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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0950.PDF
tUGHT, 3 April 1959 < • E AIR COMMERCE .... service at the time of year when the traffic was at its maximumand to get a very full load. B.O.A.C.'s responsibilities were day-in and day-out. Mr. Curtis rejoined: "That is all pretty interesting, but ofcourse not really effectual." They were not proposing to run "spasmodic services"; they were trying to offer the public theeconomics of their new aircraft [DC-6Cs] and to relate frequency to the new traffic—and he wanted to emphasize the word new.The independents were not "trying to swipe B.O.A.C.'s traffic." They would like to, but "laws govern this sort of thing." Mr. Granville referred to the "monopoly" held by the inde-pendents on the low-fare African services, and hoped that "one day we shall be as privileged as they are." Asked by Woodrow Wyatt whether the proposed fares were"economic, or just a bit of a joke," Mr. Curtis said that the independents were prepared to show all their figures to theA.T.A.C, who "can pull them to pieces if they can." Mr. Wyatt concluded by saying that the problem was obviouslymuch more complicated than he had at first thought: he "would not like to be the A.T.A.C. after Easter."As a postscript, it seemed a pity that the B.B.C., with its reputation for impartiality and fairness, should not have askeda representative of Eagle—the independent which pioneered the very-low-fare proposals—to take part in the programme. ELECTRA NOISE SUPPRESSION IOCKHEED are investigating a new phenomenon which hasJ apparently only recently manifested itself with the Electra. At high speed and low altitude, fuselage vibration in the plane of thepropeller discs results in an increase in noise level. The effect is noticeable only at low angles of attack and at a particular inclina-tion of airflow. According to Aviation Week, the remedies being considered are the installation of 43 tuning-fork-type sound-sup-pressors at various points on the airframe, and a 3 deg upward inclination of the engine thrust-lines.An aircraft built for American Airlines has been taken off the production line and is to be instrumented for vibration tests;flight testing of the inclined nacelles is to begin shortly. Modified nacelles could apparently be incorporated at airline maintenancebases by exchanging engines for new quick-change units suitably modified. It is understood that no question of safety is involved,but Lockheed have recommended a reduction of high cruising speed from 324 kt to 288 kt pending investigation. INVESTIGATING THE BOEING 707 THE first two days of the C.A.B.'s investigation at Idlewild intothe "accident" to PanAm's Boeing 707 N712PA over the Atlantic on February 3 revealed very little about the causes of thesudden loss of height. Evidence was given that the aircraft was flying at 35,000ft atMach 0.82 and at a weight of about 195,000 lb. During the previous two flights the PB-20 autopilot was reported in one caseto have caused a nose-down pitch and in another to have dis- connected following a change of heading of 20 deg, but onFebruary 3 operation was found to be normal on arrival at Gander. The disengagement warning light was fully dimmed. Capt. Waldo Lynch, the pilot-in-command, said that the air-craft went into a sharp manoeuvre downward and to the right. At 17,000ft the airspeed was over 400 kt, the electric trim button wasinoperative, and his gyro horizon had tumbled. The co-pilot, Capt. S. T. Peters, recounted that "At 2,200 Z the navigator posteda change in heading requiring left turn. Used autopilot turn knob. Turn O.K. . . . Then light buffeting, plus positive load 475 factor building up. ... Heavy buffeting caused panel lights tofail." The flight engineer, G. Sinsky, said that he was pinned to hisseat as the Mach warning sounded. When the g load was relieved, he pulled the tailplane-power and autopilot circuit-breakers be-cause he thought that the tailplane had "run away." Full nose- down tailplane inclination of 3 deg was indicated. He wound itback to the nose-up position but later trimmed nose-down. The Bendix PB-20D autopilots in the Boeing 707 includecontrol and stabilization in three axes, auto-trimming of the tail- plane, height-lock, turn to preselected heading, glide-slope lockand manual bank- and pitch-command. Part of the autopilot, the comparator, samples the surface position-error before engagementcan occur. Another condition for engagement is that there should be asatisfactory power supply to the vertical gyro, which should not topple unless the supply is interrupted for 20 sec while bank angleexceeds 80 deg. There is 350 deg freedom in roll; but evidence given by the co-pilot (that the "position of the sky and movingstars showed the aircraft was on its back") indicates one reason for the horizon toppling. The investigation is being continued in Los Angeles and Seattle. AIRWORK'S SPRING CLEARANCE TPHE most significant outward sign of the reorganization that•*• has been going on within the Airwork group of companies over the past months is the announcement that most of Airwork's fleetis now being offered for sale. The total fleet stands at four Viscounts, four Hermes, fourVikings and two DC-3s. The two Viscount 813s will be retained and will operate from Gatwick: the operation will be conducted byTransair (who already have two 807s) although the Safari services will probably continue for some time to be flown under Airworkcolours. The two 736s will be sold. (Hunting-Clan, who have now placed 833s on their Safari services, are also disposing of theirtwo 730-series Viscounts.) The Airwork Hermes trooping contract to Singapore is nownearing completion—although details of the revised contract have not yet been decided—and three of these aircraft, together withspares and equipment, are being sold on a package basis for a sum reportedly as low as £45,000. The fourth Hermes is being returnedto its owners, B.O.A.C. These facts, together with the widespread dismissals amongground and flying staff, suggest that Airwork's existence as an active operator is drawing to an end. MOSCOW IN THE SUMMER LAST week, on March 25, the Minister of Transport, Mr.Harold Watkinson, announced that agreement had been reached between the United Kingdom and Soviet Governmentsabout the operation of a London - Moscow air service by B.E.A. and Aeroflot. The air agreement drawn up in 1957 was finallybrought into effect by the signature of both parties in Moscow on March 24. It will be recalled that, though the two airlines have been eagerto operate services since last summer, the U.K. Government have withheld approval on account of the Tu-104's noise. TheMinister is apparently now satisfied that Aeroflot will employ Tu-104 operating techniques and procedures designed to minimizedisturbance. No mention has been made of noise-suppressors having been installed on the Soviet jet airliner. "I am grateful toAeroflot," said Mr. Harold Watkinson in the Commons, "for meeting, as far as they are humanly able to do, the rather strictoperating requirements we had to set." The service will probably begin in the middle of next month;B.E.A. will use Viscount 806s until Comet 4Bs become available next year, and Aeroflot plan to use Tu-104Bs. There will be onestop at Copenhagen. The operation of the Tu-104 into London will be reviewed . . . "to enable [the Government] to judgewhether the initial conditions of operation should be varied." DOMESTIC WITCH-HUNT? THE C.A.B. has decided to investigate the Air Transport Asso-ciation, the "club" of the American domestic airlines. There appears to be some mystery as to the precise reason for theinvestigation, which the Board feels will be in "the general interest of the public."The Board's statement—to which so far it has been unwilling to add—speaks of the need for "a general inspection and reviewof the activities and practices of A.T.A. ... to determine whether the Board should continue its approval of the organization . . .and if so whether such approval should be made subject to further conditions." "Golden Jet" is the name given by Continental Air Lines to their first Boeing 707-120, which is due to be delivered next month. A fleet of four is on order. The unusual perspective of this picture gives the impres- sion of an exceptionally high aspect ratio
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