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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 2085.PDF
468 FLIGHT International, 13 September 1962 •I50X • 1002 iso: IOOS; • SOX • 50% 1947 1946 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 I960 1961 1962 This comparison of BEA fare levels and those of UK buses and trains shows how, while BEA have held the line since the war, surface fares have increased by nearly 150 per cent. This graph, published by BEA with their annual report, apparently surprised even the corporation AIR COMMERCE SAFETY AND NOISE ABATEMENT THE Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, in a strongly worded report to the Flight Safety Committee, severely criticize current jet airliner noise-abatement techniques. It claims that these techniques were devised without consultations with practising airline pilots, who are now said to be doubting the wisdom of these procedures in the light of experience gained over the last few years. The take off accidents to the 707 at Idlewild and the Comet at Ankara are mentioned in this context. The two basic techniques are: (1) full-power "maximum height climb" after take-off, followed by a short interval of gradual climb at reduced power before opening up once again to normal climb power; and (2) the occasional alternative method of following mandatory routings. The Guild makes six observations, the first four of which relate to the very steep maximum-height-climb technique:— (a) The exaggerated attitude of the aircraft is extremely difficult for the pilot to control accurately, due to the inadequacies of the pitch indicator, which under these circumstances is operating close to the upper working limits. (b) There is a risk of engine fuel starvation when carrying a small amount of fuel. (c) Engine failure would require unusually swift action, which would be even more difficult with podded engines, due to the demand for extra directional control. (d) Speed instability near the stall is exaggerated by the steep angle of climb. (e) It is difficult to perform turns to follow mandatory routes at low altitude while take-off drills are being completed. (f) Finally, the Guild takes a poor view of pilots being asked to perform manoeuvres which previously, it says, would have been regarded as "very bad airmanship." The Guild has therefore put forward three suggestions which, though admittedly not reducing the noise level as much as the existing procedures, will have the added advantage of being safer:—< (1) Climb attitude should not be steeper than that required to maintain minimum climb speed with one engine inoperative. (2) Engines should not be throttled back beyond the normal climb power until the first sector safety height has been achieved. (3) Aircraft should not be required to begin a turn until at least 1,000ft above airfield level. Quite clearly, GAPAN's statement not only criticizes safety as pects of noise-abatement procedures, but also implies that the regu lations were improperly devised and implemented. The Guild says that "as far as is known, airline pilots were not consulted before these restrictions were placed on them, but have since been expected to carry out the procedures worked out by other than practising airlint pilots" Asked to comment, a Ministry of Aviation official remarked thai this was the first time that a responsible pilot organization had criticized the take-off procedures at London Heathrow, procedures which had been in force for several years and which had been devised by the operators with the concurrence of their pilots. The Ministry also said that the Guild's views are to be considered by the Flight Safety Committee, an independent body which includes, among others, operators, pilots, Air Registration Board and the Ministry. Mr Woodhouse, then Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aviation, was asked in the House of Commons on July 2 whether he was satisfied that the regulations governing the level of noise at United Kingdom airports did not involve the risk of using inade quate power or dangerous throttling back on take-off. He replied that he was satisfied that the procedures "do not involve any risk which would prejudice safety." Also, in reply to a further question, he replied that noise-abatement procedures did not require the pilot to reduce speed or undertake any kind of manoeuvre below 1,000ft. 748 CABIN DOOR INCIDENTS DURING the flight of an Aerolineas Argentinas Avro 748 from Tucuman to Buenos Aires on August 30, a stewardess was sucked through a cabin door said to have blown open at 16,000ft. During another 748 flight on the same day, part of the galley equipment was sucked through the cabin door, which partially opened during flight. Despite strong calls from the Argentine air pilots' union to ground the nine 748s pending investigation, the airline said earlier that it would continue to operate them at lower altitudes without pressurization. An Avro spokesman has said that to the company's knowledge this was the first time such an incident had occurred to the 748, but they had immediately sent an engineer to investigate. However, during one of the investigation tests on September 4, a third incident occurred when a door was wrenched from its hinges and struck the rudder assembly after an Avro engineer had deliberately released the door locks in flight. Improper closing of the door has been determined as the cause of the accidents, and meanwhile Aerolineas Argentinas are ground ing their 748 fleet while the locks are checked and readjusted. As we close for press a report has been received from Buenos Aires that Aerolineas 748 pilots have challenged the claims of the pilots' union that the aircraft are unsafe or inadequate. At a Press conference, the pilots of the 748s declared that the aircraft were "efficient, good and fit" for their purposes. Speaking on behalf of more than 40 pilots who fly these aircraft, Senor Fernando Cebral said that the difficulties in the door locks were a problem that might be found in any aircraft; he added that "the difficulties have been exaggerated," and said he was confident that a solution would be found in a few days. Indian Airlines Corporation expect to introduce their four 80-seat Caravelle 6Ns on the major domestic trunk routes by October 1963, according to AVM P. C. Lai, the general manager. AVM Lai is retiring from service on October 1 this year. New Freighters for BOAC? Government approval has been given to BOAC to negotiate a hire agreement for two Canadair CL-44s. It has been unofficially reported that the aircraft would be hired for about £50,000 each for a period of five years. Curtis Greensted Associates Ltd, of London, announce an agreement with Aviation Studies (International), also of London, and Con- sultair Ltd, of Montreal, for the formation of a civil aviation research and development firm to be called The Air Development Group (International) Ltd. Towards Potez 840 Certification Two Potez 840s have now amassed 456hr of mainly experimental flying. One of the chief aims of the tests so far is to obtain a provisional Certificate of Airworthi ness for the second aircraft in view of its approaching delivery to the United States, where it will begin a presentation tour in early October.
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