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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0399.PDF
FLIGHT International, 14 March 1963 379 SPORT AND BUSINESS As observant readers may infer from the registration, this Skyhawk is the 50,000th aircraft to be built by Cessna Aircraft Company. It was delivered last month to Edenwood Developers of Columbia, South Carolina (this page, March 7) Airspace Freedom for Gliding The "maintenance of adequate freedom in the air" was one of the gliding movement's two major problems discussed by the chairman of the British Gliding Associ ation, Mr Philip Wills, in his annual report to the Association on Saturday last, March 9. This was a difficult and never-ending battle, Mr Wills said, for it had to be fought against prejudice and misleading propaganda. It had been stated, Mr Wills continued, that the main problem was that the air over Britain was so overcrowded that it would be dangerous to allow any great expansion of the number of aircraft. "A system of beliefs which has been accepted so long that it is taken uncritically for granted and defended with passion from any attack has thereby encouraged a growth of restrictive practices, and of an Air Traffic Control system costing millions of pounds. "The facts, when produced, make little or no impact. One such fact is that the whole of this multi-million-pound nationwide system is at present devoted to controlling an average number of 15 commercial aircraft in controlled airspace over the whole of the United Kingdom at one time The restrictions around Manchester and Jersey are more onerous than around New York and Chicago. "At Rockford, USA, last year, airline traffic and a gliding club continued to operate normally when a light aeroplane meeting brought 2,400 additional aircraft on to the field for over a week. Ten per cent of such traffic density would produce ATC hysteria in our country. . . . "The first prerequisite is to pull the blinkers away which are sedulously applied by vested interests, and so cut away the ground from under the feet of the restrictionists. For at present the fiction of our 'overcrowded' air is used continually to increase controls and so make it more difficult for the rest of us to fly." In the report of the BGA Airways Committee, the committee chairman, Capt H. C. N. Goodhart, RN, made the following forecast about the future for airspace control:— "The formation of the National Air Traffic Control Service will lead to increasing control in upper air space and this will gradually extend downwards. It could get down to 15,000ft in five years. Radar control of all traffic will be the aim and this may lead to pressure for gliders to be equipped with radio and possibly increased radar reflectivity. We shall, of course, fight this, for gliders are rarely at these altitudes and thus the statistical risk of collision is fantastically, unbelievably, incredibly low. Just to put this in perspective, the last published UK Civil Air Census showed a grand total of six civil aircraft under Air Traffic Control above 10,000ft over the whole of the United Kingdom. There were, incidentally, a further seven below 10,000ft, giving a grand total of 13, and this was at 11.00 GMT, which is about the peak hour." Elstree's Third Success For the third time in the ten years since the trophy was first awarded, the London School of Flying & Air Centre at Elstree has won the Lennox-Boyd Trophy, Viscount Boyd presenting it to the school at the recent ABAC dinner. It is awarded annually to the flying school, centre or club achieving the best overall results; factors such as aircraft utilization and safety record being taken into account. Elstree achieved the highest- ever marking, 97 points. Commercial Licence Courses The Bedfordshire Air Centre Ltd. a subsidiary of W. H. & J. Rogers (Engineering) Ltd, the Cessna representatives, is now in process of obtaining MoA approval for its training courses for CPL and instrument rating. The Centre, located at the College of Aeronautics aerodrome at Cranfield, operates Cessna 150s for basic training, has two Link trainers, and full classroom and residential facilities. It can offer the complete CPL course for £1,950, including all flying, residence, examination fees and equipment. The instrument rating costs about £200 extra. A Cessna 310 is available for twin-engined training. The College of Air Training at Hamble and the Airwork Services school at Perth are at present MoA-approved, but it is likely that all CPLs will have to be gained through approved courses from sometime next year. The Bedfordshire Air Centre is unique in being based on a runway airfield with full NDB, ILS, VDF and radar service. The Cessna 150s are kept very busy, averaging 800hr per aircraft per year, and are therefore hired at only £6/hr. PPL training and charter is also offered. These little aircraft have proved excellent for intensive training flying, forming good instructional machines and standing up extremely well to continuous hard work. They are comfortable and remarkably quiet, fly safely but realistic ally, can be spun, have shoulder harness and radio and use very- little fuel. One aircraft has flown 1, lOOhr and on an overall average of just over 4gal/hr. Approved screens have been fitted to allow the basic instrument-flying tests at Stansted to be taken in the Centre's aircraft. A new venture is Air Cruise, set up to hire aircraft with profes sional pilots for Continental touring during the summer. A Cessna 175 with airways radio and rated pilot could be hired for two weeks for £500, allowing two passengers to wander at will throughout Europe, stopping or staying where they want, and using any kind of airfield. The Cessna 310 is also available for such tours. Main interest is expected to come from American tourists. M Henri Potez, president and administrator of Societe d'Exploitation Morane Soulnier, is planning to go ahead with the Paris 3 business- aircraft project. A full-scale mock-up is pictured here
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