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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0641.PDF
FLIGHT, 6 May 1960 641 FLIGHT RECORDERS FOR THE ELECTRA? 1AST Tuesday was the final date when US airlines couldJ report to the FAA their views on that agency's proposal to make mandatory the installation of flight recorders in all turbine aircraft Flight, April 15). Until then, flight recorders had been mandatory installations in aircraft cruising above 25,OOOft, i.e., jet transports only. The FAA's proposal followed the mysterious disintegration of the Northwest Electra near Tell City last month, and the proposed rules would require flight recorders to be fitted in all Electras (and, presumably, Viscounts). Had flight recorders been fitted in, and recovered from, the Northwest Electra—and from the Braniff Electra which disintegrated last year—there is no doubt that the present investigation might have been simplified. In its scale, expense and intensity the Electra investigation is reminiscent of that to which the Comet 1 was subjected. The FAA proposal requires the fitting of an approved recorder capable of noting at least the five basic flight parameters—time, heading, airspeed, altitude and vertical g forces. They would have to be "installed and operating continuously during flight" in all turbine-powered transports of more than 12,5001b. [News oj an agreement for US marketing of a British flight recorder— Royston Instruments' Midas—appeared in last week's issue.] GOLDEN SUPERSONICS \MOST of the talk about supersonic airliners originates from the -•-"-•• aircraft manufacturers; it is unprecedented to hear of an airline beckoning on the supersonic age. Possibly Continental Airlines, the carrier concerned, enjoys the distinction of being the first in the world officially to express warm feelings for super- sonics. In his annual report for 1959, Robert Six, Continental's president, says: — "We definitely believe that supersonic transports will supplement ourpresent Boeing Golden Jet aircraft rather than replace them. We believe that our present jet aircraft will have a long and profitable service life.Supersonic aircraft will be relatively few in number, and their use by Continental will be limited to the longest haul routes where theirextremely high speed will be of great advantage to the travelling public in time savings. "Used in this manner, supersonic transports will be sound investmentsfor the nation's airlines. While each transport will cost some two and one-half times as much as our subsonic jets, productivity will be morethan three times greater. By 1967, we predict that supersonic airline transports will be flying Continental's passengers at a speed of Mach 3or about 2,000 miles per hour. Such aircraft can be built, and United States manufacturers are capable of building them now. Your companypresently has a team analysing designs of two manufacturers and is planning the many steps necessary to conduct supersonic operations.Our analyses show that such aircraft can be operated economically." BREVITIES Ekco Type El 60 weather radar is to be installed in the two AW AArgosies ordered by Trans Arabia Airways. Air Ceylon are to inaugurate their second international service, fromColombo to Canton and London, in October. Recently issued by the FAA is a Heliport Design Guide. It is publishedby the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Wash- ington 25, DC, price 30 cents. A new chairman of the CAB is shortly to be appointed by PresidentEisenhower. He is Whitney Gillilland, a lawyer, and he will replace James Durfee who is to become a federal claims court judge. Approval has been granted to Dan-Air for the operation of scheduledservices between Bristol and Liverpool and between Bristol and London (Gatwick) from April and October each year until October 31, 1966.The Bristol - London service will start this season on July 15. The Allison turboprop Convair received FAA certification for com-mercial service on April 22. This followed a 15-month evaluation pro- gramme and flight testing extending over 345hr. Certificated maximumtake-off weight is 53,2001b and at this weight minimum field length is 4,180ft. Orders have been placed for 16 aircraft. From June 1 there is to be a price increase of 5 per cent on allmodels of the Douglas DC-8. This follows an increase from May 1 of the price of all 707s and 720s, by amounts varying between 4 and 6 percent. Present price of the DC-8 is about $5m, and of the 707 not far short of $6m. Ten of the 11 passengers and the pilot of a Lineas AeropostalVenezolana DC-3 were killed on April 28 as a result of what was said to be the explosion of a bomb by a Russian citizen. The aircraft wason a scheduled flight between Caracas and Puerto Ayacucho and crashed near Calabozo in northern Venezuela. One passenger, the co-pilot andthe stewardess survived. An arrangement has been made between the Channel Air Bridgeand the Automobile Association by which cars or motor cycles involved in accidents or with major mechanical defects will be railed to theChannel Air Bridge continental termini and flown home to Southend. The AA say that with the opening of the longer range routes to Lyons,Strasbourg and Dusseldorf, for which the Air Bridge have applied, the scheme will be extended in scope and will be used for the majorityof cars returned to Britain by the AA under this scheme. For the first time in its history Trans-Australia carried a millionpassengers over a 12-month period. The millionth travelled on April 20. The first 11-18 has been delivered to Malev and was to start operationsbetween Budapest and Moscow on May 1. Ernest A. Cutrell, an authority on the all-weather operation of trans-port aircraft, has joined the staff of R. Dixon Speas Associates, Long Island, USA. A retirement on May 1 was that of Senior Captain First ClassEdward W. Jordan, OBE, manager of BEA Jersey flight for the past 12 years. The new manager is Captain Charles E. S. Riley, AFC. A three-acre training centre at Heston is to be constructed for BEAby Holland & Hannen and Cubitts (Great Britain). It will cost £jm and should be completed by September next year. Approval has been granted by the Ministry of Aviation to East AnglianFlying Services to operate between Ipswich, Southend, Rochester, Shoreham, Paris, until March 31, 1962. Asked in the Commons whether he would now allow the corporationto compete freely with the independents in the trooping business, the Minister, Mr Duncan Sandys, said, "I see no reason to change theexisting arrangements." Air Nautic has recently purchased a DC-2 at a reported price of£10,000. It will be used on services between Nice and Corsica. It was previously owned by Swissair, the South African charter companyPhoenix, and by Britavia. Recently published by the Boeing Airplane Company transportaviation market research and planning staff is Air Transport Fleets of the World, a summary listing aircraft now in use and on order by alltransport carriers. Up to April 23, when the Westland Heliport at Battersea, London, hadbeen in operation for a full year, the total number of movements recorded was 1,961. Total passenger movements were 2,385, and approximately12,0001b of freight was handled. The busiest day was Wednesday, April 20, when there were 42 helicopter movements. The busiest monthwas July 1959 with 356 movements, of which 138 were related to the Daily Mail air race. Otherwise the busiest month was September, with277 movements. Heaviest helicopter to be handled was the 33,0001b Westland Wessex, in June 1959. The percentage of military andMinistry-sponsored movements, 12 per cent during the first six months, rose to 34 per cent during the last six months. . of Pan American jet is which?
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