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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1896.PDF
396 FLIGHT International, 6 September 1962 Straiqht and Level MY team of ace Farnborough repor ters has singled out two exhibits for this exclusive Straight and Level report on the week so far. Both came as a complete surprise, at any rate to those who had not received the brochures and attended the news confer ences during the weeks that preceded the show. First, providing the answer to the ques tion on everybody's mind—How are we going to manage without Farnborough next year?—is a project for a complete Farn borough Simulator offered by Smashing Junkets (Potters Bar) Ltd. In a statement on the opening day the company's chair man, Sir Horace Spurious, said that de tailed design work had not yet been com pleted but that the simulator would re produce in every detail the show as we all know it so well. The only difference would be the elimination of the flying dis play, exhibitors' stands, and hospitality for overseas customers. This, said Sir Horace, would enable the real purpose of the show—namely, inter-company con viviality and the entertainment of Ministry officials—to be carried on in the en closures without unnecessary distractions. Secondly, the well-known firm of Thinx Electronics Ltd is exhibiting an ingenious multi-channel closed circuit television ap paratus for installation in the cockpits of all aircraft taking part in the flying display. This, explains the working model of the chairman, Sir Harold Digit-Smith, is to enable the pilots to view the activities of spectators in the various enclosures through out the display. • Much as some airlines might wish that the death penalty could be imposed on no-show passengers, they have to be re minded occasionally that their job is to serve the public, whose liberty to vacillate just has to be lived with. In principle the fining of passengers who book a scat and don't turn up is, to my mind, repellent. The moral justification is said to be that no-shows must be deterred because they deprive others of seats. Well, all right. But how about those passen gers—about whom we hear so much these days—who are the stranded victims of over-booking? If no-shows must be fined it is only just that airlines who are guilty of over-booking should likewise be subject to penalties. Unfortunately the Air Transport Licen sing Board does not see it this way. More over, the minatory tenor of its recent proposals for cancellation and no-show penalties on UK domestic services (see page 382) is an affront to the public which its licensees are supposed to be serving. I am thinking of appointing a committee to look into the possibilities of fining the ATLB for proposals which put the interests of the airlines before those of the public. • Fifteen American pilots, including the administrator of the FAA, Mr N. E. Halaby, flew an Electra simulator in an effort to solve an accident mystery. The accident occurred to an Eastern Electra which crashed into the harbour soon after take-off from Boston Airport, following bird ingestion in the air intakes. These pilots had to grapple with the same power loss and control conditions as faced by the Eastern Air Lines pilot in the actual accident. All of the pilots "'crashed" on their first attempts and mam of them could not maintain control even when they knew just what to expect. I mention this not only for its intrinsic interest, but also as an instance of how the Americans put top people in Govern ment aviation jobs who are practising aviation professionals. Mr Halaby, ex-test pilot, engineer and lawyer, is one such man. I particularly liked his definition of the FAA's mission in life: "Our job is to promote the cause of aviation, not to play a game of cops and robbers." • From a Liverpool newspaper report of a model ship exhibition in the Liverpool Museum: "The display is completed by a map of the North Atlantic routes, some old passenger lists and menus dating back to the 1880s and lent by Cunard and other curiosities of this key period . . ." ROGER BACON What outfit, bud? 73rd Fighting Squadron, Royal English Air Force What airplanes? British Electric Lightning pursuits What insignia on the empennage? Sure ain't no woodchuck You mean maybe the 53rd ain't uber any more
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