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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1762.PDF
852 i'LIGHT CIVIL AVIATION . . . BREVITIES THE International Federation of Independent Air Transport(F.I.T.A.P.) has elected Mr. G. H. Freeman, chairman of Transair, Ltd., as its president for the year beginning December 10,1957. He succeeds A. Cdre. G. J. Powell, who was forced to resign through ill-health. Mr. Freeman will, incidentally, become presi-dent of F.I.T.A.P. at the end of his term of office as chairman of the British Independent Air Transport Association.* * * Seaboard and Western have applied to the C.A.B. for an exten-sion of their transatlantic freight service to Moscow, via Berlin and Warsaw. * * * The four engines of the B.E.A. Viscount which made a forced landing north of Copenhagen on November 17 are to be returned to England for examination. * * * The Swedish airline A.B. Linjeflyg, operated jointly by the Swedish section of S.A.S. and two publishing companies, may buy Friendships to replace its DC-3s on domestic services. * * * There is a possibility that Aer Lingus may dispose of theirViscount 700-series and replace them with more V.800-series aircraft. This would give the airline a fleet of seven Viscount 808s.* * * Following criticisms in The Daily Telegraph of passengerhandling facilities at London Airport Central, the M.T.C.A. say that the Air Transport Advisory Council (whom they asked in 1956to inquire into passenger movements through the building) are expected to report to the Minister next spring.* * * The missing PanAm Stratocruiser Romance of the Skies wasfound in the Pacific 1,000 miles north-east of Hawaii on Novem- ber 14. The wreckage was severely charred and there were nosurvivors from the 44 people on board. From 15 bodies recovered, some of them wearing lifejackets, it was apparent that passengershad been given warning of an impending ditching, but no distress message had been received. * * * A Bristol 170 Freighter of Strait's Air Freight Express, NewZealand, crashed near Christchurch on November 21. Three members of the crew and one passenger were killed. Accordingto a news-agency report, eyewitnesses stated that the starboard wing broke away from the fuselage when the aircraft was about1,500ft up. The airline's activities are said to have been suspended pending an investigation. It was on December 14,1955, that Mr. Robert F. Six, presi- dent of Continental Air Lines of Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., put his autograph on a contract with Vickers for 75 Viscount 810/840s. Here he is, a few days ago, autographing his first aero- plane, on the Weybridge assembly line. A new American helicopter operator, Indair Inc. of 2 ParkAvenue, New York, has ordered three Vertol 44s. The manager is Mr. William H. Gunther. United Air Lines announce plans for a $4m jet-airliner main-tenance base at San Francisco international airport. This is in preparation for the inauguration of DC-8 jet schedules in 1959,and for "other turbine-powered aircraft to be ordered in the future" (see previous page). * * * A novel and entertaining way of selling air travel was introducedby S.A.S. at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on Tuesday, November 19, with a musical sales show introduced by Mr. WagnChristensen, S.A.S. general manager, before an audience of nearly 3,000 travel agents. * * * The Ghana Minister of Communications has received proposalsfrom a number of operating companies for the establishment of a Ghana airline. K.L.M., in particular, is shortly to submit its finalproposals. A B.O.A.C. team is expected soon in Ghana for discussions. * * * *•- Disagreeing with Lord Weeks' comment that an operator shouldnot enter into public controversy with his suppliers, Mr. Eric Rylands, managing director of the British private airline Skyways,comments in a letter to The Times that this statement pre-supposes that all operators enjoy freedom from public criticism: "Our twogreat air corporations do not enjoy such immunity. Surely, then, they should be free to comment on matters that might give rise tocriticism of them? The corporations are operated with efficiency and dignity, and may be relied upon to exercise judgment." BRITISH AIR SAFETY STANDARDS (continued from page 831) Hermes to a lesser extent—probably resulting in the re-routing ofsome long-haul (e.g., trooping) services. The half-dozen or so DC-4s in British service are not likely to be affected much, as theseaircraft are pretty well up to standard. The same applies to the Argonauts—although the main operators of this type, B.O.A.C.,have already been voluntarily observing limitations stricter than those required by law. Tudors are fairly sensitive to high tem-peratures and high aerodromes, and some weight restrictions in such conditions—and to meet the two-engine-out case—may berequired. Doves are not likely to be much affected, but Dragon Rapides will be quite seriously restricted by their single-engineperformance, particularly in light of the new visibility require- ments. The effect of the changes on the Solent flying-boats is,in view of an impending public inquiry, sub judice. There are, of course, ways in which the independents will modifycertain of their aircraft to assuage the effects of the new require- ments. It is understood that the Bristol Aero-Engines, Ltd., havea scheme for the modification of the Hercules 600 series engines of the Viking and the Freighter 21; strengthening of the powersection of these 1,690 h.p. engines permits a substantial increase in power. There is also a possibility that the Hercules 700-seriesengines, as fitted to the Hermes for example, can have their blower ratios reduced to produce greater power at normal operating alti-tudes. And the independent company, Transair, are likely to do big business in the supply of kits for their undercarriage modifica-tion to the DC-3. This modification, and its beneficial effects on performance, were discussed in Flight of June 29, 1956. The overall commercial effect cannot be gauged, but it is likely tobe serious in an industry which is already apparently operating a bit near the knuckle in trying to make money out of low-revenue- rate traffic. Certainly one can appreciate the grounds for indepen-dent grumbles about a Government policy which—they aver—on the one hand restricts their operations to short-term low-revenuebusiness (making it difficult for them to re-equip) and on the other hand intends to make it harder to operate their existing equipmenteconomically. But, on balance, it seems fair to comment that higher safety-standards are overdue; that even when they come into force they will still not be as high as the standards applied to the design ofmodern aircraft; and that all this may hasten the day—perhaps brought nearer already by enlargements of the independents'opportunities—when all sections of British air transports operate more modern equipment. The independent market for Viscounts, as discussed in Flight ofNovember 15, may be enlarged sooner than it otherwise might have been; and though there will be no sudden overnight demandfor aircraft like the AW.650 and Dart Herald, the home-market for these aircraft—which with Viscounts should cater for mostkinds of independent activity—may be potentially larger. The splendid vision of British independents flying fleets of these threeaircraft (with their common Dart powerplants) may be idealized; we shall first see a period in which the airlines will be learning tolive with the new restrictions, and there will be a programme ot modifications. But there may be sizeable orders for newer aircraft in a year ortwo's time, particularly from those independents who see that the future to which they aspire will not be brought nearer by clin~ingon to the older types—faithful servants of the air tran poft community though they have been. J. M. R-
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