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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0879.PDF
FLIGHT, 29 June 1961 891 «*$' The first take-off, at a light weight of 54,0001b, was'.achieved in 300yd effectiveness of the controls and the first onset of buffeting. No fullstalls were attempted on this first flight. "Another preliminary investigation concerned the speed atwhich the aircraft will cruise. Data collected during the flight has yet to be fully analysed, but it is expected that the drag penalty ofthe new nose will amount to about 11-12 m.p.h. and that the aircraft will cruise at over 200 m.p.h. at 65,0001b weight. Maximumweight of the Carvair, at 73,0001b, is identical with that of the DC-4 and the structure is stressed to the same never-exceed speed of 250m.p.h. Weight penalty of the new nose and tail is about 1,500- 2,0001b, but, as a result of savings elsewhere, equipped weight isabout the same as that of the DC-4." A number of overseas airlines have already expressed interest inthe Carvair—a conversion of the DC-4 costing £150,000. The makers remark that this type of aircraft is not prone to fatiguetroubles and the work includes a thorough overhaul and minute inspsction of the airframe. Engines are P & W R-2000 TwinWasps. Of the ten Carvairs ordered by Channel Air Bridge the firstshould enter service this autumn. They will fly passengers (with a high degree of comfort, it is predicted) and cars from Southend tonew destinations deep within the Continent—Lyons, Strasbourg, Diisseldorf, Bremen, Basle and Geneva. Fares should again bereduced on Channel Air Bridge routes when Carvairs are in service JETS FOR MATS MATS, the Military Air Transport Service of the United StatesAir Force, is often half-humorously referred to as theworld's largest airline. That this underprivileged "airline" has been forced to operate without the benefits of jet aircraft haslong been a source of discomfiture to its members. Expression of their feelings over operating world-wide with a fleet of 996propeller-driven aircraft has been constant and bitter. By Depart- ment of Defense definition, the MATS mission is to provide"strategic airlift to move men, weapons, and materiel in accordance witfrjUS national strategy from one continent to another." TypicalUSAF criticism of their ability to carry out this role is evident in such open public pronouncements as "MATS is currently hamperedin its reaction time by lack of jet transport aircraft." While the desirability of modernizing MATS has been ths subjectof many discussions, no money was forthcoming until the Kennedy administration moved in. The new frontier took heed of the needand set the dollar wheels in motion to provide jets for MATS. By far the largest investment will be in the Lockheed C-141, now in thedesign stage, but in February of this year the USAF signed a contract with Boeing to provide 30 Boeing C-135A aircraft for"about 89 million dollars"; and the first aircraft was delivered on June 8. Dubbed the Stratolifter, the C-135 is derived from the KC-135tanker, of which about 460 are currently flying a refuelling role for the Strategic Air Command. The USAF is happy with itsKC-135s so there is little to do to change the tanker into a cargo carrier. In fact the first C-135 rolled down the tanker line atBoeing's Renton, Seattle, plant until it was decided to make a cargo carrier out of it. In fact, this first machine still has the fuselagebulge and window for a refuelling operator, and all C-135s have provision for the transfer-fuel tanks. All dimensions are the sameas thejtanker, a descendant of the original prototype "dash-80" 707 which first flew in July 1954. Internally, provision is made for a crew of six (three pilots,navigator, engineer and loadmaster) and for 126 seats or 44 litters and 56 walking patients. Comfort is not held a prime requisite,since soundproofing has been held to a minimum and of windows there are none. The expense for a design change involving windowsfor the troops overcame any desire to let the latter see where they were going. This is a chilling thoughton an-across-the-world mission and it is likely that the 126 souls transported - , this way will have little desire to stay inside once their destination is reached, even if it means going to war. The C-135 has a metal floor, with a cargo-pallet transfer plateabreast of the large loading door already fitted to the tanker version forward of the port leading edge. In this way, pallets can be swungup through the door and then right-angled down the fuselage. Payload capacity is billed by Boeing as 55,OO01b for a non-stopdistance of "more than 4,000 miles" or 35,OOOlb for "more than 5,000 miles." Boeing persistently claim a 600 m.p.h. capacity fortheir Stratolifter, but MATS is more conservative and refer to 460kt or 529 m.p.h., undoubtedly a realistic cruise speed at an averagecruise altitude of 35,000ft. MATS list "optimum payload" as 38,0001b and maximum payload as 89,0001b. MATS give the rangewith optimum payload as 3,200 n.m. (3,600 miles). Gross weight is 272,0001b. Aircraft manufacturers can sometimes be accusedof being over-optimistic in their presentation of performance figures, while the users have to face the realities of day-to-dayoperation. Production rate for the C-135 is given as two per month. Thefirst 15 are to be powered by the time-proven Pratt & Whitney J57-P59W, producing 13,7501b take-off thrust with water aug-mentation. The second production batch of 15 will use Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofans (JT3Ds in civil life), producing 17,0001btake-off thrust and giving an approximate 15-20 per cent improve- ment in efficiency over the J57. [As we go to press, $21m is ear-marked for TF33s to improve the first 15 aircraft—Ed.] MATS hopes are high for their initial order of 30 machines being expandedby an additional 20, to make 50 in all. This would absorb another $60m and, despite appearances to the contrary, such money doesnot come easily. In a comparison of performance capability between the propeller-driven MATS of today and the jets coming up, Lt-Gen Joe KeUy, MATS Commanding General, said: "Civilian jet aircraft of thisgeneral type [a reference to the 707] demonstrated their high efficiency on the UN Congo airlift by flying the round trip betweenEurope and the Congo in a single day—while the eleven-year-old C-124 Globemasters of MATS, allowing for refuelling stops andnecessary crew rests, required almost five days for missions of the same distance." The general sounded quite proud to be headingwhat would one day be the world's largest jet airline. "In fact, this first machine still has the fuselage bulge and window for a refuelling operator. . . ." The only jets previously delivered to MATS were the three VC-I37A 707-120) VIP transports, often used by the President and senior civil and military staff
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