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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1441.PDF
FLIGHT International, 16 August 1962 Letters The Editor of" Flight International" is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns. Names and addresses of writers, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. Monorail Economics SIR,—I am afraid that once again your contributor "Mono- reality" (page 1008, June 28) misses the important factors injplanning an airport-to-city link. The problem does not involve consideration of door-to-door journeys where public transport is quite obviously inferior to private motor vehicles. If, as the pseudonym implies, the writer is trying to estab lish facts, then he should first check his figures—on the price of a minicab, for example, and then, most important, extrapolate them into the future. Transport history is punctuated with examples of lack of vision, even when the evidence available has been sufficient to justify forward thinking. The six million passengers used by "Mono- reality" for calculating the monorail fare is a 1962 figure. Applying a realistic 1970 figure, i.e., ten million (or 65 per cent of the estimated total), and taking into account other potential monorail users such as airport visitors and "friends and relations," the revised fare, on his own basis of calculation, becomes a reasonable 5s, the same as today's airport coach (in twice the comfort and half the time). Also I do not think we shall have to wait very long for a piece of real news when 3,000 passengers pass through London Airport—and incidentally, compared with many American airports, Heathrow is still underworked. There is a classic phrase in "Monoreality's" letter which I shall treasure. To "seek facts on air travellers, not the public in general," takes me back to the days when air travel was the prerogative of the business tycoon or film star. The monorail problem is one of the 1970s, not the 1920s. Hatfield, Herts R. E. G. DAVIES Naming the ACV SIR,—In your editorial of June 7 you invited readers to suggest some generic term for ground-effect machines. Well, here is my suggestion, for what it is worth:— AERODYNE: Aero (air) dyne (dynamics; also a "measure of energy"), meaning a vehicle supported by air cushion and maybe moved by air, whether on land or water. Manila, Philippines ARCHIMEDES A. CONCON, MD Cabin'd and Confined SIR,—It was nice to read (Flight International, June 28) that Alan Yates had been on a trip to the States. But what a mean letter! He starts and finishes by criticizing the Britannia, whereas the main burden of his complaint is the fact that at some stations he was not allowed off the aircraft. If he were a more frequent air traveller, he would probably com plain too about transit delays, sometimes caused by the need to round up the load of elusive passengers, no small task in a busy terminal building, and representing much toil and sweat (if not blood and tears) for operators' traffic people. Some travellers, in fact, prefer to stay aboard during the turn-round; but certainly if the odd person wants to go "ashore" to make an urgent call, this ought to be possible on the understanding that the flight will not be delayed to take that person on again. Since Mr Yates travelled 7,000 miles of his 13,000-mile journey by road, it would appear that he was on vacation. In these circumstances one can suppose that he was grateful that (a) air travel permitted him to make such a journey in a relatively short period of time, and (b) he travelled in an air craft now acknowledged as the best (propeller-driven) avail able for long-range, low-cost operation. Presumably he also realized that his westbound stops at Boston, Prestwick and Manchester were not dictated by range considerations, 233 Britannias having a proven record of high non-stop regularity. Why, then, writing of "pin-pricks of confining passengers to their seats for 50 minutes," does he direct such unobjec- tive pin-pricks at the Britannia in particular, an aircraft with many proven merits including an airline safety record second to none? As he well knows, the main selling-point of air transport is speed, so that one can enjoy such things as long-distance coach travel in the States; but had he travelled first-class Britannia, his unobjective appraisal would probably have taken a different tilt, in favour of that aircraft. Some comfort aspects have a price, particularly in air transport, but others do not. For example, it is said that a two-stop (Istanbul, Bombay) UK - Hong Kong flight by Britannia is more comfortable than an up-down Comet 4 flight, with more sleep and fewer interrupting "We shall be landing in ten minutes" announcements and trails to airport termini, despite the Comet's small overall time-saving. However, what the UK - Asian routes really need is an SST! Bristol 6 NEVILLE H. WOOD "Naughty Airlines" SIR,-—I read with undisguised envy Sir Matthew Slattery's statement ("Naughty Airlines," Flight International, July 19) that airlines are paying extra commission to travel agents. How I wish any I ATA airline would offer this company the extra commission which we and our trade associations have repeatedly claimed as our just recompense for operating as a most effective sales point for IATA members. Despite their ever-decreasing load factors the airlines, pace Sir Matthew, have made us no offer. However, I hereby give public notice that we are open to any approach! London W2 JOHN MAY, Managing Director, Charles Rickards (Travel) Ltd Sword-fish in Transit SIR,—Naval aircraft are now rare in these parts, so I was very pleased on July 22 to hear and see the faithful old "Stringbag" once again. I thought I was seeing things at first—but no, it was a Fairey Swordfish, complete with torpedo too! I presume that this was NF384 [NF389.—EdJ returning to Lee-on-Solent after attending the Naval Air Day at Lossie mouth the previous day. Leeds 12 JOHN E. CLAY FORTHCOMING EVENTS Aug 16-18 Royal Aero Club: National Air Races, Coventry. Aug 19 Tiger Club: Display, Shoreham. Aug 22 Kronfeld Club: "The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators." Aug 26 Waveney Flying Group: Fly-in, Seething. Sept 3-9 SBAC Flying Display and Exhibition, Farnborough. Sept 8 British Interplanetary Society: Space Forum. Sept 13 Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators: Presentation of Trophies, Innhoiders' Hall, London EC4. Sept 15 RAF "At Home" Day. Sept 16 Tiger Club: Display, Fair Oaks. Sept 16 Wiltshire School of Flying: Thruxton Air Races. Sept 17-23 Grand Prix International de Bourges. Sept 19 RAeS Coventry: "Development of Seaslug" by C. Bayly and A. Lightbody. Sept 19-22 Second International Agricultural Aviation Con gress, Crignon, France. Sept 22 Air Display and Races, Shoreham. Sept 27 RAeS Halton: "Operations of Special Duties Squadrons," by A. Firth. Oct 2-4 International Symposium on Batteries, Bourne mouth. Oct 5 Kronfeld Club: Dinner Dance, Eccleston Hotel, London SW1. Oct 7-13 International Rally, Genoa. Oct 9-11 Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers: Convention, Bournemouth. Oct 17 RAeS Coventry: "Rain Erosion," by A. A. Fyall. Nov 21 RAeS Coventry: Talk by BO AC Stewardess.
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