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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0211.PDF
FLIGHT, 14 February 1958 221 Harbinger of a new air-transport age, the first of six Boeing 707-120s for Pan Am, resplendent in the new blue and white paint-scheme of that airline, emerges on schedule from the Renton assembly line on February 3. This is the second production J57-powered 707 (the first one flew on December 20), and it will be delivered in December. CIVIL AVIATION THE MUNICH TRAGEDY THE cause of the accident to theB.E.A. Elizabethan G-ALZU Lord Burghley at Munich lastThursday afternoon, February 6, is probably by now understood; butuntil the formal German inquiry is completed the Corporation are un-likely to make any statement. Probably no previous accident to a British aircraft—Cometsincluded—has impinged so forcibly upon the public mind. The Elizabethan was carrying home from Belgrade the ManchesterUnited football team and sports journalists after the European Cup quarter-finals versus the Red Star team. Of the 44 peopleon board, 21—including seven members of the team—were killed. Eight people, including four players, were seriously injured. Withthe exception of Steward W. T. Cable, the crew survived, including the captain, Capt. J. Thain. The first officer, Capt. K. G. Rayment—who was in command at the time—was seriously injured. Because the aircraft had attempted to take off twice before thethird and fatal departure, it was at first assumed that engine failure had been the cause: indeed, B.E.A.'s chief executive was quotedas saying, "We must get the Bristol Centaurus engines back for inspection." However, the next day Mr. Milward exonerated theengines, and said that the effect of snow on the Elizabethan would have to be examined. The aircraft had not been sprayed, he said,because it was in transit and only unfreezing snow had been falling. The aircraft had returned to the apron because of varia-tions in the boost-pressure reading, but this incident had no bearing on the accident. The German inspector of air accidents, who under internationallaw is responsible for the inquiry, issued a statement last Sunday attributing the accident to icing. B.E.A.'s representative on theinquiry, Mr. J. W. Gibbs (B.E.A.'s senior accident investigator) suggested that this statement was premature pending completionof the inquiry. The M.T.C.A. representative on the investigating body is Mr. G. M. Kelly. There have been no previous fatal accidents involving Eliza-bethans (D.H. Airspeed Ambassadors). Since they entered service in March 1952, they have flown 180,000 hr with B.E.A., and havecarried 2,300,000 passengers. The only previous serious Eliza- bethan accident was at Dusseldorf on April 8,1955, when a B.E.A.aircraft was written off in a crash-landing after take-off, but with- out injury to the passengers. That accident was believed to havebeen caused by one propeller inadvertently going into reverse pitch; as a result the Ambassador's propeller-reversing system wasdeleted. B.E.A.'s 19 Elizabethans were put up for sale in February 1957;five have so far been sold, three to Butler Air Transport of Australia, one to B.K.S., and one to Rolls-Royce for Tyne flight-testing. The remaining 14, according to the original plans, were due to be disposed of by the autumn of this year, but they arestill in scheduled use on B.E.A.'s routes to the Mediterranean and to Germany. B.E.A.'S INTEREST IN CAMBRIAN IN the middle of the recent civil aviation debate in the Commons,up spake the Member for Anglesey, Mr. Cledwyn Hughes: ". . . Wales is the only country in Europe this side of the IronCurtain which is not served by B.E.A." But, he added, he did not under-estimate the contribution made by Cambrian Airways. In actual fact, of course, Wales has been well served by CambrianAirways, the independent operator which entered into a ten-year operating agreement with B.E.A. in May 1956. Under thatoperating agreement, Cambrian operate services connecting Cardiff with Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Belfast, and the ChannelIslands. Now it is learned that B.E.A. have acquired a 33| per cent financial interest in Cambrian. On the face of it, this is a smallevent in the progress of British air transport; but it is nonetheless a pointer to an interesting trend. The event follows B.E.A.'sacquisition last year of a 25 per cent financial interest in the ownership of Jersey Airlines—likewise after an integration ofdomestic services. This trend can be regarded as sinister or sensible, dependingupon one's political views. Relations between the independents and the Corporations always arouse political emotions: but thiswill always be so in the continuing absence of a non-political regulating authority for British air transport. In this situationsome independents can only expand by coming to terms with the Corporations, and by so doing remove the political barrierto expansion. It is significant that the B.E.A.-Cambrian development is afurther independent association with B.E.A. which off-loads U.K. domestic operations from the Corporation. This is a healthy trend,and there is much scope for its continuance, as discussed in Flight, December 6, 1957, page 864. For the record, B.E.A. say the financial agreement with Cambrian"recognizes the. spirit of the Corporation which has developed under the operating agreement and will further cement the closerelationship already existing." B.E.A. will be represented on Cambrian Airways' board by Sir Arnold Overton, a member ofB.E.A.'s board, and by Mr. P. C. F. Lawton, B.E.A.'s commercial director. B.O.A.C. IN JORDAN •NEGOTIATIONS to renew the B.O.A.C.'s expiring contract-L^ with Arab Airways are being accompanied by reports from Amman that "alternative arrangements" are being considered bythe Jordanian airline. Arab Airways' threatening attitude is con- ditioned by the need to finance re-equipment, for their fleet ofthree ageing DC-3s is having to face fierce competition not only from their traditional rival Air Jordan (also operating three DC-3s)but also from the superior Viscount fleets of M.E.A. and Iraqi Airways. Re-equipment will soon be unavoidable, and someonemust be found to provide the necessary funds. B.O.A.C. controls 49 per cent of Arab Airways' capital, thebalance being held by local interests, including the Jordan Government. Air Jordan is associated with Transocean, and itis likely that this U.S. non-scheduled carrier has a controlling share. Both foreign airlines were brought into Jordan by theneed of each local carrier to finance re-equipment. For several years prior to 1953 Arab Airways had been unsuccessfully attempt-ing to use Rapides in competition against the DC-3s that Air Jordan had obtained under its agreement with Transocean.B.O.A.C.'s participation in Arab Airways (originally through Aden Airways) was accompanied by the provision of three DC-3s.A third local company, Jordan International, is owned by Malik and Company (a well-known local trading organization) but oper-ates no scheduled services. The Jordan Government is aware of the competitive and finan-cial weaknesses inherent in the existing duplication and would prefer to see a more rational air-transport system. How farB.O.A.C. is prepared to go in satisfying the demands set by these conditions must depend on the Corporation's assessmentof whether traffic gains are offset by financial losses in this hitherto unprofitable airline.
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