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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0244.PDF
258 FLIGHT CIVIL AVIATION . . . NEW LIGHT ON CAPITAL'S 880s "THE surprise announcement of Capital's purchase of up to 15A Convair 880s (Flight, January 31) has now been described by National Airlines' lawyer as "either phony or illegal," accordingto an American Aviation Daily report. This allegation was made during the course of C.A.B. hearingson a domestic-route case. The case in question was not, it so happened, the long-drawn-out C.A.B. investigation into whichairline shall become the third carrier to serve the Great Lakes- Florida route. This route, which links the Miami holiday areawith big Great Lakes cities like Buffalo and Detroit, is already served by Delta and Eastern. For a long time Capital Airlineshave been after this route, which would provide an economic balance for their existing short-haul network. The award toCapital appears to have depended upon CA.B.'s being satisfied that the company had suitable equipment; and it was probably nocoincidence that Capital's deal with the General Dynamics Cor- poration was announced at a critical point during the C.A.B.hearings. National Airlines are one of the carriers who also hope to be Here is the first of three Vickers Viscount 769s for the Uruguayan airline P.L.'U-N.A. Another Latin-American airline has also, as recorded last week, been added to the Viscount order-book—the Nicaraguan airline L.A.N.I.C.A., who have taken delivery of two ex-Lloyd Aero Colombiano aircraft. awarded this lucrative route, and their lawyer's allegation must bejudged in this light. Nevertheless, his cautioning of the C.A.B. that the Board was "under a duty to find out if there is actually anagreement" does not seem unreasonable. The arrangement is certainly a mysterious one. An Aviation Week report of the Capital-General DynamicsCorporation Convair 880 financing arrangement includes com- ments from Mr. Lambert J. Gross, financial vice-president ofGeneral Dynamics. He said that there was "nothing unique or dramatic" about the agreement with Capital. As for possiblefinancing arrangements between manufacturer and customer, Mr. Gross apparently considers such a trend "unlikely." The capitalrequirements of the aircraft industry itself are so great, he pointed out, "we couldn't go very far down that road." Convair's reply to the "phony or illegal" allegation was thatGeneral Dynamics has found outside interests willing (1) to finance Capital's purchase of CV-880s, (2) to re-finance the Viscounts, (3)to finance the lease of interim equipment [possibly new L.1049Hs from Lockheed], and (4) to help Capital dispose of their long-unsaleable L.49 Constellation fleet. American Aviation believe that the banking interests involved are Chase Manhattan and theFirst National City Bank of New York. SABENA WANTS CARAVELLES THE list of major European airlines which have not yet orderedshort-haul jets is now further reduced by the Sabena order for eight Caravelles. Those remaining on the list—Swissair, K.L.M.,Iberia, Lufthansa and Alitalia/L.A.I.—find themselves placed in a position where short-haul turbine aircraft are indispensable oncompetitive grounds alone. Any delay in ordering aircraft now will mean that rival carriers will be stealing a traffic lead during thenext two or three years. Sabena seek to raise the necessary funds from the Belgian tax-payer. A draft bill has been tabled in the Belgian Senate proposing that Sabena's capital be increased from its present level of B. Fr.500m. (£3.6m.) to B. Fr. 700m. (£5m.) by 1959 and B. Fr. 1,000m. (£7.1m.) by 1960. Furthermore, the State is being asked toguarantee loans up to B. Fr. 4,000m. (£28.6m.). At present Sabena's loans amount to about B. Fr. 2,000m. (£14.3m.). Sabena plan to purchase, in addition to Caravelles, 12 Friend-ships from Fokker. BREVITIES IN 1957 the U.S. domestic scheduled airlines overtook the rail-ways as America's biggest inter-city passenger carriers. They flew an estimated 25,500m passenger-miles: the railways achievedan estimated 21,700m—a fall of seven per cent on the 1956 figure. * * * Convaii are reported by Aviation Daily to have a 100,000 lb, twin-jet (possibly ducted-fans) short-haul jet airliner in prospect. * * * American Airlines' order for medium jets is said to be imminent:between 15 and 25 Boeing 720s or Convair 880s will be involved. * * * South African Railways' budget for 1958-1959 allows for anexpenditure of £5.75 million by S.A.A. for the purchase of three jet transports. * * * Eastern Air Lines's 1957 profit was $6,843,000, compared with $14,198,000 in 1956. Operating revenues ($262m) were up 15.1 per cent, but operating expenses ($252m) rose 26.2 per cent. * * * The Air Registration Board announces the issue of the followingNotices to licensed aircraft engineers and to owners of civil aircraft: Contents List, Issue 20; No. 2, Issue 12; No. 4, Issue 22;No. 7, Issue 21. * * * The American Aviation Daily reports the possibility that Panairdo Brasil's four DC-8s will come from the fleet of 25 originally ordered by PanAm. The four DC-8s for Panagra will also comefrom PanAm's original order, thus leaving the latter with 17 DC-8s. * * * Mr. Edgar Stewart Fay, M.A., Q.C., is conducting the publicinquiry into the accident of the Aquila Airways Solent G-AKNU near Newport, Isle of Wight, on November 15 last. Captain R. I. B.Winn of B.O.A.C., and Mr. S. L. Bolton, a B.O.A.C. engineer officer, are the Assessors. The inquiry opened on February 18 atHolborn Town Hall, London. A new runway is to be built at Lydda airport, Tel-Aviv, at a cost of about £1.6m. * * * Southwest Airways have obtained C.A.B. approval to changetheir name to Pacific Air Lines. * * * Air-India plan to introduce a freight service between London and Bombay early this summer. * * * Cruzeiro do Sul has been granted a $2.1m Export-Import Bank loan to finance its purchase of four Convair 440s. Eximbank credits for aircraft purchases now amount to $58.6m. * * * The Irish Department of Industry and Commerce has statedthat survey work on the extensions at Shannon has already begun; it is hoped to complete work by the end of 1959. * * * Mr. Bo Bjorkman, Secretary-General of the Air Research Bureau, has resigned to take up a university appointment in Sweden in July. No successor has yet been named. * * * During its first full month of flying the first Lockheed Electraflew about 70hr in the course of 42 flights. A level speed of 460 m.p.h. has been achieved; the e.g. was reported to be within0.7in of prediction; full weight (113,000 lb) take-offs had been achieved; and most take-offs and landings had been achieved inless than 1,900ft without reversing or braking. * * * The prototype Lockheed Jetstar (two Bristol Orpheus) has nowflown more than 100 hours. Single-engine take-offs and climbs to 20,000ft (from Edwards Air Force Base) have been made; a rangeof 1,725 st miles has been achieved with "ample fuel reserves" remaining; and speeds of 600 m.p.h. have been exceeded. Mr.Kelly Johnson, Lockheed's vice president engineering and re- search, has disclosed that tests with external fuel tanks will soonbe made.
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