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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0886.PDF
898 FLIGHT, 29 June 1961 Correspondence The Editor of "Flight" is not necessarily in agreement with the viewsexpressed by correspondents in these columns. Names and addresses of writers, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. Flight-deck ManpowerW ITH reference to your news-item "TCA Pilots for BEA"(page 323, March 10): the facts given strengthen all con- victions that pilots in general want the "sacred ground" of theflight deck entirely to themselves. In the heavy four-engined aircraft of yesterday, the flight crewusually consisted of five—captain, first officer, navigation officer, radio officer and flight engineer, yet each of these last three special-ists have now been replaced by pilots. First, the radio officer vanished when the modern, easily operated radio came into use;then, with the introduction of instrument navaids, navigators were dispensed with. Now, of course, pilots have become flight engineers,and in this day of highly complex aeroplanes the obvious question of "How can they ?" arises. It is interesting to find what qualifications the flight engineer hasto possess prior to obtaining a flight licence. Usually a licensed aircraft engineer, he has completed a five-year apprenticeship inaircraft engineering, followed by perhaps three years in obtaining his airframe/engine licences. To become a flight engineer takes afurther three months' training, making the time from start of appren- ticeship to possession of a flight engineer's licence about eight-and-a-half years. Yet, in a short period of time a pilot is allowed to operate also as an engineer! No one will claim that flying an aeroplane is an easy job. Onthe contrary, with higher speeds and an even more crowded air- space than before, it is a highly complex job, requiring the utmostconcentration. Why then, not delegate the handling of engine, fuel, and electrical systems to an engineer, leaving the pilots to fly theaeroplane? Surely the years of training and experience of a special- ist cannot be absorbed by the pilots without increasing mentalfatigue during present-day operating schedules ? Of course, airline executives may say that having a flight engineerincreases operating costs; or perhaps that there are not enough flight engineers available. Taking the cost angle first, would theexpense of having a flight engineer be more than the pay increases which pilots are going to demand for acting as flight engineers any-way? Secondly, it would take perhaps twelve weeks to convert a licensed ground engineer to flight engineer, and there must be agood few personnel who would want to take this position on the flight deck. No doubt pilots and airline executives can give many reasonswhy these views are at fault. But, who knows, perhaps we shall yet see pilots acting as ground maintenance engineers also! Melbourne, Australia DAVID R. D. POTTS Falcon Airways' ConstellationsN EWS that Falcon Airways were to buy three Lockheed 0.49EConstellations (L.49E in their early designation) was briefly reported in Flight for December 9 last. At that time the transactiondepended on an import licence being approved by the Board of Trade. Happily this seems to have been granted without undue delay; thefirst of the trio (G-AMUP) went into service in March; the second (G-AHEL) is due to enter service as this letter is written. These82-seaters are to be used on long-range charter flights, including inclusive circular-tours on a world-wide basis, the majority of whichwill originate from outside the United Kingdom. Falcon are to be congratulated on an excellent choice of a well-proven and muchrespected type. Like many other Connies in service throughout the world, these aircraft should have many more years of profitableoperation ahead of them, and your readers may be interested in a brief history culled from my files. G-AMUP (CN.2051) started its career as N.90921 FlagshipLondon, American Overseas Airlines having purchased it new from the factory in mid-1946. In those days it was regularly seen atHum and later at Heathrow whilst operating on AOA's North Atlantic schedules. When AOA was absorbed into PanAm in 1951, Constellation 0.49E G-AMUP in the livery of its new owners, Falcon Airways (see letter below from Mr Dennis Powell) it was re-named Clipper Jupiter Rex and continued to fly withPanAm until January 9,1953, when it was sold to BOAC, becoming G-AMUP and again, of course, being re-named—this time asRMA Boston. It continued to operate on BOAC's North Atlantic schedules until the corporation decided to dispose of the whole oftheir seven L.49s to Capital Airlines in "part exchange" for the same number of Capital's L.749s. G-AMUP left London Airportfor the last time in BOAC colours on March 28, 1955, becoming N.2738A on the US Civil Register. All seven ex-BOAC L.49s, including the former RMA Boston,were extensively overhauled and given greatly modified cabin furnishings, etc. The seating configurations varied according tothe domestic flights on which these aircraft were employed with Capital. From mid-1958 onwards Capital's fleet of twelve L.49swere progressively withdrawn and at least six were put into storage. The prolonged negotiations which finally led to Capital beingabsorbed by United Airlines are now a matter of history. Finally, as a result of Falcon's negotiations, N.2738A was ferried from NewYork to London Airport on January 7 this year. It was then restored to the UK civil register, reverting to G-AMUP in accord-ance with normal ARB practice. In its 14 years of service this Connie has already logged 30,632 airframe hours, which worksout at an average of over 1,900 hours per annum. G-AHEL (CN.1977) was the sixteenth L.49 off the Burbankproduction lines, actually an original C-69 airframe modified to full civilian standards (in this case to BOAC's own specifications).It was ferried from Burbank to London on May 12,1946, and within a week or so went into service on the corporation's North Atlanticroute as RMA Bangor II (following the withdrawal of BOAC's famous old Boeing 314s, one of which was the original Bangor,G-AGCB). I remember Bangor II with some personal affection, havingflown in it on four occasions in 1948-50 whilst a member of BOAC's traffic staff, based at Prestwick. The aircraft went to Capital onJanuary 27,1955, becoming N.2736A on the US register, and arrived back in the UK (upon sale to Falcon) in February this year. In its14 years of service it has logged 30,186 airframe hours. G-AHEJ had the distinction of being the very first L.49 to bedelivered to BOAC: appropriately named Bristol II, it was delivered to the corporation's Montreal Engineering Base on April 26, 1946.Built as a C-69 airframe, it was actually allocated the USAAF Serial 42-94554 and was the fourteenth aircraft off the originalC-69 Burbank production line. During nine years' continuous service with BOAC it remained (like the five original sister-aircraftdelivered to the corporation) on the North Atlantic route. Bristol II (actually the "II" was later discarded from all threeaircraft names, so that they became simply Bristol, Bangor and Berwick) went to Capital on May 27, 1955, becoming N.2740A andremaining in that airline's service until early in 1959, when it was withdrawn from service and put into storage at Washington DC(National) Airport until finally sold to Falcon. It was ferried from Idlewild to London Airport in March this year. G-AHEJ's totalairframe hours to date are 31,974. I understand that, prior to their delivery to Falcon, all threeaircraft were extensively overhauled, though whether this was done in America or the UK I have been unable to verify. Nairobi, East Africa DENNIS POWELL Cinematic Conversions RECENTLY, I paid a visit to my local cinema, where the latestmotion picture on a mishap in the air was showing. Thetitle was Jet over the Atlantic. The story was, as usual, about the aircraft being brought down safely by the hero after the pilotcomes to grief. The landing was really spot-on, and this wasn't bad by a chapwho had never flown a Britannia before. The story was good; the acting fairly good; but the aircraft sequences were atrocious. Onthe tarmac, the aircraft was a Britannia. On take-off, it rapidly changed to a Stratocruiser and in the air changed back to a Britannia,but now with BOAC markings. On landing in the USA, it looked very much like a Viscount landing at London Airport. When will these motion picture directors get their data correct?It does so spoil a good film. London SW6 R. C. WILLIAMSON CORRESPONDENCE IN BRIEF Bjorn Johansson, who is 16 and interested in aviation and cars,writes from Finland to say he would like to correspond with an English boy of similar age and interests. His address is Borga, Kaptensgaten 8.Finland. G. L. Hope, who is 14, writes to say that he is interested in aircraft.is thinking of starting a club with some friends, and wonders if any readers could spare brochures, timetables, photographs or other avia-tion literature. His address is 107 Benhurst Avenue, Elm Park, Horn- church, Essex.
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