FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0189.PDF
FLIGHT, 5 February 1960 189 a number of different civil or military Mach 3 configurations.A I-ockheed paper read before the meeting recalled that over a year ago the company had said that a supersonic transport couldhe available as early as 1965, though this date had, in the absence nf any go-ahead, slipped somewhat. In their view a 250,0001b;teel Mach 3 transport might cost more than £57m to develop, whilst a 500,0001b aeroplane could run as high as £75m. Theinitial cost of a Mach 3 250,0001b transport would be about £4m, and 500,0001b transports about £7m each. In the supersonictransport the US had an opportunity to demonstrate to the world its technological leadership over the Soviet Union. In their opinionthe Government would be justified in supporting it simply for national prestige reasons, not to mention all the others. TheLockheed paper added that the US could move into production if die airlines of America would pool resources, and it was possibletoo that one, two or more manufacturers could combine forces to develop the aircraft. SOUTH AMERICAN ROUND TABLE IT was to be expected that the personal presence of the Ministerof Aviation on the inaugural BOAC Comet flight to SouthAmerica would be available to smooth the airline's political passage. And less than a week after his arrival he was already delayed inBuenos Aires for discussions with the Argentine Government. Argentine restriction on sector traffic carried by foreign carriersbetween Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil was imposed a year ago and as BOAC were not then operating it could mean that thecorporation are legally not permitted to uplift any South American sector traffic at all. Since this was a unilateral decree, Mr Sandystakes the view that the recently renewed Anglo-Argentine air services agreement of 1946 still stands. Another country with which the minister will be holding dis-cussions is Brazil, whose Ministry of Aeronautics has recently established quotas for all the carriers on the South Atlantic route.BOAC's Fifth Freedom rights are threatened with reduction to one service a week. While this is claimed to have been done to preventa repetition of the tariff war, it has also been suggested that these restrictions are designed to protect the national carrier, Panairdo Brasil. Another matter under discussion is the pool agreement betweenAerolineas Argentinas and BOAC on which, says Sir Gerard d'Erlanger1, discussions started two years ago. The Argentine carrier apparently wishes to exclude the stages within SouthAmerica and to restrict the arrangement to South Atlantic traffic from London only. S-61 v. VERTOL 107 - LIKE BEA's, New York Airways' choice of a 25-passenger twin-' turbine helicopter lay between the Vertol 107 (T-58) and the Sikorsky S-61 (T-58). The two other leading US helicoptercarriers had already decided upon the S-61: Los Angeles Airways placed an order for five last October and Chicago HelicopterAirways ordered three of the triple T-58-6 version last June. Now the Vertol 107 has been chosen by NYA. NYA will introduce the first five of their order for ten intoservice in the spring of 1961, and all ten will be in operation by the end of 1963. By this time, if all goes well, New York Airwayswill be firmly committed to their provisional order for five Fairey Rotodynes.One of the factors influencing NYA in the choice of the Vertol was the "ability of NYA and Vertol engineers to devise a baggagecompartment that will greatly facilitate cargo handling and thus cut down ground time." Meanwhile it remains to be seen which ofthe two American helicopters is chosen by BEA. The president of NYA, Robert Cumrnings, is due to read apaper on his airline's helicopter operations today, February 5, before the RAeS Rotorcraft Section at 4 Hamilton Place, Wl. LAST OF BOAC'S ARGONAUTS ]y INETEEN of BOAC's 20 Canadair DC-4M Argonauts, intro-J-^l duced into service in August 1949, have now been sold. The last four have been bought by Overseas Aviation (Channel Islands)Ltd, who already own five. The original BOAC fleet of 20 Argonauts has been disposed ofas follows: EAA, 3; Overseas, 9; RRAF, 4; Aden Airways, 3. The remaining one is used by BOAC apprentices for practicaltraining. The value of Argonaut sales has not been quoted by BOAC. The corporation have also announced recently that theirtwo DH Doves have been sold to a private buyer; they were used for airborne classroom training. Footnote: Overseas Aviation (C. I.) Ltd are understood to havebeen studying the possibility of purchasing two of BOAC's DC-7Cs. BREVITIES The important "try-again" IATA traffic conference on fares is to beheld in Paris from Tuesday, February 23. The chairman will be V. H. L. Dubourcq, vice-president of KLM. Spokesmen for Airwork and Hunting-Clan could make no commentlast week on a Daily Express report that talks about a merger of the two groups were "nearing settlement." The projected development of the VC10, the "Super VC10" with afuselage stretched by 30ft and with accommodation for up to 200 pas- sengers, is likely to be ordered by BOAC, according to a report in lastTuesday's Times. The corporation may buy ten, in addition to its existing order for 35 VClOs, for transatlantic operation from 1965. Royal Air Maroc has exercised its option on a second Caravelle, bringing the total of firm orders to 61. Air France operated its first scheduled Boeing 707 service on theParis to New York route on January 31. Price of the Breguet 941 (four D.H. Gnomes), according to Americanreports, is tentatively put at about £250,000, with 40-48 seats. Two Electras have been bought by Transamerican AeronauticalCorporation who have plans to lease the aircraft. The order brings to 172 the number of Electras sold to 19 customers. The Scottish manager of BEA has announced that the corporationwill increase summer services on the London - Edinburgh route by 50 per cent and London - Glasgow service by 30 per cent in 1960. The board of Eagle Overseas Airways has been joined by F. A. Burden,MP. Eagle Overseas Airways was formed on December 11, 1957, to ' fulfil the function of a development and study company for the group." Lufthansa have now signed a contract for four Boeing 720B (JT3Dturbofans) and have placed an order for a fifth 707-420 (Conways). As previously reported, Air-India have ordered another 707-420—theirfourth—and sales of all 707 variants now amount to 204 of which 90 : nave been delivered. i The 47th market report issued by Aircraft Exchange includes ansorter to lease a Britannia 318 at $65,000 (about £23,000) per month. I he Britannia 318 is the version supplied to Cubana, who own a fleetof four. Northwest have become the 100th member of the Exchange. A joint Turkish-Scandinavian inquiry into the SAS Caravelle disasternear Ankara on January 19, causing the loss of 42 lives, states that the aircraft was flying too low, but for a reason as yet unknown. The inves-tigation has ascertained that there was no mid-air explosion, and that n° blame could be put on the Turkish ground staff, nor had there been any failure of airport equipment or communications. A party of BEA directors and executives, including the chief executiveAnthony Milward, flew in the Dart Herald from Northolt on January 28. Douglas announce that the JT4 version of the DC-8 has been certifi-cated by the FAA. Deliveries are now being made to Eastern, United and National. Load factor achieved in December 1959 by the 12 US domestic trunkcarriers was 58.4 compared with 66.9 in December 1958 when jet capacity was in short supply. The de Havilland Heron which was missing on January 27 on a flightfrom Darwin to Portuguese Timor was CR-TAI, operated by Trans- portes Aereos de Timor. There were seven passengers and a crew oftwo on board. Sabena are negotiating with Air France for the lease of threeCaravelle 3s during the winter of 1960-61 for their European and Middle East routes. Delivery of the first of Sabena's four Caravelle 6s will bemade in February 1961. Of the 11 American Airlines' DC-7Bs being converted to DC-7Fs byDouglas, six have been delivered. The first went into operation last October. The first of six DC-7Fs being converted by Douglas forUnited will be put into service in March. The latest move towards solving the jet noise problem at Los AngelesInternational is to move the threshold of the main instrument runway some 600ft farther west. This will call for new approach lighting ata cost of about £12,500. It means, in effect, a reduction in runway length. The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive calling for inspectionsfor daily and 125hr inspections for cracks near the outboard elevator hinges on all Fairchild F-27s. Cracks found on nine aircraft have beendealt with by a Fairchild repair programme. If cracks are discovered the aircraft must not fly until they have been repaired. The chairman of BWIA, H. O. B. Wooding, has been in the USvisiting Boeing, Lockheed, Douglas and Convair. American reports say that BWIA wants jets for operation to New York and London by mid1961. This is the first public indication that this BOAC associate, which has hitherto had its aircraft bought for it by BOAC, is shopping forits own equipment. As from March 6 Qantas will increase jet services on the Pacific tofive per week. This will give Qantas five jet services a week each way on the Pacific and three each way on the Kangaroo Route throughIndia to London "carrying at least 90 passengers at a time," says the chief executive, C. O. Turner. "This 707 pattern will enable Qantas tofly almost 6,000 passengers each month into and out of Australia." A further 2,400 seats per month will be added by BOAC's Comet 4s.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
