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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0604.PDF
620 FLIGHT, 2 May 1958 On the left is Sud-Aviation's second prototype Caravelle, seen making its debut at London Airport on Wednesday of last week. It had flown from Stockholm on an S.A.S. training operation after cold-weather tests in Sweden. On the right, distinguishable by its radar, is an ex-Capital Viscount 745 at Dublin—one of two recently leased by Vickers to Aer Lingus. CIVIL AVIATION . . . to mail traffic provided by a trunk service to Europe. Whilepassenger traffic increased last year by 35 per cent over 1956, mail loads—carried at rates exceeding 100 pence per ton mile—roseby 53 per cent. REALISTIC ACCOUNTING AS from the start of this year, the C.A.B. has sought to bringabout various changes in the accounting methods followed by American scheduled carriers. The intention is to ensurethat annual accounts present a more accurate picture of an airline's financial situation to its shareholders. More specifically, the aimis to prevent management from deliberately inflating the apparent level of current expenditure by charging various costs againstpresent operation which should logically be borne in later years. The two most significant changes affect depreciation chargesand progress payments to manufacturers. Until this year, depre- ciation methods varied widely as between airlines, some carriers—such as Eastern—depreciating their aircraft down to a residual value of about five per cent in as little as four years. The newregulation, which does not apply retroactively, stipulates that aircraft be depreciated on a straight-line basis over seven years toa residual value equivalent to 15 per cent of the original cost. If airlines choose to render their equipment obsolete by over-readi-ness to acquire new types, the cost of obsolescence under the new regulation will rightly have to be borne by the new equipment. The second major change advocated by the C.A.B. is thatinterest on deposits paid to manufacturers for the purchase of flight equipment should be capitalized rather than charged ascurrent expenditure. This again is aimed at preventing the level of present costs being prejudiced by items that do not relate tothe present. The amounts involved are far from being insignificant. Duringthe first quarter of this year, American Airlines showed a net profit after taxes of $1.6 million. Under the previous accountingmethod this figure would have been only $0.3 million. FOAMED-PLASTIC LIFEJACKET A NEW type of lifejacket which appears to have highly effective**• flotation qualities was demonstrated at a London swimming- pool last week. Very little thicker than a leather jerkin, and madeof plastic material, it is of multi-cellular construction with foamed- plastic separators between the cells, to which air is admittedthrough a ventile fabric panel near the waist. The jacket is thus able to "breathe," giving the wearer full freedom of movement.On immersion, fibres embodied in the panel at once swell, to form a seal preventing the escape of the contained air. The sequenceis thus automatic, no action being required of the wearer. One of the most convincing moments in the demonstration waswhen a man wearing the jacket under deep-sea fisherman's gear —oilskins, sou'wester and thigh-boots—and carrying two bricksin each hand, jumped from the 20ft diving-board into 8ft of water, to bob up again instantly and remain safely afloat. (A minimum of38 hours' buoyancy is claimed.) With further development—primarily, perhaps, the addition ofa head-supporting collar—the jacket should have possibilities for aircrew or air-passenger use. The demonstration was arranged byMarksway Wear, Ltd., 22 Down Street, London, W.I. BREVITIES PACIFIC AIR LINES (formerly Southwest Airways) have in-A creased their order for Fairchild F-27s from three to five. Trans-Australia Airways have exercised their option on six Fokker-built F-27s, their order now standing at 12c. * * * Linjeflyg is reported to have decided to replace its DC-3s withused Convair 340s rather than with Friendships or Dart Heralds. * * * In the dispute between Central African Airways Corporationand Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd., concerning the loss of a Viking in March 1953, the manufacturers have agreed to pay£125,000 damages. * * * The Caravelle has been undergoing cold-climate tests in northern Sweden. "Operation Snow-White" consisted of 20 flights totalling 45flying hours. (See photograph above.) * * * Developed by International Aeradio, Ltd., ofLondon, the cockpit-check board shown here can be either fixed in the cockpit or carriedin the hand. It consists of a metal board hav- ing windows fitted with slides movable fromone side to the other. When in the left-hand half each slide leaves the right-hand half open to showthe appropriate item. As each part of the check is completed the slide is pushed over to th'e right-hand half of the window. When the sequence has been completed the slides are all in the right-hand position and the board is ready with the let-down check. The device is being adopted byMiddle East Airlines. Aerad's cockpit-check board, described above. Silver City Airways recently carried the 100,000th passenger on their Blackpool - Isle of Man coach-air service. * * * The C.A.A.'s certificate of airworthiness has been obtained by the Sud Djinn helicopter. * * •*Lufttransport Union have acquired two DC-4s from Twentieth Century Aircraft. * * * The annual conference sponsored by the Air TransportationCommittee of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers will take place this year in Buffalo on June 25-27. * * * On April 25 a C-46 owned by the Nicaraguan airline LANICAwas stolen from Miami. Conflicting reports suggest the aircraft was flown either to Honduras or to Cuba. * * * T.W.A. have sought C.A.B. permission for the lease or purchaseof nine L.1049Hs from Hughes Tool Company. Five of these air- craft are at present being leased from California Eastern Aviation.The others have been ordered from Lockheed by Hughes Tool and will be purchased by T.W.A. * * * Lt-Cdr. G. O. Waters, C.B.E., chairman and managing directorof Air Terminals, Ltd., since 1955, relinquished his post last Wednesday on medical advice. His position will be taken by Mr.A. C. Ping, a member of the B.E.A. Board. Mr. Waters joined Imperial Airways in 1929. * * * The British Petroleum Company has placed orders withThompson Bros. (Bilston), Ltd., and Saunders-Roe (Anglesey), Ltd., for two prototype "Yorkshire" fuellers. Each will have acapacity of 10,000 Imp. gal, and will deliver at a maximum rate of 750 Imp. gal per minute.
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