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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0369.PDF
FLIGHT, 23 March 1961 "Each company must de- cide . .. uf>on the number of seats and the degree of luxury required." Left, pilots' and passengers' seats in the Piper Aztec and, right, a pair of executive seats in a de Havilland Dove 8 Type A B C DJ EJFt GJ No of engines 1 1 2 2 2 2 4 3-4 4 4-5 4 5 5 8 Cruise speed (m.p.h.) 130 165 160 205 200170 175 Max. range (st mi) 760 1,100 1,200 1.450 1,000875 1,550 Range at which allseats can be used * (st mi) 500 570 1,200 1,050 1,000 875 1,400 Total weight(Ib) 2,400 2,900 3,800 4,830 7.700 8,950 13,500 Equipped price ,newt (£) 7,000 12,000 25,000 35,000 70,000 52,000 70,000 * 1651b 4- 201b baggage per passenger, t Radio and navigation equipment included. t Professionally flown, pilot not included in passenger seat figures. While these costs are for new aircraft, good second-hand onesare often obtainable at substantially lower prices. Revenue allowances on first cost are substantial. There is aninvestment allowance of 20 per cent, an initial allowance of 10 per cent, and 20 per cent is allowed on depreciation. Depending uponmaintenance arrangements, probably not more than 10-15 per cent of first cost need in any case be allowed for spares. Operating costsdepend ultimately on flying hours and hence upon the spread of fixed costs. The examples given below are for the aircraft in thetable above utilized at 600hr per annum. Fixed Annual Costs (£) Depreciation (10 per cent p.a.) Insurance Pilot Hangarage CofA Landing card Total (£) Cost per hour (£) Hourly Direct Costs (£) Fuel (inc. UK duty and oil) ... Airframe maintenance Engines and prop maintenance Landings Cost per hour (£) Total hourly operating costs (£) Block speed (m.p.h.) Cost per mile (pence) Cost per passenger mile (all seats "occupied) (pence) •iiles per annum Cost per annum (£) A 700 455 107 60 8 1,330 2.21 1.8 0.7 0.5 3.0 5.21 120 10.5 3.5 72,000 3,100 Category B 1,200 720 1 10 85 10 2.125 3.54 2.51 0.82 0.75 4.08 7.62 165 3 99,000 4,600 of Aircraft D 3,500 2.275 2,040 no 375 8,300 13.83 4.68 1.05 1.5 1.5 8.73 22.56 205 26 6.5 123,000 13,500 E 7.000 2.993 2.170 337 12,500 20.68 6.92 2.0 2.4 2.4 14.32 35.00 200 42 8.5 120,000 21,000 NOTE: The above figures^include UK duty on fuel. Hourly fuel costs are approxi- mately halved for external flights. Thus, if full use is made of the available seats, costs per passengermile range between, say, 3d and 9d. Typical seat-mile costs for first-class travel by other means are: LJK. internal air services5d-6d; rail 3£d-4d; short-haul international air services, lid; and long-haul international air services, 8d-10d Finding the Right Aeroplane Selection of the right type of aircraftis fundamental to successful operation. For this it is necessary to examine whether journeys are principally short-distance or longdistance, how many passengers normally travel together and whether there are special requirements in regard to internal layout. It isalso important to decide whether night and all-weather operation is necessary, and whether a single-engined or twin-engined aircraftis desirable or essential. The aircraft short-listed must be able to use all the desired airfieldsand it should be equipped to achieve the right intensity of opera- tion. It must be demonstrated that initial cost is within capitallimits imposed by the company, and that any particular type, taking the location of its base into account, will be easy to maintain. There is no doubt that a twin-engined aircraft gives greaterregularity and can be operated from properly equipped airfields under more adverse weather conditions than a single. But modernengines are so reliable that if lack of flexibility in unfavourable weather can be accepted, the right single-engined aircraft canprovide very good service. It is also often considerably cheaper to operate per seat-mile than twin-engined aircraft. It should be decided whether the aircraft will be operated by aqualified company executive or by a professional pilot. If staff will be required to fly in the aircraft then they should be assured of astandard of operation similar to that applied to the public air services; it must be certain that any company executive who fliesthe aircraft has adequate experience. Another simple but necessary operational control is the estab-lishment of weather minima suitable to the aircraft and the experi- ence of the pilot. There should be regular checks that the latter isadhering to these and that he is receiving practice in a Link trainer. From maintenance can arise the widest variations in operatingcosts, since it is upon this that safe and efficient operation of the aircraft is so dependent. If only one or two aircraft are involved, itis often more economic to subcontract major maintenance. The decision depends on the location of the base and the maintenancefacilities that are already available there. If maintenance facilities are offered by the aircraft manufacturer, it could well be convenientfor the operator to take advantage of them. Similarly an "over- the-counter" spares service offered by the manufacturer or by anapproved maintenance contractor, and the intensity and range of operation, also have a bearing on the maintenance decision. In practice the optimum combination of maintenance, reliabilityand economy is usually best achieved by using a professional aon- cern to organize maintenance, to negotiate contracts, and controlstandards and costs. Where the carriage of people is involved there can be no compromise with safety. Companies in need of a twin with six or more seats and space for comprehensive equipment may find that de Havil- land's new Dove 8 just fits the bill. It is one of the few small aircraft in which provision is made for a toilet
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