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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0546.PDF
556 FLIGHT, 27 April 1961 The load-control centre at Kastrup, showing master keyboards being used to extract data from the Stantec Zebra computer (see col 2) - SYSTEM SURVEY The New King Radios AIRWORK SERVICES LTD and Vigors Aviation Ltd have jointlyacquired the sole United Kingdom distributorship for King Radio Corporation equipment which is now in production in the USA.The radios include a 90-channel crystal-controlled receiver/trans- mitter, a 100-channel VOR/1LS receiver, a combined version of thecommunications and navigation units, illustrated on this page, and a VOR converter and instrument unit. Glide-slope and markerreceivers are also being developed. The combined com/nav unit, VOR indicator, and 12V power supply together cost £788 inBritain, or £823 with 24V supply; and they are designed to FAA Technical Standard Order and should meet British Class 1 stan-dards. Furthermore, the com/nav unit occupies a panel cut-out of only 5in x 6Jin and is 8in deep; and the separately mounted powersupply measures 3^in x 3fin x 6jin. Compass card and needle, with to/from and "off" indicators, are incorporated in the VOR/ILS converter, which occupies a standard instrument cut-out and is 9Ln deep. King have prepared a special "European modification" whichwill allow the communications unit to cover the 117.9Mc/s to 126.9Mc/s band. Transmitter output is no less than 10W andVOR accuracy is ±2°. The nav receiver and converter alone cost £479 12s 7d in Britain and the receiver/transmitter alone £372 2s 8d.One communications unit is already installed in the Falco based at Yeadon and is reported to be giving excellent service. The new King Kl-IIO 90-channel receiver/transmitter and navi- gation receiver paired in a single panel-mounted unit Combined MF/VOR for Light Aircraft Now being developed by Halpins of Hampshire Ltd at Southamp-ton is the Aircraft Directional Accuracy System, which will present sensed bearings from both MF beacons and VOR on a 2^in cathode-ray tube. The equipment is being patented and it is hoped to market it in a few months' time for less than £200. Flight tests have beencarried out from Eastleigh in a Cessna and Mo A type approval has been requested. The main units, which are all miniaturized andcan be mounted separately in the aircraft, consist of a transistorized power unit, receiver and indicator and a special aerial system andcontrol unit. Efforts have initially been concentrated on ensuring accurate left/right and station passage indications for MF beacons,but VOR working using a Narco receiver has also been successfully tested. Cross-bearings can be taken; and station identification isgiven both aurally and visually. Equipment which will provide simple and accurate bearingsfrom both NDBs and VOR at relatively low cost should be of very great interest to private owners both in Britain and abroad. Radionavigation can certainly make a striking difference to operations in poor or marginal weather and can greatly increase regularity ofoperation, even off airways. Airlines Order British Transponders BOTH Air France and Air India have ordered Cossor SSR.1251radar transponders for their Boeing 707 fleets. BOAC had pre- viously ordered similar equipment. The secondary radar groundequipment recently delivered to London Airport by Cossor has Central processing equipment for the new load-control system at Kastrup, showing the Stantec Zebra computer in the middle background now passed its MoA acceptance tests and further evaluation iscontinuing. This gives Cossor, and Britain, something of a lead in civil transponder equipment; and ARINC has now issued Charac-teristic 532C to cover the compatible three-pulse and two-pulse side-lobe suppression systems now jointly adopted by the FAA andBritain. Transponders are already mandatory for civil aircraft flying over the USA at more than 25,000ft and similar regulationsmay apply over Europe soon. Load Control by Computer AT Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, SAS have put into operationthe electronic aircraft load-control system based on a Stantec Zebra computer and installed jointly by Standard Telephones andCables and its associate Standard Elektrik Lorenz of Stuttgart. The system, which cost £100,000, uses the computer to performcentral control, data storage and computations based on passenger and baggage-weight information derived from keyboard inputs ateach check-in desk. From this information it prints aircraft load sheets and load messages for each destination of every flightdeparting from Kastrup. Master keyboards are also located, as illustrated above, in the load-control centre. One advantage of the system is that it calculates very rapidly andaccurately the load and distribution of load for each type of air- craft, allowing additional revenue freight to be added wherecapacity remains. Basic aircraft data are inserted at the master keyboards, and load and seat-status reports as well as the sheetsare compiled in visual or printed form. Other advantages are that passengers can check-in at any desk for any flight, and that dataare collected instantaneously. Widely differing types of aircraft can be quickly dealt with and minimum human intervention leavesless chance of error. Results are available quickly and the equip- ment can be expanded. SAS already have an electronic seat-avail-ability system.
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