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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 2019.PDF
430 FLIGHT International, 13 September 1962 AIR CO E R C E ATLANTIC SWELL AN increase of 20.4 per cent in North Atlantic IATA passenger traffic was recorded in the first six months of this year compared with the corresponding period of 1961. It may be recalled that passenger traffic in the whole of 1961 on the North Atlantic route was only about 9 per cent. Traffic so far this year (with increases reported to have continued in July and August) thus foretells a recovery of growth rate to the traditional 20 per cent annual average apparent over the last five years. The following table shows the salient passenger figures with sea traffic—which recovered from its decline last year—shown for comparison. NORTH ATLANTIC PASSENGER TRAFFIC January-June 1962 January-June 1961 Percentage change Air* Seat 825,080 (460,259 eastbound 364,88/ westbound) 298.489 685,479 (374.7(7 eastbound 3/0,768 westbound) 275.142 20.4 23.0 17.2 8.5 * IATA scheduled carriers Atlantic Steamship Conference Not quite so rosy is the load factor situation; although this is improving compared with 1961, load factors for the first half of 1962 are still below the 50 per cent mark. Facts and figures for the most important statistic, namely revenue, are not available, though it may be possible to make a rough estimate when traffic figures are published broken down by various classes of service. The increase of 20 per cent may look promising but it remains to be seen whether, with the diversionary effect of group fares and excursion fares taken into account, revenue has gone up by a comparable amount. BAC ONE-ELEVEN SWINGS AHEAD BEFORE the Famborougn show opened the BAC One-Eleven visitors' book at the Weybridge factory of the British Aircraft Corporation contained the names of 60 operators from 33 countries who had come to see the aircraft. This list is no doubt being aug mented substantially this week and next. The fact is—without disrespect for BAC's powerful sales efforts—that the One-Eleven looks as though it is a product which, like the Viscount, may be bought as much as it is sold. But BAC are not assuming that the world will beat a path to its door, and this is evident from the way in which the One-Eleven is being put across. At Weybridge. for instance, there is a full-scale model of the fuselage specifically appointed for presentation to customers. Gone are the days when a portion of an engineering mock-up was roughly furnished for the sales department, whose guests had to tread warily past tool boxes and men at work to inspect the all-important revenue department of their prospective aircraft. The word mock-up does not actually do justice to this display, which is really more of a "cabin simulator." Particularly appealing is the ventral passenger stairway; most successfully styled, it may even give some passengers the impression that they are entering or leaving a club rather than a transport aircraft. To ensure that the auxiliary power unit housed in the tail section does not prove un duly distracting to passengers entering or leaving, Vickers have test run an APU installation, with satisfactory results, in a Viscount tail section. Other items of particular interest in the cabin are seat head-covers secured by "cat's tongue" adhesive strips, and ultra- lightweight mirrors in the wash rooms made of lightweight Melinex Terylene film. On leaving this mock-up, or cabin simulator, the visitor finds him self in a quietly appointed conference room. This contains, apart from chairs and tables, a smaller section of the fuselage with an alternative furnishing arrangement; a set of ultra-lightweight Teco Mason seats, single-piece glass-fibre mouldings as used by Continen tal Airlines for high density services; and a display of photographs showing One-Eleven production progress in the four BAC factories. On leaving the visitor walks past the two freight holds in the belly of the fuselage (total capacity of which, incidentally, is more than that of the Electra). Door sizes are placarded and the ingenious plug type doors, which hinge to leave the holds completely unor> structed and provide a loading platform, can be operated. A visit to three other BAC factories in addition to Weybridge— Luton, Filton and Hum—is necessary to obtain a full measure of the drive that is being applied to the One-Eleven production pro gramme. By the time the One-Eleven is certificated in the autumn of 1964 more than a dozen aircraft will have flown. Construc tion of the first aircraft is on schedule, with first flight due in April. The flight test programme will be basically along the lines adopted for the Viscount 810, Vanguard and VC10—i.e., start of flying with a company-owned production prototype, followed by a progressive build-up of hours with a fleet of up to five more production aircraft to a total of l,500hr. The first three aircraft will be fully instru mented. As recorded in our Farnborough report issue last week, firm orders for 33 One-Elevens have now been placed, by British United, Braniff, Mohawk and an unspecified (but quite definite) overseas customer. [Continued on page 431 The aft fuselage and centre body sections of the first Boeing 727 are seen being joined at the company's Transport Divi sion. The completed section wil> shortly be taken to the final assembly area for joining with the wing and forward body unit* Roll-out will take place in mid- November, and first fight m January. A total of 127 Boeing 727s have been ordered, f delivery starting late next year
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