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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1928.PDF
414 FLIGHT International, 6 September 1962 Sales talk for the sheikh: a demonstration flight with morning coffee SUCCESS IN THE EXPORT MARKETS... On such private-venture developments as Doppler, Dr O'Kane says that "bread on the water is not coming back as a soggy loaf, but as hard cash." Doppler is used in BOAC Comets, and, as he puts it, a lot of the company's work is tied up with the success of the British aircraft industry. It's extremely difficult, he says, to get equipment into foreign aircraft; and a British manufacturer who wants to sell his aircraft won't insist on British equipment if the customer doesn't want it and if it would jeopardize an order. Marconi's American competitors are better placed in this respect: they have a much bigger home market, and their products often stem from military orders. Marconi's chief rivals in the US are Collins and Bendix, but they now have a tie-up with another American manufacturer, Wilcox Electric Co Inc, of Kansas City, Mo, who represent the Marconi aeronautical division in the US. Dr O'Kane stressed the need for continuing research and development. "You may design the best piece of equipment in the world," he says, "but if you don't keep it up afterwards you're not 'in'." Other important aspects are regularity and reliability; "the airlines expect you to keep in business, and they want reliability." As with other companies engaged in export trade, there is con siderable coming and going: Marconi engineers regularly go out into the field—perhaps two or three times a year—and overseas people come to train at Basildon. A recent Marconi visit was to see Doppler equipment functioning in Australia and New. Zealand, both of whose air forces use Doppler-equipped Canberras. India, with Doppler equipment in Canberras of the IAF, is "still a good customer"; there exists an agreement to make Marconi equipment under licence in India, but this is not yet being done. Marconi have an agreement with Yugoslavia, who are assembling and making airborne equipment. Strangely, the company have done little business with Germany since the war. Although Fiat G.91s have Marconi radio compasses, those with the GAF at present do not. As far as NATO is concerned, Dr O'Kane says, Marconi get quite a lot of active support from HM Government—though this takes the form of assistance rather than active selling. He doesn't give the Government full marks for the part they play, though he considers they are getting better, commenting: "We (Britain) have tended to play it like gentlemen." (This counterbalances the comment at Dowty Rotol that all US Government officials abroad are active salesmen for American products.) As far as business with the Soviet Union is concerned, Dr O'Kane points out the limitation that airborne equipment—Doppler, for example—is bound to be on the embargo list. Dr O'Kane finally made the important point that it was Marconi's airborne demonstrator—a Viking, operating from Southend and based at Hurn—which had helped to sell Doppler to France, and he stressed that the company's type of equipment could only be sold by personal contact: "My sales manager's at present in Australasia." he said, "with an engineer and some black boxes." Radar for Hong Kong; Marconi S264 installation dramatically sited at Kai Tak Mf" •: ' ^^a^StiMt Mr «->!*•«*"'
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