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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1004.PDF
104 FLIGHT, 20 July 1961 AIR COMMERCE . . . A new picture taken recently at Warsaw Okecie Airport of one of LOT's llyushin Il-I8s. A "Flight" staff member recently visited the airline, and we hope to publish his report in an early issue NAC LOOKS BACK ALTHOUGH it may appear a little late to be reviewing theannual report of an airline which closed its accounts as long ago as March 1960, when that airline happens to be New Zealand'sNational Airways Corporation the exercise is well worth while, for these Antipodean accounts are rare visitors to Britain's shores. The corporation is one of those unfortunate airlines whoseeconomic health hangs on that precarious balance known as a high load factor: in the case of NAC anything less than 75 percent is cause for anxiety. In 1959-60 the achieved factor fell to 72 per cent and the airline only just scraped through with a scant£11,000 net profit on revenues of £4.3m. The misfortunes attending Wellington's new airport, Rongatai. also had a damaging effect onNAC's finances. Not only was the opening on a full-time basis delayed from early in the year until as late as November, but in thefirst month of full operation unusually adverse weather—"un- paralleled in the preceding 20 years"—severely disrupted servicesat a busy period. Traffic on routes operated by the corporation's three Viscounts(a fourth has now been delivered) showed the remarkable increase —over a third—which has become an accepted part of the Viscounttradition. But the bulk of the revenue was still earned bv NAC's fleet of twenty-six DC-3s. For a short-haul airline (average pas-senger haul, 262 miles), the fleet achieved remarkably high annual utilization rates (Viscounts, 2,400hr; DC-3s, over l,800hr). Theprincipal factor enabling these levels to be reached was the rela- tively even flow of traffic throughout the year. Instead of thedramatic summer peak/winter trough which is typical of so many airlines, a triple traffic-peak (May, August/September and January)is characteristic of NAC. This, of course, not only allows above- average utilization rates to be maintained, but also helps in keepingdown overheads generally. Another advantage enjoyed by NAC is its monopoly of domestictrunk services. It is this which allows the corporation to maintain its vital high load factors and also to depreciate its fleet atrelatively gentle rates. Although NAC carried as many as 650,000 passengers in 1959-60,it remained a surprisingly compact airline, with its route mileage standing at only 3.459 and its workforce at the year-end being lessthan 2,000. The main unit in the organization was the engineering and stores base at Christchurch, which employed 652. By contrast,the headquarters at Wellington employed only 161. The balance consisted of 226 aircrew and 884 other staff stationed at branchoffices and outstations through the two islands. BREVITIES A Curtiss CW-20T Commuter (C-46) of Transcontinental SA crashedat Buenos Aires on June 30. killing 21 of the 31 passengers and two of the four crew. The Ministry has decided to hand over to the airlines responsibilityfor apron-servicing at London Heathrow Central from April 1. This has been the practice at the North terminal for some years. As this issue goes to press it is announced by 1ATA that European fareswill go up five per cent on November 1. The last time there was a reduction in basic European fares was in 1953. Talks between America and Russia regarding New York-Moscow airservices are to open in Washington on July 18. The US delegation will include PanAm observers. A Tu-114, in a lhr 22min flight from Moscow Vnukovo on July 12.reached 12,535m (more than 41.000ft) with a payload of 3O.O35kg (over 66,0001b). The pilot was Capt Ivan Sukhomlin. A world recordis being claimed. New York Idlewild handled 2.820.649 inlernational passengers in1960. an increase or 18.2 per cent over 1959. The three New York airports together—Idlewild. La Guardia and Newark—handled13.320.558 passengers, an increase of only 1 per cent on the previous year's figure. The Minister of Aviation is soon to invite tenders for a new £750.000luxury hotel at Prestwick. Inleravia Air Letter reports that Sabena has placed a repeat order fortwo Boeing 7O7-329s, bringing their 707 fleet up to six, and that Air France is negotiating with Boeing for up to five Model 7O7-32OBs. The FAA has granted a provisional airworthiness certificate to theVertol 107. The first production aircraft, which flew on May 19, is undergoing FAA tests with two other pre-production 107s. Theprototype, which flew in 1958, is at present on its second tour of Western Europe. Maj Yuri Gagarin took the right-hand seat of the BEA Viscount(Capt Stanley Key) in which he flew last week from London to Man- chester. After the flight Capt Key said: "Maj Gagarin told me howpleased he was to have had the opportunity to come up front. He also seemed very interested in the navigation instruments [Decca] whichwere tracing our flight-path on the moving map in the cockpit." Starways have applied to the ATLB for a series of hovercraft ferryservices across the Mersey, the Thames, and from Canvey Island: across the Severn; from Liverpool to the I of M, Belfast and Dublin;from Glasgow to Belfast; to the I of W from Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth; to the Channel Isles from Southampton; fromNewquay to the Scillies; Dover-Calais; and Harwich-Rotterdam- Antwerp. Skyways plan to have a fleet of 14 100/150-seat hovercraft,and are discussing orders with two constructors. The appeal by Falcon Airways to the Minister of Aviation againstconditions in their air operator's certificate (Flight last week, page 59) was withdrawn before the hearing, due on July 12, took place. OnJuly 15 the Ministry banned a Falcon Airways flight from Gatwick by a Constellation said to be owned by Aero Transport of Austria.Mr Frederick Beezley of Falcon is quoted as saying: "I think this is one more step in [the Ministry's] vendetta against Capt Kozubski.I think certain officials of the Ministry of Aviation have a personal dislike of Capt Kozubski and myself. I have come to the conclusionthat if you join him. then you must expect the Ministry to be your enemy." A British United Airways Whirlwind takes off from an oil drilling rig during summer storm conditions in the Persian Gulf. This helicopter, one of BUA's fleet of three engaged in off-shore drilling in the Gulf, >s based at Khosrovabad near Abadan. It was announced last week that BUA have bought the helicopter unit of Christian Salvesen & Co Ltd whose three Whirlwinds will now operate from BUA's helicopter base <rt Redhill. The BUA helicopter fleet now comprises 16 Whirlwinds, four Widgeons, seven Bells and 23 Hitlers. Last May the company ordeni six new Hiller I2ES
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