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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0455.PDF
PLIGHT, 1 April I960 455 \VILL BRITAIN STILL GO IT ALONE? 4 MONG the questions posed last week in our review of theI*- new IATA fares for 1960-61 were: Is it still Government policy that, to quote the Minister, "moves on the cabotage frontcsnnot be ruled out if we fail to get material reductions through I/lTA"? Does the Minister consider that the reductions recom-mended by IATA are, in fact, "material"? If so, does he now "rale out moves on the cabotage front," moves which he hasapproved at levels 10-20 per cent below the present lowest IATA fares? Just after last week's Flight went to press, BOAC issued a state-ment summarizing the implications of the new fare agreements for the corporation. The most notable aspect of this statement wasthe absence of any mention of cabotage fares. Asked to quote the fares that will be available on BOAC's cabotage routes [fromLondon to Aden, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Kingston, Nairobi, Nassau, Salisbury, Singapore, Trinidad], a spokesman for thecorporation declined to comment. A decision on whether the UK will take advantage of its rightsto undercut the IATA fare structure on its sovereign routes has still to be announced. Having used these rights as a lever to priselower fares out of IATA (which at the eleventh hour the Associa- tion agreed at the specially convened IATA meeting in Paris), thequestions posed above are obviously extremely delicate, though an answer cannot be long delayed. In the Commons earlier thisweek the Minister said he expected to make a statement [believed to be next Monday] dealing with international and—significantly—cabotage fares. It is also being asked by the British communities in Salisburyand Nairobi, and their relatives and associated business interests in the UK, whether these territories will be able to enjoy theadvantages of the special "16 per cent off" IATA fare to be made available between the UK and South Africa. BOAC have given a few examples of the IATA reductions.It was known when last week's issue of Flight went to press that the cuts will be 6-10 per cent below tourist on the easternroutes, the fare being designated—disenchantingly—economy class. The new BOAC "economy" fare from London to Rangoonwill be £179, a reduction of just over 8j per cent on today's fare. The London - Tokyo economy fare will be £242, a reduction ofnot quite 6 per cent. The London - Sydney economy fare will be £248, a reduction of 6 per cent. On the Caribbean route, on which it was said by IATA thateconomy class reductions of "up to 16 per cent" will be offered, BOAC quote a fare of £156 2s to Caracas—a reduction of lessthan 1 per cent (though on propeller aircraft the cut will be nearly 9 per cent). Footnote: One area not resolved by the Paris conference was thePacific. A spokesman for PanAm says that there is "very little likeli- hood of a fares war on these routes. . . . The chances are that thecompanies will get together by the end of March to work out at least a temporary agreement for themselves." The airlines principallyinvolved are PanAm, Northwest and Japan Air Lines. The main point of dispute is understood to be economy-class seat pitch: PanAm andJAL want it to be the same as everywhere else, 34in, though Northwest "has some other ideas." PROTEUS MILLIONAIRE A MILLION flying hours have now been logged by the **• Proteus, which has been in service as the Britannia power- plant for three years. This little historic occasion has prompted Bristol Siddeley to summarize the work and whereabouts of the Proteus family: — Proteus 70S (3,900 e.h.p.). Powerplant of the BOAC Britannia 102 First air-to-air picture of the Allison Convair turboprop conversion which is now entering the market pioneered by the Convair/Canadair 540 (Napier Elands). Powered by Allison 501-D13s and first flown on January 19, five have been ordered (plus an option on ten) by Lake Central for service in the late summer, and 11 executive versions have been bought also. Powerplant is that of the Electro fleet. A number of 705s have successfully completed trials to an over-haul life of 2,400hr, clearance for which is expected "in the near future." Proteus 755 (4,160 e.h.p.). Powerplant of the 300- and 310-seriesBritannias which went into service in December 1959. It was succeeded by the. . . . Proteus 760 of improved fuel consumption. Variants of the 760 are:—Proteus 761 (4,175 e.h.p.). In operation with BOAC, El Al, CPAL and (on charter from BOAC) CAA, EAA, Ghana Airways and NigerianAirways. Proteus 762 (4,350 e.h.p.). This is the "hot and high" developmentof higher take-off power but with the same cruising power as the 761. It is operated by Aeronaves de Mexico, Air Charter and Trans-continental SA. Proteus 765 (4,445 e.h.p.). This is the current production engine, andis the version operated by Cubana. Proteus 255 This is the RAF Transport Command version of theProteus 757, which powers the Britannias of British and Common- wealth (Hunting-Clan). THE 12-HOUR JOURNEY BY AIR M2T This is one of the graphs screened by Sir George Edwards of Vickers in his recent address to engineering graduates ("Flight" last week, page 396). The distance a man has been able to travel in 12 hours over the years produces, when plotted on a log scale, a remarkably straight line compared with the curve above; and on a "fair extra- polation" of this line lies a Mach 2.2 transport timed for 1971-72 EUROCONTROL PRESSES ON LAST week saw the twelfth meeting of the Eurocontrol Technical•* Working Group in London under the chairmanship of Capt V. A. M. Hunt, director of Control and Navigation, Develop-ment and Planning, Ministry of Aviation. Eurocontrol has been proposed by the six common market countries and by Britainto work out a plan for the control of traffic in the upper airspace (not the lower levels) from a common centre. The working groupis considering the technical aspects and has spent the week inves- tigating various proposals for equipment. Among those putforward by a number of companies was one by Ferranti for a fast variable-programme computer and associated equipment beingdeveloped experimentally for the Oceanic Area Traffic Control Centre at Prestwick. Ferranti are also among more than ten British companies thathave tendered for a contract for experimental semi-automatic traffic control equipment which is to be set up near London byMarch 1962. The Dutch Signaal company, manufacturers of the SATCO system, has also been prominent in these negotiations.No firm decisions have yet been taken in connection with Eurocontrol equipment and many political questions have first tobe settled. The location of the common control centre, for example, has not yet been fixed, but some progress may be madewhen a draft convention is proposed at a meeting of the directors of civil aviation to be held later in the spring. ALMOST IRRESISTIBLE , : ; .S AMONG the inducements offered by US manufacturers to• Sheikh Najib Alamuddin, chairman of MEA, was an under- taking to buy MEA's seven Viscounts at their original book value,and to extend eight years' credit for new US equipment at an interest rate of six per cent. This is reported by the Beirut corre-spondent of the Sunday Times. MEA have now confirmed an order for four Comet 4Cs. Among the other proposals made by US manufacturers, it issaid (the source was the Sheikh), was for another operator to run MEA's routes, to pay all costs and to give MEA 12 per cent ofthe gross revenue over a period of eight years. After this all aircraft, equipment and premises would become MEA's absoluteproperty. One US manufacturer guaranteed delivery of major components within 96hr of receipt of order and promised toestablish an over-the-counter spares service in Beirut. According to the Sheikh, both Lockheed and Boeing madeoffers "so attractive as to be almost irresistible."
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