FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0455.PDF
I FLIGHT International, 28 March 1963 4n Q Straight and ve I FROM Dr A. E. Russell's 10th Barn well Memorial Lecture, Reflections on Metal Aircraft:— "So far as the manufacturers are con cerned the only really successful airliners have been those timed to show a distinct competitive advantage over existing types ... A short list would include the Viscount, the 707 and the DC-8, with the Friendship and Caravelle as runners up. . . "The Britannia had the basic qualifica tions . . . but the opportunity was lost by a delay of two years spent in fighting com binations of all the classical elements: fire and water, air and water, earth and water. The latter mixture was thrown recklessly in a brawl with an impatient customer." • The BOAC shop stewards at London Airport accuse BOAC management of "a deplorable lack of leadership." The fact that BOAC have so many aeroplanes lying idle while the independents are flying thou sands of hours in older aircraft is "a na tional scandal." They declare: "There never was a place for the private operator in civil air transport . . . Once again . . . we appeal to BOAC's management to make a joint effort with us to expose the scandalous position in British civil air transport." * * * "Good morning, gentlemen. 1 have called this meeting at your request for ; the purpose of exposing the scandalous position in British air transport. May 1 have your agreement to publish the follow ing five-point Master Plan ? "(1) The Government should ground all Britain's private airlines and direct BOAC and BEA to employ their workers. "(2) Get BOAC's idle aircraft in the air by flying nasty capitalist independent air- : line directors to the remotest possible corners of the Earth. "(3) Put every possible emphasis at all times on the party-political, class-warfare, national-prestige nature of air transport. "(4) Sack all BOAC and BEA directors and management—we're all a lot of Tories anyway. "(5) Put BOAC's shop stewards in all posts thus vacated." • "The British Government appears to be raising a partial security curtain around the WG.681 . . . The aircraft is not a combat vehicle in the fighter/bomber sense, and reasons for withholding information are obscure." From Interavia Air Letter. Clearly these poor Interavia chaps just don't understand. Let me explain. Security, together with its hand-maiden Pointless Secrecy, is an end in itself, to be espoused and worshipped with pure, unquestioning devotion. Among its high priests and acolytes are the various mini stries responsible for British aviation, defence and the Services (it would of course be quite beastly to suggest that Security is maintained because it comes in handy for ministers who are hard-Pressed). It is high time that these inquisitive Press blighters had more respect for Secu rity. I can't tell you why they ought to have more respect, ] am afraid, because that is a secret. Seriously though, there are one or two enlightened people in the Ministry of Avia tion who are trying to get things changed. • There are also people in the aircraft industry who have progressive ideas about information. The British Aircraft Corpora tion doctrine seems to be: If you have a problem speak about it frankly. Tell the truth. This is going to come out in the end anyway, and meanwhile secrecy and half- truths only foster rumour, sensation, gossip and lies. BAC have a VC10 problem. So they tell the Press about it—but not in the form of one of those exercises in "off the record, non-attributable" PR-manship. The company's chief engineer, chief test pilot and general manager sat down with the Press in a prefab hut on Wisley airfield "Runway in sight, sir' ' ' . •'•'•'' ".: '•' •'•.'" and just gave straight answers to straight questions, having previously flown them in the aircraft and shown them its attri butes (see pages 425 and 426). The company may have been a little nervous about the way the Press would respond to this frankness. But 1 don't think they were disappointed with the treatment. One big-circulation paper didn't touch the story at all. • Sir Morose Peevish, dynamic chair man of Knocking Aircraft Ltd, last week issued the following statement:— "We are astonished to hear rumours that TWA are contemplating the purchase of Scruggs SA.421 Profitliners. As every one knows this aircraft is completely inferior to our own product, the Knocking Aircraft KA.169 Fred-Jet, which is the ideal choice for TWA and every other air line. The Scruggs SA.421 Profitliner is down on performance, late on delivery, up in price and generally completely unable even to get off the ground. Not only that, but it is not fitted with Knocking's exclu sive elastic Blinge system. "Beyond this we do not wish to comment, as we have no desire to become embroiled in a public slanging match." * * * Note to Editors: Sir Morose Peevish will be holding a private Press conference —on an off-the-record, non-attributable basis of course—at Glasshouse Mansions, Wl, this evening at 7 p.m. For further information in the meantime contact Barrie Lunchby, Freedrinks and Handout Ltd, telephone PROspect 237. • On May 1, 1960. a Lockheed U-2 piloted by Frances Gary Powers, an em ployee of the US Central Intelligence Agency, descended to the ground near Sverdlovsk. This we know. Yet we still read stories that the U-2 was too high to be shot down . . . that it suffered a flameout and had to descend, and was then shot down at a lower level . . . that Powers was a traitor, and bailed out deliberately. . .etc,etc,etc. Now we have the best story of the lot. The Russians actually fired three missiles, you see: one hit the U-2, the second missed, and the third destroyed a Russian fighter piloted by a major in the Soviet Air Force. He mast have been livid. • Talking the other day about the Chan nel Tunnel and its effect on the air ferry companies, I was reminded of the tunnel engineer's standard answer to the popular question: "How do you make sure that the two sections of the tunnel meet in the middle?" His answer: "That's our problem. Anyway, if they didn't meet in the middle you'd get two tunnels for the price of one." ROGER BACON
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
