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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0083.PDF
FLIGHT International, 17 January 1963 15 MANCHESTER UNITED'S CLAIM SETTLED MANCHESTER UNITED'S claim against BEA for damages arising out of the Munich accident in February 1958 has been settled out of court. As mentioned in our issue of last week, the action was due to be heard on January 21. In view of the spec ulation regarding the amount of the settlement, the Club announced that it has agreed to accept £35,000 plus costs in full settlement. Manchester United had claimed that the loss in gate-money and po tential transfer fees was about £273,000. BEA have already paid out a total of about £180,000 arising from individual claims from widows and dependents in connection with this accident. It is believed that BEA intended to place emphasis on the argument that slush was the primary cause of the accident. AEROFLOT FARE CUTS AIR fares within the Soviet Union—which, following last year's cuts on more than 400 routes, are already amongst the lowest anywhere—are again being reduced this year by amounts that vary between 7 and 22 per cent. The single fare between Moscow and Vladivostok is now R117, i.e., roughly 2.8 pence per mile at the current exchange rate. This compares favourably with even the lowest western promotional return rates such as the London to New York mid-winter economy class of 3.3 pence per mile, and the London to Glasgow mid-winter night tourist services at 2.2 pence per mile. However, on comparable traffic routes and at peak traffic fares, the Soviet rates are well below most of those in the West. A feature of the Aeroflot single-class fare system is the complete absence of seasonal and off-peak promotional rates. BRITAIN'S IMPROVED AIRPORT ACCOUNTS WITH monotonous regularity these columns have in recent years castigated the Ministry of Aviation for the shoddy form of its airport accounts. For this reason, the latest version, which covers the year ended March 31, 1962, is to be welcomed. Not only are the results gratifying (the annual loss being cut from £4m to £2m) but the method of presentation has improved beyond recognition. In round terms, total revenues rose from £8|m to£12£m,thebulk of this being accounted for by a £2m increase in landing fees at Heathrow. The three London airports shared a revenue of £9fm (Heathrow £8 Jm, Gatwick Jm, Stansted £im) and a profit of about £Jm (a profit at Heathrow of £l£m being offset by a £lm loss at Gatwick and Stansted). Prestwick's revenue increased to £1 m at which level it showed a small deficit. These relatively favourable results for the "international" air ports were swallowed up by the deficits of the lesser airports. The seven "major" airports (provincials, plus Glasgow and Edin burgh) only earned about half their total cost of £2 Jm, while revenue for the nine airfields in the Scottish Highlands and Islands was only one-eighth of the total costs of £|m. In the past, the real results have been worse than shown because of undercharging (this has now been admitted by the Ministry). Although a more appropriate portion of Ministry overheads is now allocated to the airports, the allowances made for depreciation and for interest on capital still appear to be inadequate. However, the introduction of a mechanized and centralized accounting system does appear to have had the effect of putting the accounts on to a more realistic basis. SAFETY IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA IATA's on-the-spot review of navigation and landing aids in South- East Asia has found notable deficiencies in the area, owing to difficulties in getting properly qualified and trained personnel. According to IATA's technical director, Stanislaw Kxzyckowski, "the safety standards of flight in South-East Asia compare favour ably with the rest of the world, but to maintain that level of safety, airlines must accept substantial restrictions on their operations. This means lower efficiency and higher costs, which in turn dis courage the further development of trade and tourist travel." FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE'S YEAR THE Government White Paper on aviation safety published last April referred to the Flight Safety Committee's valuable contribu tion to design and operations planning by disseminating the lessons that are constantly being learned from routine operations. The Committee was formed some two years ago, and is made up of representatives from the main civil and military interests in air transport, yet it is entirely free-standing within the industry and provides a neutral meeting point for all shades of responsible opinion on air safety problems. In its recent annual report, the Committee celebrated the first year of administrative independence during which the entire costs were covered by subscription or services in kind from organizations directly represented in the Committee. During the year, the Com mittee's main channel for disseminating safety information—the bulletin Focus—was published in expanded form at approximately six-weekly intervals and given wide circulation. The accounts of incidents and experiences that are recorded in Focus are drawn from all over the world and are based upon actual and recent happenings. Focus is principally directed at the senior managers who are in a position to relate the experience to their own operation and take the appropriate action. Even with such a select circulation, around 750 copies of each issue are distributed, including a limited number to Commonwealth and European countries. The other principal aspect of the Committee's work is the Flight Safety Discussion Group. Every two months the group discuss a subject of special current interest, usually in the company of a To meet the lower level of cargo hatches on jet airliners, a special feature of this self-propelled baggage loader is a 48in minimum height for the front end of the conveyor belt. The loader is made by the Phelps Co of Los Angeles, and many standard automobile parts are used in its construction. An automatic transmission contributes to safety when approaching the aircraft
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