FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0256.PDF
270 FLIGHT, 28 February 1958 THE CORPORATIONS SWING TO JETS . . . The differences are quite remarkable, particularly in respect ofprofit as a percentage of capital, and also in staff-productivity. It must be acknowledged, however, that numerous factors have mili-tated against B.O.A.C.—notably the perennial equipment troubles which have not been of their own making. A comparison between B.E.A. and an equivalent internationalshort-haul operator is not possible, since none which is quite comparable exists. There is probably no form of air transportquite so difficult to run successfully as short-haul international services in Europe—particularly if no long-haul business is avail-able to balance out the inherently difficult economics of short routes. Thus comparisons between B.E.A. and any particularAmerican airline are invalid (though it must be noted that com- parisons between B.E.A. and the European airlines with whomthey are associated in the Air Research Bureau show B.E.A. in quite a favourable light). Nevertheless, the following combined results of the two BritishCorporations against the combined results of the whole scheduled U.S. airline industry does serve to make the point that, evenallowing for the basically more difficult circumstances of the two Corporations, there are big margins of difference in the measuresof efficiency specified. Table III again shows results over the past three years. There are mitigating circumstances which can no doubt be citedto account for the less favourable Corporation results. Never- theless, there is the counter that the more favourable Americanfigures are obtained by an industry whose domestic revenue rates —i.e., prices to the public—average less than a half those of theCorporations; whose labour and material costs are the highest in the world (for example, captains get the equivalent of up to £7,000a year), and whose new equipment has to be privately financed. TABLE III: MEASURES OF EFFICIENCY—2 A PIONEER REMEMBERS TEAMED as one of the founders of the Short Bros, business,1 asa balloon manufacturer and as a pioneer in stressed-skin metal aircraft construction, Mr. Oswald Short, F.R.Ae.S., F.Z.S.,F.R.A.S., recently celebrated his 75th birthday. A few weeks ago M. Jacques Allez, president of the Aero-Clubde France, invited him to attend a dinner given in celebration of Henri Farman's one-kilometre flight in a Voisin biplane in January1908. Mr. Short, however, was at that time recovering from an illness and could not travel to Paris. In a letter expressing hisappreciation of the invitation and his regret at being unable to accept, he recalled the time when he had made his first balloonascent, with his late brother Eustace, in 1898. "I came to the Paris International Exhibition in 1900," he wrote,"with my late brothers Horace and Eustace, and the late Colonel Gourand, representative of Thomas Alva Edison in England. "From Eiffel's octagonal room at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Horaceused his instrument for magnifying sound from an Edison phonograph. It could be heard four miles away. But to Eustace and myself Pariswas, in our minds, sacred ground, because it was to us, as it will always be to everyone, the home of ballooning."The French aeronauts M. le Major D'Arlande and M. Pilatre du Rozier made the first conquest of the air on the 22nd of November, 1783,avec la machine aerostoque chargee suivant les principes de M. de Montgolfier. But the aeroplane replaced this balloon and great honouris due to Henri Farman, one of the great picneers of aviation in Europe." Mr. Short's illness—from which, happily, he is now fullyrecovered—had also prevented his attending the "Pioneers of Aviation" dinner held by the Royal Aero Club in London, atwhich the Duke of Edinburgh presided. On that occasion he telegraphed to Col. Preston, R.Ae.C. Secretary-General: — "My doctor has advised me not to make the journey to attend the B.O.A.C. 1 B.E.A. / Total \ Scheduled 1 American / Airlines / Average Profits % of Revenue 3.8 4.5 % of Capital 3.1 7.6 Average Output/ Employee (ton-miles) 13,200 41,000 Average Cost/Capacity tain-mile (pence) 40 25 Notes: (1) Profit and capital figures are estimated on the basis noted beneath the previous table. (2) American figures incorporate results of domestic trunks, local services, international services, helicopter lines, Alaskan lines, all cargo carriers, and "territorial" airlines. Conclusions. There is no doubt that public investment inB.E.A. and B.O.A.C. has secured for the nation two airlines which are not surpassed in quality of service or equipment The scale ofthis investment has been such that both Corporations are to be comprehensively backed both ways with turboprops and turbojets,to an extent unparalleled by any other airline. Their future positions in world air transport should be secure. Furthermore,this investment is supporting a highly competitive range of export- able British transport aircraft. But the very scale of this investment, and the ease with whichit has been obtained, prompts two suggestions. First, heavy capital expenditures on new equipment might well be accom-panied by improvements in the measures of efficiency. Second, Corporations should prove, by strongly urging I.A.T.A. toonsider differential fares, that they do not mean to abrogate their png-term turboprop plans. Unless they do so, the nation's bighvestment in the turboprop will not be justified, nor will it be rewarded. dinner this evening. Would you therefore, on my behalf, be kind enoughto make my humble duty to our illustrious guest and to all my old friends gathered together on this historic occasion to say how much I regretbeing unable to be present with you. It seems a long time now since the Royal Aero Club appointed us their constructors of balloons for theClub. I suppose I am the oldest male living balloonist and have been concerned with all the subsequent development which has taken place,particularly the invention of stressed-skin metal construction, which I consider to be my major contribution to the aircraft industry. I continueto follow with keen interest the progress of aviation and if my brothers were still here they would join with me in wishing you all a most happyreunion. . . ." NEW LIQUID-OXYGEN CONTAINER A NEW type of container for liquid oxygen or nitrogen has•**• been developed by the AiResearch Manufacturing Division of the Garrett Corporation. Made of two steel shells welded togetherto form a double-skinned unit, the new container requires 37 per cent less welding than previous units and the possibility of leaksis thereby reduced. Capacities of from five to 100 litres can be produced. A vacuum in the double-skinned shell provides insula-tion for storage of liquid oxygen at — 297 deg F and liquid nitrogen at —318 deg F. Tests, it is stated, have shown that the shell canwithstand 20g centrifugal loading and receive a direct hit from a 0.5in armour-piercing incendiary bullet without shattering. Missileand aircraft applications are possible. AERO'S NEW COMMANDER /"^LAIMED to be the first light twin executive aircraft to be^ pressurized and air-conditioned, the Alti-Cruiser version of the Aero Commander was "unveiled" in Oklahoma City lastmonth. The new model is available as either a six-seater or a four-seater. Instruments are grouped in three separate panels: (1) pilot'spanel, with electrically operated flight instruments, (2) centrally located engine instruments, and (3) co-pilot's panel, with vacuum-operated flight instruments. Stratos cabin-pressurization and air- conditioning systems are fitted. A choice of three standard radiopackages is available for communications and navigation. In one of the three radio packages, the Wilcox Canari system,the units comprise a 20-channel ILS, glide-slope receiver, an ADF, a marker beacon receiver, a 560-channel communications receiver,two navigational receivers, two 360-channel communications trans- mitters, an audio mixer amplifier, a standby audio amplifier, andthree loudspeakers. Flush Omni and ADF aerials are fitted; in addition, the communications and glide-slope aerials are internallymounted. Service ceiling of the Alti-Cruiser is 25,560ft, and single-enginedceiling, 15,000ft. Pressurized and air-conditioned: the new Alti-Cruiser.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
