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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0768.PDF
784 CIVIL AVIATION . . . Beachy Head and a B.E.A, Viscount 806 com- bine to form a pleasing portrait of the aircraft which this week has been the subject of the unique meeting discussed below. The picture was taken last week by one of "Flight's" staff photographers. Viscount Operators Meet BETWEEN June 3 and June 5 Vickers weredue to be hosts, for the fifth consecutive year, to 33 representatives of the world's 37 Vis-count operators. Between 60 and 70 senior engineers were expected to attend: this articlediscusses the background to a unique kind of customer-service. FLIGHT IT was Sir George Edwards, managing director of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), who once said—in so many words—that a major transport has to be in operation for five years before its makers can begin to feel successfully established in thecivil airline business. To get into the business a firm must obviously have a goodproduct: to stay in the business it has to demonstrate its ability to support that product. The term support, as used by theAmericans, is something more than routine customer-service. It is the expression of the old adage that when a customer buys anaircraft, he buys its manufacturer, too. The phrase, "operational feedback," often heard within Vickers, well defines the basicingredient of successful support. A doeument which Vickers recently compiled for the 37 opera-tors of the Viscount is the embodiment of all this. The authors are the operators themselves; their engineers were invited byVickers to submit their individual problems and troubles for com- ment and discussion on Vickers' ground. This procedure isbelieved to be unique; its practical benefits and the goodwill it engenders are self-evident. Of the 37 operators of the Viscount,33 were due to send senior engineers—^68 all told—to the Sixth Viscount Operators' Meeting at Weybridge, which was expectedto. end yesterday, June 5. The document referred to was to be the agenda of this meeting,and was to be dealt with in four sessions totalling 11 hours. The meeting was to take the form of replies and comments by seniorspecialists from Vickers' design organization and other depart- ments, and by senior representatives of Rolls-Royce and Rotol,followed by discussion and exchange of views among the operators. The chair was to be taken by Mr. Derek Lambert, Vickers'assistant general manager (development). The document itself refreshingly epitomizes the truth about theoperation of airliners. Gloss and glamour have no place in a discussion amongst engineers, who have no illusions about thefact that aeroplanes—however conscientiously engineered—give trouble. This document, therefore, depicts the Viscount in its mosttroublesome demeanour, being the corporate snag-sheet of 37 operators whose engineers live and work with the aircraft in almostevery kind of operational environment. Studied in this light, the document makes the virtues of the Viscount shine more brightly.Boiled down, it shows that 37 critical Viscount operators (who are presumably no less hard to please than the operators of otheraircraft) submitted an average of less than five complaints apiece. The document is divided into 21 sections, as follows (inparenthesis after each subject is given the number of questions raised about that subject): Hydraulic system (7); undercarriage,wheels and brakes (2); pressurization and air conditioning system (13); anti-atmospheric systems (3); fuel system (9); powerplant(3); engines (22); propellers (4); operation and performance (4); electrics (28); radio and radar (4); instrumentation (7); generalstructure (7); fuselage structure (13); wing structure (7); nacelle structure (3); flying controls (10); flaps (4); furnishings (6); watersystem (5); modification procedure (9); miscellaneous (5). The actual questions vary from the important to the trifling.Most of them illustrate the kind of problem which only opera- tional service reveals, and which design offices could not reason- ably be expected to foresee—though the wisdom conferred byhindsight always suggests that it should have been. Typical questions and comments follow: — The outflow valves part no. 13019-2 NA and 13019-NA work erratteSally, due to nicotine tar deposit. Comment: Experience of nicotine deposit on the seats of dischargevalves has shown that it is hard, and not "tacky." Valves so contaminated do not normally adhere to the seat, and blockage due to the deposit ismerely compensated by the valve automatically assuming a slightly more open setting. It is thought, however, that these deposits, combined withthe high humidities experienced by [the particular operator], may create different conditions, and Vickers would like further information. (a) Have the troubles experienced on engine fuel pumps when usingwide-cut fuel been reduced? (b) The engine-driven fuel pump life of 1,000 hours is unsatisfactory?What is the experience of other operators? Comment: An improvement in fuel pump slipper-pad life with thisfuel (JP4) has only been achieved by tighter quality-control on pump slipper-pad to spherical fit on overhaul. A service trial has been run oncopper beryllium slipper-pads but has not been satisfactory; a further trial is now in operauon using Canadian-manufactured copper beryllium.Further trials are about to commence on improved spherical ball end finish. The Rolls-Royce recommended life on kerosine is 2,500 hours,with service units on trial to higher lives; one operator has already achieved an established life of 3,200 hours. What is the latest position with regard to aircraft vibration? DoVickers, Rotol or Rolls-Royce have a programme to isolate the cause of recurring vibration?Comment: The position regarding aircraft vibration is virtually unchanged. Joint meetings have been held in order to formulate aprogramme of special flight testing, and this matter is still under con- sideration. Engine order vibration is restricted to cases where rotatingcomponents have failed, and in a few isolated cases, of faulty overhaul technique. It would be appreciated if Vickers would overhaul the present systemof classification of modifications with a view to eliminating confusion, which now arises frequently. Most large American factories do nothave a classification at all. Modifications are mandatory by C.A.A. only. The present system of information on modifications, i.e., modificationbulletin, modification leaflet, modification index and preliminary modi- fication bulletin should be combined into one document. Comment: In view of operators' criticisms of the modification pro- 'ceduies in operation, the system is being examined with a view to simpli- fying the classification of modifications, and hence eliminating theapparent confusion that is reported to exist as to whether a specific modification is absolutely necessary for a particular operator's aircraft..It has been policy in the past to issue a Modification Bulletin for a given alteration, as soon as technical details are available irrespective of theavailability of the required new equipment or parts. By this means it was hoped that information would be provided to facilitate forwardplanning on the part of the operator. However, it is hoped that this anomaly regarding modifications will be fully discussed at the forth-coming meeting with a view to providing constructive comment fc" improvement. A statement regarding the proposed reclassification ofmodifications will be made at the meeting. An analysis of the sources of all the questions (which amount :;to 170 in all) is revealing. The following list gives the number of queries raised by individual operators. (In parenthesis is shownthe approximate number of hours flown by that operator.) Som; complaints were common to several operators, but are neverthelesscounted separately: — I
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