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Aviation History
1958
1958-1- - 0056.PDF
58 FLIGHT, 11 July 1958 CIVIL AVIATION Air Charter are con- verting their three Bristol 170 Mk 31s to Mk 32 standard. This is the first to be completed, the work being carried out on it by Aviation Trad- ers (Engineering), Ltd. This DC-6, recently delivered to United, is the l,OOOth aircraft in the Douglas DC-6 and DC-7 series. CANADIANS CAUTIONED ^EITHER Canadian Pacific Airlines nor Pacific Western Air-* ^ lines have received much comfort from the Wheatcroft Report on transcontinental route competition. This was prepared lastspring at the invitation of Mr. George Hees, Canadian Minister of Transport, and is based on an analysis of present and projectedair traffic. On only three sectors—Toronto - Montreal, Toronto - Winni-peg and Vancouver - Victoria—is the volume of traffic sufficient to sustain a competitive service without the likelihood of costsbeing increased. During the next three years traffic elsewhere will be adequately catered for by an increase in aircraft size. Subse-quent to 1961, however, "some stabilization in the rate of growth of aircraft size" will probably lead to an increase in the numberof transcontinental sectors able to withstand competition; and by 1966 this should have grown from three to eleven.An argument put forward by C.P.A. and P.W.A. in their applica- tions for transcontinental routes was that access to such profitableservices would allow these companies to operate non-profitable short-haul routes without recourse to subsidy. Mr. Wheatcroft,no doubt bearing in mind the experience of B.E.A., has come down firmly against such a course and has advised the Ministerthat "there is the strongest case for believing that direct subsidy is preferable to internal cross-subsidization"; adding as a corollarythat this requires a review of Government policy towards local and regional air services. MODERNIZING U.S. AIRWAYS /CONTRACTS recently placed by the Airways Modernization^ Board show that the U.S. is now making a determined effort to achieve a semi-automatic air traffic control system and is pre-pared to spend heavily in doing so. Last month the General Precision Laboratory was awarded a supplemental contract (calcu- lated to 3,971,963 dollars, 42 cents) for the design and manufactureof computers,. control consoles, flight strip printers and display equipment to be used in conjunction with data processing equip-ment in the New York terminal and transition areas. It will include equipment integrated with SAGE and installed at SuffolkCounty A.F.B. so that experimental scrambles and returns to base can be operated in the midst of the airway's structure. A semi-automatic air-ground-air communications system speci-fied by A.M.B. is also likely to result in a contract being placed with the Radio Corporation of America, whose proposal forAGACS was accepted after scrutiny of the proposals from 14 companies by A.M.B., airline, and U.S. Army, Navy and AirForce representatives. The system is intended to query aircraft electronically for routine information and to receive the answerswithout action being required of the pilot. The data will be stored electronically. First equipment for experimental use shouldbe available by July 1959 and will be in use by New York A.T.C. during 1960. A third contract covers a visual similator of approach, runwayand taxi way lighting, and has been awarded to Doman Helicopters. Suitable filters are interposed between the simulator windscreen-and a television screen on which are displayed runway lights tele- vised from a moving belt carrying fluorescent markings. Variousvisual ranges can be represented. The simulator, which is linked to a T.V. camera to provide pitch, roll and azimuth variations, isto form part of A.M.B.'s airport facilities research programme. GHANA TAKES TO THE AIR p details of Ghana's new airline have now been revealed.••- Early this month Ghana Airways, Ltd., was incorporated in Accra with a nominal capital of £400,000 of which 60 per centwill be subscribed by the Ghana Government and 40 per cent by B.O.A.C. Associated Companies, Ltd. (a B.O.A.C. subsidiaryformed last year as a holding company for all the Corporation's aviation investments). Each shareholder will nominate two mem-bers to the Board of Ghana Airways, the Government also appoint- ing the chairman. This position is to be held by Mr. J. Mercer. Under the terms of a seven-year agreement between B.O.A.C.and Ghana Airways, the Corporation will arrange the secondment of necessary staff from associated companies and will undertakethe training of Ghanaians to take over the management and operation of the airline. As from July 16, B.O.A.C. will add a once-weekly service inGhana Airways livery to the four London - Accra - London Strato- cruiser services already being operated each week in the Corpora-tion's own colours. By autumn of next year Britannias will prob- ably have been put on to this route, and the Ghana Airways flightsincreased in frequency. The whole service will be operated on a pool basis. Internal services within Ghana and certain regional West Africanservices will be taken over from W.A.A.C. on October 1. A DC-3 has Jready been acquired from Aden Airways and more areexpected to follow. Twin Pioneers have been considered for some domestic operations. Rolled out at Renton on July 1 was the first Boeing 707-121 in American's colours, and the seventh air- craft to be completed. It will be in service before the end of the year.
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