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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0179.PDF
PLIGHT, 10 February 1961 179 19V/" and 1958 shows that there were 101 total losses in that period, anj that 19.6 million hours were flown. On average, therefore,an aircraft was destroyed every 200,000 flying hours. So, on this bas>-. nve 'et tota' l°sses would so far be in keeping with thegeneral pattern. However, a large part of the million jet hours floors so far has been accumulated by Boeing 707s and DouglasDC-Ss, which are essentially long-range aircraft; and one could argue that since IATA routes and aircraft types are so varied itwouid be more appropriate to compare (or to forecast) the jet results on the basis of the experience of typical long-range aircraftsucii as the DC-6/7 and the Super Constellation. Figures extracted from ICAO published material show that during the same three-year period (1956-1958)* Douglas DC-6/7s and Lockheed Super Constellations (including 1649s) flew over seven million hours.The number of aircraft destroyed of these types during this period was 23, i.e., an average of one approximately every 300,000 flyinghours. This suggests that the jets might well be expected to have a total loss rate better than the average IATA carrier and, there-fore, perhaps three or four total losses might be expected in the first million hours. As Table 3 shows, nine jet airliners have in fact been destroyedso far. Four of these accidents occurred on pissenger services, the other five on training flights. (All the flying-hour figuresgiven in this article are total hours, i.e., revenue plus non-revenue, and the total loss figures are similarly comprehensive.) In addi- TABLE 3: JET AIRLINER TOTAL LOSSES Date 15. 8.59 27. 8.59 19.10.59 19. 1.60 20. 2.60 23. 5.60 16.12.60 19. 1.61 28. 1.61 Operator and Aircraft American Airlines Boeing 707 Aerolineas Argentines Comet 4 Braniff/Boeing Boeing 707 SAS CaraveMe Aerolineas Argentinas Comet 4 Delta Airlines Convair 880 United Airlines DC-8 Aeronaves de Mexico DC-8 American Airlines Boeing 707 Location Grumman Field, Long Island Nr. Asuncion, Paraguay Nr. Everett, Washington Nr. Ankara, Turkey Ezeiza, B.A. Atlanta City New York IdlewMd. New York Off Long Island Circumstances Crashed on approach during training flight. Crashed several miles short of runway on approach. Three engines torn ofi while on training and acceptance flight. Struck hill on scheduled passenger service. Crashed on landing while on training exercise. Crashed on take-off on training flight. Mid-air collision. Take-off accident. Cras h ed during train- ing flight. tion to the total losses, about 15 jet airliners have been substantiallydamaged since the second jet era started in October 1958. A large majority of these accidents occurred on landing.The two million jet-hour mark may well be reached before the end of 1961 (possibly two or three months before the end), andit will be interesting to see if the second million reveals any significant changes in the accident pattern of the jets. The record sc far suggests that jet airliners are being destroyedat roughly twice the rate at which the conventional airliners were *1959 and 1960 figures are not yet available. being uesuoycu pci i00,000 flying hours. It is, however, earlydays yet, and there is some reason to suppose that the record may improve because of the relatively large number of training acci-dents in the figures so far. Even if the trend does not improve, one can take comfort from the present indications that passengersurvival chances are good in these ruggedly constructed aircraft. THIS YEAR'S FARNBOROUGH ARMY aircraft will take part in an SBAC Show for the first•'*• time this year, when the annual flying display and exhibition is held at Farnborough from September 4 to 10. The Society havealso announced that the Royal Navy, in addition to the RAF, will be taking part.Already, applications for 15 more stands than in 1960 have been received, so the exhibition building is being enlarged by anadditional 5,000 sq ft to a total of 130,400 sq ft. The demand for enclosure sites has also gone up, applications for 161 sites havingbeen received—eleven more than in 1960. INDIAN AIRMAIL JUBILEE A FLIGHT from Allahabad to Naini in February 1911, when* airmail was carried for the first time in India, will be re- enacted next month as part of the First Aerial Post golden jubileecelebrations. The flight was made by a Frenchman, M Piquet, in a Humber aircraft; its re-enactment (though with a less historicttiachine) will take place on the original date, February 18. For the celebrations, the Posts and Telegraphs Department,New Delhi, are issuing two postage stamps. One design shows M Piquet's aircraft and the other a Boeing 707. TRIBUTE TO A BUSH PILOT A VETERAN Australian bush pilot, 68-year-old TommyMcDonald, has had the unusual distinction of seeing a memorial to himself unveiled. The ceremony was at Cairns,North Queensland, and the memorial—described as "a six-foot- high bronze profile"—has been sponsored by the Cairns Chamberof Commerce. Writing of McDonald's achievements, a correspondent saysthat in 37 years of piloting light aircraft in North Queensland he has saved 67 lives as an unofficial "air ambulanceman; and hasbrought off over 60 forced landings without killing a single passenger. He once ran a Queensland bush airline; and whenever oneof his seven pilots crashed he would take off for the rescue with a doctor and a bottle of whisky. Standard equipment in his aircraftincluded an axe and a mattock, for clearing the ground for take- off after landings in lonely spots. McDonald became a pilot in 1923, to fly his own jewellerystock from Sydney, claiming that commercial travellers brought only inferior goods to North Queensland. He has now returnedto his jewellery business and the last of the aircraft he owned is being preserved in a hangar at the Cairns airport as a piece oflocal history.
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