FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0890.PDF
908 FLIGHT CIVIL AVIATION BREVITIES 'T'HE number of passengers handled at all airports in the U.K.*- and Channel Islands in March 1958 was only 1 per cent greater than in March 1957. Total traffic at London airport roseby 2 per cent, while total traffic at other airports fell 2 per cent. Channel Island traffic was unchanged. (For fall in U.S. traffic, seeleading article in this issue.) * * * A Convair 440 belonging to Cruzeiro do Sul crashed at Curitibabetween Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro on June 17. There were ten survivors among the 27 people on board. * * + B.O.A.C's Boeing 707s are to be fitted with inflatable escapeslides manufactured in the U.K. by Palmer Aero Products, Ltd., under licence to the Garrett Corp. * * * Air Ceylon are planning to increase frequencies on their Singa-pore - Ceylon - Amsterdam service to two a week later this year. The possibility of replacing their L.749s (chartered from K.L.M.)with Super Constellations is also being considered., * * * Mr. J. R. Adams, Q.C., has been appointed chairman of thepublic inquiry into the accident to a B.E.A. Viscount at Nutts Corner on October 23, 1957. The assessors are S/L. B. J. L.Greenland (R.A.E.) and Capt. S. B. Beevers (Eagle Aviation). The inquiry will commence on July 8. * * * The demonstration Fokker Friendship at present in Brazilmay be flown to Australia in September to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith's flight in aFokker F.VIIb-3m from Australia to New Zealand in 1928. On September 11 T.E.A.L. will operate a commemorative trans-Tasman flight carrying a V.I.P. party and letters with special cover and stamps. Unexpectedly low traffic has caused T.W.A. to announce anemployment cut of 1,000. Total staff is 19,900. * * * Thruxton Airfield is to be sold by public auction on July 7, per-mission having been given by the planning authorities to its con- tinuation as an airport. * * * K.L.M.'6 polar service from Amsterdam to Tokyo and Biakwill commence on November 1. The DC-7Cs will require two transit stops westbound and one eastbound.* * * Continental Air Lines' shareholders have approved an increase in the airline's ordinary share capital from $1.5m to $5m. This will facilitate the raising of bank credit or issue of debentures. * * * After their 100-day strike, Western Air Lines have now resumedfull services. The company have provided complete refresher courses to all pilots and engineers. During the strike,, one DC-6B,six Convair 240s and three DC-3s were sold to Braniff, Lockheed and Air France respectively. * * * Speaking at the opening of the tenth conference of WesternEuropean airport authorities (at which 14 airports were repre- sented), Mr. Harold Watkinson, Minister of Transport and CivilAviation, said that "noise, tighter control of rapidly shrinking air- space, and the speeding of the air traveller on the ground" aresome of the major problems at present being tackled in this country. * * * Mr. R. M. Ansett, chairman of Ansett-A.N.A. and of ButlerAir Transport, is at present visiting Handley Page to discuss the Dart Herald. Airline officials from MacRobertson-Miller Air-lines, N.Z.N.A.C., W.A.A.C, I.A.C., L.A.V., B.E.A., Derby,- Silver City, Hunting-Clan and Jersey Airlines, and representativesfrom British Honduras, Iran and Thailand, are also among recent visitors to talk about the Dart Herald. CLUB AND GLIDING NEWS THE Lelnster Aero Club will be holding their fourth annualair display on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, atWeston Airfield, County Kildare. It had been hoped to invite the U.S.A.F. "Skyblazers" aerobatic team to participateand, possibly, "Treble One" Squadron, R.A.F., but unfor- tunately the Irish Government has vetoed the proposal. The rea-sons given are that, first, the Republic of Ireland is not a mem- ber of NATO, and that Ireland's "neutrality" would therefore bejeopardized; second, that Weston, being a grass field of relatively small dimensions, does not possess emergency landing facilitiesfor jet aircraft. These arguments (writes a correspondent) do not seem particularly logical in view of the very successful aerobaticdisplays given by the jet aircraft of NATO countries in Switzer- land, not herself a NATO member. Also the Irish Air Corps baseat Baldonnel, adjacent to Weston, is an operational jet field with paved runways, as well as being a diversionary airfield whenDublin Airport is closed. The Government ban even extends to the participation of the Air Corps' Vampire T.55s in the Westondisplay. TPHE Sperry Gyroscope Company have announced a new minia-•*• ture stand-by artificial horizon, the H.L.9, specially designed for gliders and sailplanes. It is an A.C. instrument having its ownstatic inverter which provides 60 volt, 400 c/s single-phase A.C. power from 24-volt batteries. The instrument weighs 4 lb 7 ozand the inverter 1 lb 15 oz. A feature of the new horizon is its low current consumption: ap-proximately 0.3 amp at 24 volts during normal running. Slightlymore than 1 amp is required for starting, and run-up occupies2\ min; an economy switch is fitted which reduces the currentrequired to the economy running level after this time. If theeconomy switch is not used, the power consumption is 0.55 amp.When the gyro is started with the switch in the economy position,the run-up to synchronous speed will occupy about 15 minutes. Presentation is on a standard3gin-diameter bezel with a moving horizon bar against a black background and a gull-winged modelattached to the glass. The sensitivity of the horizon bar in pitch Sperry H.L.9 horizon. is said to be of the same order as larger instruments over thefirst 15 deg of bank. A mechanical caging control is provided but the instrument is self-erecting even if switched on in continuousturns. Pilots who have used the H.L.9 report that there is no noticeable turning error. MOST original reason for the refusal of a gliding site, as givenrecently to the Hertfordshire Gliding Club, came from the Metropolitan Water Board, who feared that a glider might landand "block the Board's new river." The club's current news- letter lists 11 aerodrome sites which have been examined, and 26individuals and authorities who have been contacted, in its search for somewhere to begin gliding operations. Further suggestionsfor a site would doubtless be welcomed by the secretary, Mr. D. J. Muir, 146 Boundary Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. THE Polish magazine Skrmydlata Pohka reports that a newPolish light two-seater, the PZL-102 Kos (Blackbird) has made several successful flights. It is powered by a WN-1 flat-four air-cooled power unit of 65 h.p. enclosed by alligator cowlings that split along the crankshaft centreline and are hinged on the enginefirewall. Conventional in appearance, the PZL-102 is a low-wing monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and tailwheel. It is chieflydistinguished by a large bubble canopy sliding along a central spine on the rear fuselage. Dual controls are fitted. A SURE way of increasing output is to set a production target•**• —and this applies just as much to monthly flying times as it does to manufacturing aeroplanes. Wolverhampton Aero Clubare among the clubs that are doing this and so are the Lancashire Aero Club, who have published month by month target totalsamounting to 2,000 hr flying in the next twelve months. The targets range from 300 hr in August to 40 hr in December. Thelatter club, incidentally, have recently published the first in a new series of The Elevator magazine—of unusually high standardamong club publications. FOLLOWING the R.A.F.A. Display at Exeter Airport tomor-row, June 28 (Service participation in which was noted in our last week's issue), Exeter Aero Club is holding a dance, which—with a bar open from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m.—promises to be "informal but gay." Civil aircraft items in the display programmewill be contributed by the Tiger Club and Plymouth Aero Club, the latter providing Tiger Moths for the parachute jumping.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
