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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1332.PDF
160 FLIGHT International, 2 August 1902 AIR COMMERCE... Table 3 shows that though air traffic New York - Boston is much greater than that by rail, bearing in mind that connecting traffic may add around 33 per cent to the number of point-to-point passengers, the rail traffic is very similar to that moving London- Manchester, a journey of similar duration. These estimates for British Railways traffic were challenged by their counsel at the recent appeals hearings, but no other figures were produced. It was said that a special effort had been made to count the number of tickets issued at Glasgow and Euston (Table 2), but that there is no breakdown into single or return. It was agreed also that the reduced-fare tickets, agents' sales, and sales at other stations had not been included in the count. If the railways do find that their traffic is substantially less than these estimates, they must surrender their erstwhile position as No. 1 public carrier to the air, at least on the Glasgow route. This will be sad. because all true Britons love their railway trains. However, to be strictly practical, when did the reader last travel more than 80 miles by train in the UK? Table 2: Rail Traffic on the Trunk Routes LONDON TO: Manchester, Salford, Stockport Glasgow Edinburgh Rail miles (d) 1831 401 ± 393 Area population (P) 963.000 1,055,000 468.000 Tickets issued June-Dec. I960 (t) 211,000 106,000 60,000 Table 3: Estimated Sector Passengers IM0 Both Directions, '000s Carrier Air Rail Coach Car (DSIR survey; Man chester City Surveyor) TOTAL * Point to point passenge London- Glasgow 313 400 107 75* 895 s only. London- Manchester 259 750 150 250* 1,410 New York- Boston 886* 700 r t t Thus it is believed that all the available evidence supports the thesis that the longest queues are for the shortest routes—by all modes of transport, individually and collectively. Britain isn't different after all; the trouble is that British airlines have shown a lack of commercial flair in attacking the short-haul domestic market. Since the DC-3 became available in the UK, BE A have dominated the domestic air transport scene. Until 1958 the corporation effectively discouraged citizens from using internal air services by laying heavy emphasis on centre-to-centre travel, without really checking passengers' true origins and destinations. DC-3 services to Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle were uniformly successful—once the initial handicap created by the BEA dogma NEW YORK TO: BOSTON THEORETICAL K,,, \S D/1MUTC /a1'- DISTANCE BETWEEN CITIES (air miltsi Fig I (above) and Fig 2 (below) demonstrate the validity of the classical transport theory that "the longest queues are for the shortest routes" 1O0 2O0 300 400 DISTANCE BETWEEN CITIES (road miles) had been overcome. One of the other justifications for this negative attitude, the petrol tax, was nearly balanced by low depreciation charges for the war surplus DC-3s. BEA have a monopoly of the most important routes, and so far no competitive spur has been applied to them. Having tried to "further the development of British civil aviation" in this important sector, the corporation has not yet displaced British Railways as the foremost public carrier on these routes. If there had been intensive competition, this might well have happened by now, as it has in the United States and Canada. A disastrous conse quence has been the Euston - Crewe railway modernisation scheme, where a large part of the £160m total expenditure is needed to rebuild the track to carry express passenger trains at 90-100 m.p.h. This facility may never be fully used—a "Q.3" that Mr Marples managed to launch while nobody was looking. A. B. C. BODY Dan-Air Services have cancelled a number of schedules on the Scone - Prestwick - London Gatwick route "because of lack of support." The services between Scone and London direct via Newcastle continue unchanged. ICAO Council Increase Membership of the ICAO Council is to be increased from 21 to 27 member states. Membership of ICAO has been greatly increased since 1947, making it desirable to ensure wider representation. BOAC Comet Overshoot A Comet 4 of BOAC on a charter flight from Djakarta to Kuwait overshot the runway on landing at Meenambakkam Airport, Madras, on July 23. On charter to Air- India, the aircraft was not damaged. The mishap followed heavy rains. Convair 880Ms for KLM? Negotiations between KLM and General Dynamics for the possible purchase of Convair 880s (Flight International, April 26, page 645) are reported to be in hand again. KLM are said to be considering the 880 as an Electra re placement on Middle East and African routes. Six aircraft, origin ally built for Capital (of which two were leased by Swissair), are available for early delivery. United P & W Overhaul Lives The FAA has given United Air Lines approval to extend overhaul lives of the JT3C-6 from 2,500hr to 2,700hr; JT4A-3/9 from 2,400hr to 2,600hr; JT3D-1 from 1,400 hrtol,600hr. Friendships for Burma Union of Burma Airways has signed a contract for three Friendship 200s to be delivered in September and October 1963. This brings the number of Fokker-built Friendships sold to 129, of which 94 have been delivered. Fairchild have sold 92. Ghana and Alitalia in Pool Ghana Airways and Alitalia have signed pool and general agency agreements under which Alitalia will continue to operate twice-weekly return flights between Rome and Accra and Ghana Airways will operate a once-weekly flight between the capitals. PamA.ni Flight Engineers The dispute between Pan American and their flight engineers ended on July 25 and the strike threatened for August 1 was averted. Both sides have now accepted a govern ment proposal to give present flight engineers priority for the third crew position and to provide for the training of engineers as pilots.
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