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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0539.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 April 1961 547 GUILD BANQUET (continued from page 526) two models and some representatives of the two airways corpora-tions. "The trouble that one of these aircraft is causing," he said amid laughter, "and the trouble that the other is about to causemakes me wonder whether the corporations wouldn't settle for a box of pipes any time." Sir George imagined that the Guild in 1929would have been "pretty shattered at the thought of shooting along at 1,500 m.p.h." He added, "in brackets," that the aircraft con-cerned would be British. From what he had seen of the Guild, and "the way they go on, they are a pretty responsible lot." He hopedthat the Guild would "never get mixed up with trade unionism.' Working committees had, he said, led the Guild into proposingunified ATC. Of its test-pilot members: "they are the only people in this business who risk their necks." As for Prince Philip,there was no doubt about his airmanship. "In my chequered career," he said, "1 have always thought it a good thing to haveanother career to fall back on," and the Duke could qualify as an airline pilot any time—but "happily 1 can't see any danger of ourbecoming a republic." Sir George then deplored "misinformed newspaper criticism" of the way the Duke uses the air—criticismswhich could not be answered. In reply, the Duke of Edinburgh declared that Sir George hadmade his kind remarks "entirely of his own free will, even though I am Grand Master." The Mayor also had said some kind thingsabout him—"it seems such a pity he has already been elected." While airline passengers diligently worked their way through mealsand snacks, "no doubt designed to show that one airline was better than another,'" and while the pilots and navigators were wrestlingwith the controls, this banquet showed that pilots and navigators did eat and drink. Aviation, to coin a phrase, was going places—"though it isn't always clear to which place it is going." So far as the aircraft industry and its mergers were concerned, "it must takea little adjustment to have your left heel grafted on to your right ear." As for the corporations, it appeared that "all sorts of peopleare trying to pinch the growth of both corporations' traffic." But, he said, "I can appreciate the point of view of both sides." The Master, Dr K. G. Bergin, proposing the guests, expressedhis appreciation of Sir Miles Thomas, who replied to the toast. Sir Miles, the former chairman of BO AC, thought that Britishaviation owed a lot to its wives, all of whom had obviously been carefully selected. He had also, he said, made a design for a tie forex-chairmen of BOAC—"two hardened arteries on a field of frustration." Here is the British United Whirlwind which, as reported last week (page 461) flew from Redhill to West India Dock for shipment to Trinidad, where it is to work under contract to the Dominion Oil Co. The pilot was Mr A. £. Bristow, executive director of BUA's helicopter division AUSTRALIAN FLIGHT RECORDERS AS a sequel to the TAA accident last year in which a Friendshipcrashed into the sea off Mackay, Queensland, flight recorders are to be installed in all Australian airliners. These will provide apermanent record not only of instrument readings but of cockpit conversations. The board which investigated the accident was unable to reachany firm conclusion as to the cause. They recommended the instal- lation of flight recorders. Announcing this as a mandatory requirement, Australia'sMinister of Civil Aviation, Senator Paltridge, said that the recorders would have a device to erase automatically all recordings of cockpitconversations at the end of a successful flight. No date for installa- tion has yet been set and the type of equipment to be used has stillto be agreed between the airlines and Australia's aeronautical research laboratories. Another result of the accident is that stan-dard visual descent procedures are to be developed by the airlines and the Department of Civil Aviation. The Friendship staticsystem is also to be modified. The first kits will become available in May and all Friendships operating in Australia should be modifiedby August. BREVITIES A DC-3 of the Chilean airline LAN was reported missing on April 4on a flight from Punta Arenas. Chile, to Santiago. There were 24 passengers on board. Replying to a question in the Commons on April 11. Mr Thorneycroft.Minister of Aviation, said that expenditure on London Gatwick up to December 1960 was £8m. Just appointed sales manager in the UK for Trans-Australia Airlinesis Mr J. B. G. Hulton, He takes up his new appointment on May 1. Mr Hulton has been with TAA since its inception in 1947. Mr H. P. Snelling, formerly general manager (commercial) of Sky-ways, has been appointed general manager. Bermuda and Nassau, for Cunard Eagle Airways (Bermuda) Ltd. He takes up his new post onMay 1. The recent jet airliner price increases announced by Boeing applyonly to the 720B and 707-120B versions, and the increases range from 4.7 to 7.5 per cent. These come into effect on May 1. The prices ofother Boeing 707s and also the 727 ($4.25m) are not affected. BOAC's insurance problem has now been resolved. The jet fleet ofComets and 707s, and passenger risks, continue to be carried, as before, by the London market. BOAC say that a satisfactory agreement hasbeen reached with their brokers. The remainder of the fleet, the Brit- annias and DC-7Cs, will now be carried at the corporation's own risk. According to provisional estimates just published by the Ministry ofAviation, UK airline traffic in February 1961 shows a sharp drop in load factor on scheduled and inclusive tour services, from 57 to 52 per cent.Capacity increased by 27 per cent whilst traffic load ton-miles went up by 16.7 per cent. May 1 is the date on which IATA will meet to try again to reachagreement on new North Atlantic cargo rates. The meeting will take place in Montreal, with Mr H. B. Renwick of CPAL presiding. Thethreatened rate-war that was to have broken out on April 10 was, as already reported, averted by an agreement extending existing rates untilJune 30. Cathay Pacific announce that they have opened a sales office inLondon at Dunster House, 17-19 Mark Lane, London, EC3. The Hong Kong airline also announces that its two Lockheed Electras havebeen returned by Lockheed after modifications. (A recent note in these pages to the effect that Cathay Pacific has decided to purchaseBoeing 720s is not, we are informed, correct.) On May 1, two years after the inauguration of BEA-Aeroflot servicesbetween Moscow and London, each carrier will increase the frequency of its jet services to three round-trips per week each. TWA earned a net profit of more than £2.3m in 1960 on total revenuesof nearly £118m. This compares with a profit in 1959 of £3im. TWA's international operations made a profit in I960, though domestic opera-tions lost. According to Interavia, the president of Austrian Airlines, Dr JosephKoller, has said that his company will order medium-haul jets to take over Viscount routes. The choice, it is said, is expected to be theCaravelle. Boeing announce a new order for the 720 from Pacific NorthernAirlines of Seattle, Washington. The airline has purchased two for delivery in the spring of next year. This brings the total number ofBoeing 707/720 jet airliners on order to 274. IATA's symposium on supersonic aircraft began in Montreal onApril 17, with Mr. R. V. Carleton, of Braniff Airways, as chairman of the technical conference. Mr Jack Dyment of TCA was chairman ofthe symposium, with Mr Clifford Jackson of BOAC as vice-chairman. BEA's total capacity this summer on international and domesticroutes will be carried as follows (percentages): Comets, 25; Vanguards. 13; Viscounts, 60; chartered etc, 2. By next winter Comets and Van-guards will each be providing about 30 per cent of the corporation's total seat-miles. A successor has been found by IATA for Mr John Brancker. whoresigned as traffic director last summer after a difference of opinion with the director-general. Sir William Hildred. The new man is MrH. Don Reynolds, assistant vice-president and formerly general traffic manager of American Airlines. He has left American Airlines and tookup his new post on April 17. The recent amendment of BOAC's US foreign carrier permit makingPhiladelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Boston transatlantic terminals gives BOAC the right to operate from these points, as well as from NewYork, to Bermuda. However, permission is not granted for Phila- delphia, Baltimore, Washington and Boston to be linked directly withthe Bahamas or Jamaica. Meanwhile the CAB Examiner recommends that BOAC be permitted to extend its New York - Bahamas route toLima and Santiago via Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.
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