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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0323.PDF
FLIGHT International, 28 February 1963 Letters The Editor of" Flight International" is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns. Names and addresses of writers, not for publication in detail, niusi in all cases accompany letters. Brief letters will have a better chance of early publication. Safety Height SIR,—We have read with considerable interest and complete approval your leading article "Carts Before Horses" (January 31), based on the comments of Mr K. G. Wilkinson, who deplores the results of misleading information given on maps and charts read in flight, and, in the name of safety, calls for the quick standardization of navigational aids through out the world. The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is concerned deeply with the continued failure of so many countries - and areas—to implement adequately the recommendations of ICAO in this respect; to install and maintain a coverage of navigational facilities that measure up to the require ments of a proper level of air safety. The Guild has prepared a preliminary paper on the broad aspects of this problem, which it is now studying in detail. Our intention at the conclusion of this work is to publish a comprehensive paper underlining the extent of such deficien cies throughout the world, both in en route navigation aids and in terminal aids, including approach-to-land facilities and approach and runway lighting. London Wl MICHAEL MAJENDIE. Master, Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators SIR,—1 was interested to read in Flight International for November 29, 1962 (page 841) your words:— "One producer of such charts [i.e., radio navigation charts] would prefer not to show spot heights. . . . But because a body of opinion among pilots requires a knowledge of spot heights . . . the cartographers show them to meet the expressed requirement." Could you let me know what body of pilot opinion they say has expressed this requirement? Also, I am puzzled by the reference to radar distance- measuring. I am wondering how the few random spot heights on these charts can possibly serve in any systematic way for radar purposes. London SW3 TRANSPORT PILOT [The chart producers concerned say that, from their experi ence, a body of "general" pilot opinion requires spot heights on radio navigation charts. Concerning the use of spot heights for radar distance-measuring purposes, the chart publishers say that their use would he limited to very few instances.—Ed] Ejection Without Parachutes SIR,—Mr Meos ("Ejection Without Parachutes," February 7) may be interested to know that the 19-year-old RAF sergeant who fell 18,000ft without a parachute was Fit Sgt Nicholas Alkemade. His experience is vividly described in Ian Macker- sey's exceptional book Into the Silk, which no flying en thusiast should be without. Birmingham 14 MAURICE AUSTIN SIR,—A propos "Ejection Without Parachutes" (Letters, February 7), some time about 1917 an Avro lost its top wing over Harwell, west of London; the pilot was flipped out and landed in a basin of the Grand Junction Canal by the Mental Asylum (as it was then known). He was wearing his leather suit and escaped with bruises. A record of the fact appeared in the local paper at the time. Shamley Green, Surrey RE. SMITH 307 Laminar Flow and Maintenance SIR,—The difficulty of getting a gallon into a pint pot was why, presumably, in your report (January 31) of the recent RAeS Airline Engineering Symposium, you attributed to me the phrase "tremendous maintenance unknowns" in respect of laminar-flow aeroplanes—without at the same time being able to state my qualifying words on that occasion. In order to set the record straight, may I say that 1 used (unfortunately) the adjective "tremendous" as indicative of unknowns that have many facets, rather than to indicate that they are of great difficulty. Furthermore, 1 said that "We believe that these main tenance problems are not too great. In respect of the 20 per cent cost reduction that laminar flow will achieve, we have made reasonable allowances for increased maintenance in the way of cleaning surfaces, pumping, servicing equipment, etc. However, until a laminar-flow aeroplane has been operated for a reasonable period and in representative conditions in various parts of the world, we cannot speak with certainty about this." British public money that is spent in building a laminar- flow aeroplane will prove its great and valuable potential to increase range or economy in flight. Also, we shall discover at the same time the precise measure of its very reasonable maintenance problems. London NW2 J. B. EDWARDS Airliner Census SIR,—Surely no one else took me seriously when I suggested that the 508 missing Grummans could be the ones belonging to Kodiak and Western Alaskan! I fully realize that a 4 was printed in place of a +, and I was only attempting to be a little humorous. I offer my sincere apologies to anybody who thought otherwise. Regarding Mr J. M. Davis's comments (February 7) about the 11-18, the lowest Aeroflot machine is CCCP-75639 and not CCCP-L75639. The L only occurs in the old series of registrations, for example, CCCP-L5811, the prototype. Mr Davis also states that 3X-NZL is an 11-18 of Air Mali. 11 does, in fact, belong to Air Guinee, and its C/n is 180002004. This C/n is also given in Air-Britain's Overseas Airline News, Vol 9, No 10, for CCCP-75721, and thus it seems that this Soviet-built aircraft's history is known. Air Guinee also operate Il-18s 3X-KKN and 3X-LBE, Il-14s 3X-CKY, PRG, KDA and BKE. 3X-PDG is also rumoured to exist. These are in fact Avia-built. They also operate Super Aero 145s 3X-GKD and KIS, and a helicopter (Mi-?), 3X-HPR. Air Mali operate Il-18sTZ-ABD (C/n 3303). ABEand ABY, Il-14s TZ-ABF, G, and H, DC-3s TZ-ABA, B, C, An-2s TZ-ABS and ABT, and Aero 145s TZ-ABI, J, K. L, M. West Worthing, Sussex P. G. HILEMAN IN BRIEF Mr C. Carleton, of 18 Fineleigh Court, Bath Road, Slough, Bucks, who is compiling a history of Dornier air craft, writes to say that "any material, written, drawn or photographic, would be greatly appreciated, and anything lent would, of course, be treated with the greatest care." FORTHCOMING EVENTS Mar 1 RAeS Rotorcraft Section: Third Cierva Memorial Lecture, "Engineering Reliability of Shaft-driven Helicopters," by O. L. L. Fitzwilliams. Mar 1 RAeS, Luton: Twenty-First Anniversary Dinner and Dance. Mar 4 RAeS, Derby: "Running of a Small Airline," by H. A. Roxburgh. Mar 4 Kronfeld Club: "Navigation," Part 1, by John Neilan. Mar 5 RAeS, Belfast: To be arranged. Mar 6 RAeS, Christchurch: "The Role of the Bristol 188" by M. G. Wilde. Mar 6 RAeS. Swindon: "Man in Space." by J. E. Gable.
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