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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 2279.PDF
234 FLIGHT, 11 September 1959 AIR COMMERCE . . « KINDLY LIGHT ? :!T HE new red-and-white visual glide-path indicator system,developed by the R.A.E. from an idea by Mr. J. W. Spark of that establishment, came into use on Runway 28L at LondonAirport on June 25. The system, which was fully described in Flight for August 15, 1958, is intended to reduce the tendencyto undershoot that has become more marked as approach speeds have increased. (During development the R.A.E. invited a num-ber of particularly experienced pilots to attempt "spot-on" land- ings on one runway; the spread was 2,000ft.) Some 500 landings have been made in developing the system,which consists of indicator units so adjusted that when the aircraft is on the glide-path the nearer light-bars show white and thefarther bars show red; both show red if it is too low and both white if it is too high. The M.T.C.A. proposes to adopt the system for all British civilairports within the next three years. Two pairs of wing bars are installed flanking a runway, the first pair 500ft from the thresholdand the second pair another 500ft or 1,000ft beyond. With a 3 deg glide-path such positioning gives a glide-path depth of either50ft or 25ft, and it is quite likely that the latter—which has been shown to be fairly easy to fly, as the path is non-convergent—will be generally adopted. The V.G.P.I. system is for use by day or night and is intendedto be complementary to Calvert approach lights and low-intensity runway lighting. Used independently, it provides glide-path indi-cation and also offers limited azimuth and roll guidance. In experi- ments at Farnborough and Bedford the V.G.P.I. intensity hasbeen varied by a factor of ten between night and day; at London the same variation will be used and a choice of three differentintensities will probably be tried. The M.T.CA are enthusiastic about the system and intend topropose it in I.G.A.O. as a standard aid. Some foreign inquiries have already been received and export prospects for those firmschosen to manufacture the system under licence from R.A.E. already appear to be hopeful. CENTRAL AFRICAN CRISIS HUNTING-CLAN AFRICAN AIRWAYS, which has notfound its Central African domestic services profitable, has given aircrew and administrative staff six months' notice. Allhave been offered alternative employment elsewhere in the Hunting-Clan/Union Castle group. Hunting-Clan is at present reviewing its Central African ser-vices, but there is no intention (a local correspondent reports) of stopping all services and many of those staff under notice—six months is required by the company's contract with its aircrew —will find that they will continue in employment at the end ofthe period. Sales promotion and administration will now be handled fromthe Clan Line and Union Castle Line offices in the Federation and in South Africa. Hunting-Clan Air Transport's Africargoservice from London to Johannesburg and coach-class safari Viscount services (in association with Airwork from Londonto Salisbury) are not affected by the retrenchments in the African subsidiary. • : COMPETITION IN AUSTRALIA A USTRALIA is a shining example of enlightened government•**• regulation of airline competition between state ownership (T.A.A.) and a private ownership (Ansett-A.N.A.). It is thereforeof particular interest to see how the two sides are faring over the routes where they compete. The following table, compiled by the Aviation Studies branchof the Australian Department of Civil Aviation (Statistics of Australian Regular Air Transport Services), shows that over aperiod of five quarters T.A.A. have steadily increased their share of traffic, though their private competitor still performs the greaterproportion of the total passenger and freight ton mile task. Quarterended 31.12.5731.3.58 30.6.5830.9.58 31.12.58 Passenger ton-miles A-A.N.A.% of total 48.848.8 48.745.9 46.0 T.A.A.% oftotal 51.251.5 51.354.1 54.0 Freight ton-miles A.-A.N.A% oftotal 69.968.5 69.162.3 66.0 T.A.A.% of total 31.131.5 30.937.7 34.0 Passenger andfreight ton-miles A-A.N.A.% of total 55.353.4 54.750.5 51.3 T.A.A.% of total 44.746.6 45.349.5 48.7 The general traffic achievement in Australia in the calendaryear 1958, according to the same source, was as follows: Domestic Services. Total load ton-miles for the year declinedby 4.3 per cent and total load factor fell from 63.2 per cent to 61.9 per cent. The passenger-miles barely achieved the same levelas that before 1957. The trend up to March 1959 was an encourag- ing increase in passenger-miles (14.5 per cent in that month, com-pared with the previous March), but freight tonnage declined by a serious 24 per cent in the same month. International Services. Total load ton-miles increased by 12per cent, load factor falling from 57.8 per cent to 56.7 per cent. Passenger-miles performed showed an increase of 14.6 per centover the previous year, but passenger load factor fell from 62.9 per cent to 59 per cent, the increase in seating capacity offeredresulting chiefly from the extension of Qantas services to North America across the U.S.A. and the Atlantic to London. The Australian statistics also show that during 1958 B.O.A.C.operated 192 flights into Australia, carrying 6,355 passengers and 578 short tons of mail and freight. Loads out of Australia car-ried by a similar number of flights were considerably less—4,989 passengers and 332.8 short tons of mail and freight. BREVITIES The Meteorology Division of I.C.A.O. began a four-week meeting in "Montreal on September 1 to discuss the special needs of weather forecasting for jet operations. * * * The total number of B.O.A.C. flying staff dismissed since smugglingenquiries began in the beginning of August is 47 stewards, three navigating officers and two engineering officers.* * • Exeter Airport Ltd., who operate under licence from the Air Ministry, has been taken over by Harper Engineering and Electronics Ltd. In addition Harpers have acquired the whole of the share capital of Plymouth Airport. * * * The Qantas annual report for 1958 records a net profit of £419,097out of a total revenue of £23,871,102. Total cxm.s. offered were 129.9m and Lt.m.s. sold were 73.3m, giving a load factor of 56.4 per cent—twopercentage points down on last year, when profit was £344,039. * * *The maximum take-off weight of all long-range variants of the Britannia has been increased from 180,000 1b to 185,000 lb, maximumlanding weight from 135,000 lb to 137,000 lb, and zero fuel weight from 122,000 to 128,000 lb. The increased take-off weight involves no structural modifications. * * * A joint statement issued by Qantas and B.O.A.C. last week announcedthat Qantas Boeing 707s will start operations on the Kangaroo route on October 15, followed by B.O.A-C.'s Comet 4s on November 4. Thejoint jet fleets will provide eight services a week on the route, five Comets and three 707s. * * * :-•• . :. - --_"• '.'•-• • • CertificatioB of the DC-8 (JT3), achieved on August 31 as recordedlast week, was the sequel to 1,782 flights of 2,284 hours. Changes in F.A.A. take-off requirements resulted in the development of leading-edge slots on the inboard section of each wing. Another modification was extension of each wing tip by 16in. The Civil Aeronautics Board Examiner recommended on August 31that B.W.I.A. should be allowed to operate two services involving land- ings at New York—one service on the route between London andJamaica via New York and the other between Barbados and New York. The recommendation is subject to approval by the Board and byPresident Eisenhower. * * * Evidence given to the C.A.B. inquiry into American Airlines' 707training accident on August 15 suggested that two engines might not have been operating when the accident occurred. Oil-temperatureindications on the starboard engines were much lower than on the other two. A U.S.A.F. pilot who saw the accident from his cockpit said thatthe 707 had been making a left turn; its right wing suddenly dropped and the aircraft turned completely over on its back before its nose struckthe ground. Seen at work h fsso's "Hydrokit," a new de- vice for quickly check- ing the water content of jet fuel. Capsules of a chemical powder capable of detecting 30 : 1,000,000 water- content are dropped into fuel samples
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