length and uneven surfaces; (e) adaptability of accommodation toenable carriage of a few people in luxury; a larger number of people in comfort; freight,or combination of both; (f) relatively high speed, with low circuit and approach speeds;(g) individuality of operation. AU these requirements they consider to havebeen met in the Accountant. They develop their philosophy in the following terms:"Speed has been referred to as 'relatively' high speed. This is important, as there is acommon misconception that operators in this class will be requiring aircraft to fly at 500 m.p.h. with pure-jet engines in an endeavourto save time. The truth, however, is that the business operator cannot experiment with un-proven equipment which at best will only give high speed with short range and a relativelysmall saving in time on a particularly restricted type of operation. "The pure-jet high-speed transport has yetto be proved in major airline service, let alone feederline service, and certainly will not beexperimented with by the majority of the busi- ness operators until it has been proven beyondall doubts and can be applied to fit the variety and flexibility of their operations. "Despite these remarks business operators,with proven equipment, have established in the last decade (and undoubtedly will in the nextdecade) new patterns of aircraft operation. They are not bound by the same limitationsas the airline operator, although in many cases disadvantages are apparent. Among these is,in many instances, the absence of large main- tenance and engineering workshops—whichhighlights the necessity for the equipment they use having ease of maintenance and sim-plicity. . . "The business operator has established forhimself a very flexible type of operation, and the up-to-date equipment which is nowneeded must give the flexibility of use to meet the established pattern, but to an even greaterdegree and at a lower cost. In this regard the advent of the turboprop, in its now well-triedand proven form as the Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.6, is giving the best of all worlds to thebusiness operator without risks being taken. "The business operator is now at thebeginning of the turboprop age which, with its over-the-weather-flying, smooth and quiettravel, represents a great advance on anything which these operators have had. On this basis,they can with confidence embark upon a decade of turboprop travel flying at 300 miles per hourin safety and comfort, and yet economically. At the same time, in the Accountant, theyhave the ability to fly the relatively long range of 2,500 miles non-stop. "To meet the foregoing requirements theAccountant has been designed, and the cabin will allow 8/10 passengers to be carried forthe maximum range of 2,500 miles, flying at 25,000ft at 300 m.p.h. At the same time thefloor has been stressed for freight. Alternatively the aircraft can carry up to 28 passengers incomfort." Civil Prentice Now being completed atSouthend are ten of a substantial batch of ex- military Percival Prentices. The type has beencleared for a transport category C. of A. Aero- batic aircraft can be supplied if required. Themanufacturers emphasize that the Civil Prentices meet the requirements of B.C.A.R.51,and a stickshaker stall-warning device is fitted. The modified aircraft are furnished in redVynide with white piping as four/five-seaters, with adjustable front seats and a bench-typeseat at the rear in which smoking may be permitted. The standard colour scheme issilver with a red flash, but trim and finish can be provided to choice. At a selling price of£1,825 the Prentice is equipped with four- channel V.H.F., engine and cockpit covers,landing and navigation lights, control locks, oil dilution, etc. Aviation Traders (Engineering), Ltd., 21Wigmore Street, London, W.I. Bristol Sycamore As an executive helicopter theSycamore has a fully upholstered bench seat for three people fitted against the rear bulk-head of the cabin. A carpet is laid, sound- proofing is installed, and the starboard rearopening is covered by a bulge-window panel and the port rear opening by a door. Themakers claim that the Sycamore has the par- ticular attraction, for passengers, of beingremarkably free from vibration. They also make the point that the passenger seat, besidethe pilot, gives an excellent field of view for occasions when it is necessary to make use ofa passenger's local knowledge for guidance. Bristol Aircraft, Ltd., Filton House, Bristol. Bristol Sycamore (Alvis Leonides Mfc 73).
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