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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0042.PDF
FLIGHT, 2 January 1959 Two important new turbine transports, one British and one American, and each intended for very different markets, emerged (before Christmas. Above, the AW.650 Argosy (Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops), rolled out on December 20 at Coventry; and below, the Convair 880 (G.E. CJ-805 turbojets), rolled out on December 15 at San Diego. Each is expected to make its first flight this month AIR COMMERCE TRANSATLANTIC BRITANNIA ANNIVERSARY THE Bristol Britannia 310 has now completed a full year ofNorth Atlantic operations in B.O.A.C. and El Al service. B.O.A.C. inaugurated operations between London and New York(later extended to other points in the U.S.A. and Canada) on December 19, 1957. The Israeli airline inaugurated operationsbetween Tel Aviv and New York, via London, three days later. How has the aircraft fared? In the table below are summarizedsalient facts and figures relating to B.O.A.C.'s Britannia 312 opera- tions. The figures are provisional, but they offer an opportunityfor an interesting preliminary analysis. Transatlantic Britannia 312: First Year's Results Available seat-miles *:— First-class Tourist Economy Total Passenger miles flown *:— First-class Tourist Economy Total ... ... ... Total passenger load-factor * Break-even passenger load-factor (based on data to October 11) Number of passengers carried * Number of single Atlantic crossings:— Westbound Eastbound Combined Number of non-stop crossings:— Westbound Eastbound Combined ... ... ..-. Number of crossings within one hour of schedule Westbound Eastbound Combined Average fleet strength:— Total Operational ... Average revenue hours flown/aircraft Total strength revenue daily utilization on revenue flying Operational strength revenue daily utilization ... Average fuel consumed:— London-New York ... New York-London ... 49,081,000 61,958,000 120,791,000 231,830,000 31,938,000 39,938,000 73,028,000 144,904,000 62.5 per cent 71 per cent 40,550 323 322 645 234 (72 per cent) 288 (90 per cent) 522 (81 per cent) 142 (44 per cent) 179 (56 per cent) 321 (50 per cent) 13.1 aircraft 9.1 aircraft 1,164 hr 3.2 hr/aircraft 4.6 hr/aircraft 26,730 kg 22,680 kg All figures except those marked * are for December 19, 1957, to December 18, 1958. Those marked * are for December 19, 1957, to December 20,1958. Assuming typical passenger-mile revenue rates (net) as about 9dfirst-class, 7d tourist and 5d economy, it is apparent from B.O.A.C.'s 71 per cent break-even passenger load factor that a lossof about £1.5 million was experienced. This figure does not take account of mail or freight revenues, but is nevertheless a sur-prisingly—and disappointingly—high loss. It could well be largely attributable to the very low utilization rates. Other figures which emerge are a total cost for North AtlanticBritannia 312 operations of about £4.38 million. This, assuming a total flying mileage of about 2.8 million, yields an aircraft-milecost of about 30s, and a seat-mile cost of about 4£d at existing B.C.A.C. seating configurations. The verdict on B.O.A.C.'s first year of transatlantic Britanniaoperations must be that it has been disappointing. But it can be expected to improve considerably in the coming year as utilizationincreases. It is not yet known how El Al fared, but it is believed that they have made a profit from their Britannia operations. Of particular interest to the layman is the fact that half theflights arrived more than an hour late, illustrating the disparity— more general than is widely supposed by users of many airlines—between timetable and actual flight times. "AIR COMMERCE": Regular readers will notice a change in the tideof these pages, formerly known as "Civil Aviation." The change has been made in order to reflect their content more precisely THE 2,000-HR PROTEUS AFTER less than two years in service, the Proteus 705 overhaul- life has now been authorized by the A.R.B. to be increased from 1,600 to 2,000 hr. These engines are installed only inB.O.A.C.'s 15 Britannia 102s, the longer-range Britannias being powered by the 750- and 760-series. Further to improve the performance of these later Proteusversions, the manufacturers are now developing an improved series, the 770. Rated take-off power is increased by 5 per centto 4,615 e.h.p. while fuel consumption (25,000ft, 300 kt, I.S.A.C., maximum continuous power) has been reduced by 3 per cent to0.484 s.f.c. B.O.A.C.'s ASSOCIATES: NEW MOVES f^ATHAY PACIFIC and B.O.A.C. have taken over the colony's^ second airline, Hong Kong Airways. Ten years ago the government decreed that C.P.A. could operate the routes leadingsouth from the capital, while Hong Kong Airways (which sub- sequently became a B.O.A.C. associated company) concentratedon the northern routes. Not only has this arrangement proved increasingly unsatisfactory, but continued financial difficulties havealso pointed towards a merger. The finances of these two airlines present to the outsider apicture of complication unrivalled elsewhere, even in the Orient. Cathay Pacific was founded by a local trading company, Butterfieldand Swire, which initially controlled over three-quarters of the capital. This share was later reduced to 52 per cent, the balancebeing held by China Navigation (this company is associated with P. and O. which, in turn, has a major share in British AviationServices), A.N.A. (later absorbed by Ansett), and the Borneo Company. Another trading company, Jardine Matheson, untilrecently controlled all the shares in Hong Kong Airways (and also in the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company), but a share inthis airline was acquired by B.O.A.C. in 1955. Details of the C.P.A.-B.O.A.C. ownership have not yet beenrevealed but it appears that Butterfield and Swire will control the capital, the balance being held by B.O.A.C. and Jardine Matheson.The reorganization might also allow the solution of an old problem concerning airline abbreviations: after the war three airlines wereto be found with the initials C.P.A.—Commonwealth Pacific, Cathay Pacific and Canadian Pacific. The first of these wasliquidated in 1954; the second might well now emerge with a new title, and that would leave the Canadian carrier alone in this field—a development that would be appreciated by reservation clerks throughout the world. Looked at in its broad perspective, the merger of Hong KongAirways with Cathay Pacific appears to be a further move by B.O.A.C. to reduce the liability (about £500,000 last year) of itsassociated companies. On the other side of the world, in the Caribbean, B.O.A.C.have announced the appointment of Mr. H. O. B. Wooding as chairman of B.W.I.A.—another associated company which hasbeen giving B.O.A.C. cause for financial concern. Mr. Wooding takes over from Sir Errol dos Santos (who was appointed presidentin November). Of particular interest is the appointment of A. Cdre. G. J. Powell as B.O.A.C.'s representative on B.W.I.A.'s Board.He will act as adviser to Mr. Wooding. "Taffy" Powell has been remarkably active since his retirement, for reasons of health, fromBritish Aviation Services in 1957. He played a leading part in the launching of Eagle Airways (Bermuda) as adviser to Mr. HaroldBamberg, Eagle Aviation's managing director; and more recently he has been investigating the operational and financial structureof B.W.I.A. on behalf of B.O.A.C.
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