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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0054.PDF
54 FLIGHT, 8 January 1960 AIR COMMERCE ... South America. The logic of the decision seems particularly clearon the last-named route; fastest of all the Boeing series, and with an extended range conferred by its turbofans, the 720 also hasthe best airfield performance combined with a more moderate capacity than Lufthansa's 707-420s which, for the time being, maybe too large for the already thinly spread traffic over the South Atlantic; 1961 may see Lufthansa's 720s operating services forthe three Air Union carriers on the route. AIR TRAFFIC IN 1959 PROVISIONAL figures issued at the end of 1959 by ICAOreveal, as expected, that air transport recovered from the reces- sion of 1958. Arithmetic applied to ICAO's figures, assuming thata passenger mile is a 2001b/mile, suggests that total scheduled international load ton-miles carried in 1959 were about 12 percent up on those in 1958. It will be recalled that the 1958 rate of growth over 1957 was only 5 per cent (1 per cent in Americaand 12 per cent elsewhere in the world). Of the 96 million passengers carried in 1959—10 per cent morethan last year's 87 million—about 95 million were carried by IATA, according to a provisional estimate of that association. ICAO's figures show that cargo ton-miles in 1959,1,295 million,are 14 per cent up and mail ton-miles, 355 million, are 11 per cent up. Passenger-miles are 12 per cent up. Comparative rates ofincrease in 1958 over the previous year were, respectively, 2 per cent cargo, 9 per cent mail, 5 per cent passengers. An interesting trend in the pattern is that the total number ofhours flown, for the first time in ICAO's post-war history, dropped —by 1 per cent, reflecting the higher speed of the new jettransports. Meanwhile IATA estimate that passenger traffic may well risefrom the 95 million in 1959 to possibly 103 million in 1960— an increase which, if mail and freight do well too, suggests a rateof increase for air traffic in 1960 of about the same order as that achieved in 1959. IATA reckon also that North Atlantic pas-sengers should reach two million in 1960 "by all present indica- tions." It will have taken only two years from the point in 1958where the moving annual total on this route first exceeded one million. RIO CLOSED TO JETS 'THE collision between a VASP Viscount and a Brazilian Air•*• Force T.6 over Rio de Janeiro Airport on December 22, in which 42 people lost their lives, occurred while a BOAC Cometon a South American proving flight was starting its practice let- down to Rio de Janeiro's Galeao Airport. Disconcerting as thisnews was to the passengers in the Comet (among them a Flight representative) the accident serves to focus attention on theunhappy circumstances of Rio's airports. It may be many months after the start of BOAC's new servicebefore Comets can fly to Rio, one of the scheduled stops in Brazil on the South Atlantic run. In August tarmac patches which hadbeen laid over the concrete runways were lifted, according to the airport authorities, by Aerolineas Argentinas' Comets; combinedwith plans to extend the runway to 10,800ft the poor condition of the surface made immediate repairs necessary. While they are inprogress only 5,250ft are available, sufficient for some piston engined airliners but inadequate for Aerolineas Argentinas orBOAC Comets. Calling a meeting of all the carriers using the airport, theBrazilian authorities proposed four different plans. If all operators and the Brazilian Air Force were prepared to move to Santa CruzAirport—about two hours' drive from the capital—repair and lengthening of the runway could be completed by April 15. Thisplan was favoured by BOAC, Aerolineas Argentinas, PanAm, Undergoing a major overhaul by American Airlines after 2,130 hours' service with their fleet is the Boeing 707 flagship. Excluding work done in the accessory and supporting shops, 1J44 operations were carried out in just under 13,100 man-hours—about 12 per cent more than forecast Varig (who have recently started Caravelle operations) and Trans-continental. The second suggestion was that Galeao should remain open to piston-engined traffic but exclude jets until at leastJune 15. The third and fourth proposals involved different arrangements with the Brazilian Air Force. i Not unnaturally, Panair do Brasil strongly resisted any sug-gestion that they should move from Galeao to Santa Cruz, as all their base maintenance is done at Galeao and to move out"would mean a virtual suspension of operations." Also, Panair Seen installed on a PanAm 707 at Renton, Washington, is the ground jet-noise suppressor manufactured by the Industrial Acoustics Com- pany of New York. Unlike most other types of ground suppressor, it is mounted directly to the engine should receive their first DC-8s in June, but as these will probably not now arrive until October it has been widely suggested by competitive carriers who may have to leave Galeao that if they go the impetus to complete the extensions before the big jets arrived might be lost. By Christmas a final decision had not been reached, but it seemsprobable that Galeao will be closed to jets and to BOAC's new service for some months at least. On one of the three SouthAmerican proving flights the Comet night-stopped at Santa Cruz, where staff to handle it had gained access only an hour before.Facilities were quite inadequate; and, with Customs, immigra- tion and baggage handling for 60 people all being conducted in asmall room, something very close to chaos resulted. Moreover, the Brazilian bus drivers lost their way on the two-hour drive backinto the city. It seems certain that for some months at least BOAC willabandon its traffic stop at Rio de Janeiro in favour of the more satisfactory arrangements at Sao Paulo. SAA ARE UNEASY THE first uneasy rumblings of concern in South Africa aboutthe traffic the national airline must find for its three Boeing 707 s have become intensified now that introduction of economy-class fares is confirmed for October; to break even, SAA will have to cover operational costs of about £500 an hour. Amongthe dozen airlines using Jan Smuts the largest piston-engined aircraft carry about 50 passengers, and the South African Bureauof Census and Statistics has given a similar number per flight on the Johannesburg - London route. But over an average year itwas calculated that end-to-end travellers numbered only 33 per flight. Last March the South African Minister of Transport toldParliament that the Comet had been discarded because of range, speed and carrying capacity. Now it is Boeing capacity, acorrespondent writes, that is a worry to the Minister and to South African Airways. THE AIRLINES' SHOPPING LIST ON page 56 appears the seventh of Flight's air transport shop-ping lists. Military, government and executive orders are included but options are not. Since the list was last published onApril 17,1959, it has had to be substantially revised. Among new aircraft included for the first time are the Canadair CL-44-D-4,for which orders have been placed by Flying Tiger and Seaboard and Western and for which an order by Slick is in prospect; theAvro 748, still with a slender order-book but with a satisfying arrangement for construction overseas; and the Handley PageDart Herald, which appears on the list for the first time since
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