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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1416.PDF
234 FLIGHT International, 15 August 1963 AIR COM MERGE REASONS FOR BONANZA'S DC-9 CHOICE BONANZA have released a letter, dated July 18 and addressed to Mr Erroll, President of the UK Board of Trade, in which the airline's president, Mr Edmund Converse, comments on his company's decision to order Douglas DC-9s instead of BAC One- Elevens. He says: "There is not, nor was there ever, any indication from the CAB that their disapproval [Bonanza's order for One- Elevens] had anything to do with the fact that the aircraft was of British manufacture, nor do we believe that it even quietly entered into their consideration of our application." Mr Converse explains that to Bonanza the DC-9 offers "several distinct advantages." These include better support for an aircraft built in Los Angeles, the DC-9's "somewhat greater payload capacity," Pratt & Whitney's initial JT8D-5 overhaul life of 2,000hr, and the fact that the name of Douglas and the designation DC-9 will "contribute greatly to actual traffic generation." He adds that the purchase of the DC-9 would not "aggravate our nation's general gold-flow problem," though this was not the fact which determined the issue. Without mail and trooping, neither carrier would appear likely to find the freight game worthwhile. Tiger, primarily because of its lesser dependence on scheduled services, has built up a much stronger financial position than Sea board. On the one hand, Tiger's diversity has permitted a high rate of aircraft utilization—each of ten CL-44s are now building up from nine to 12 hours daily, while their eight Super Hs averaged 12 hours daily last year. Seaboard's nine Super Hs, on the other hand, have been on short-term leases which have barely brought in enough to cover depreciation charges. Furthermore, whereas Tiger's profit margins have allowed the company to build up funds internally, Seaboard's activities have resulted in an accumulated deficit and a shortage of working capital. Not surprisingly under these circumstances, Seaboard's indebtedness has reached sub stantial proportions. Last week, in fact, Seaboard announced with relief that Canadair has agreed to ease its CL-44 hire-purchase terms. However, for both companies the balance sheet does little more than summarize the precarious outcome of the Super Connie era. Of much more significance is the fact that the improvement enjoyed by each company last year is likely to mark the start of a transformed CL-44 era—an era which BOAC, in their newly announced partnership with Seaboard—should share. 44 IN 62 DESPITE the demonstrated economy of the Canadair CL-44, the 1962 accounts of Flying Tiger and Seaboard World suggest that all-freight falls into the same economic class as instant coffee —something only worth selling if it brings more custom into the shop. Undoubtedly the arrival of the 44 has transformed both these two airlines into profitable institutions after years of indifferent results. Seaboard was able to report a profit (the first since 1956) of almost II million as against a loss in 1961 of $4 million. Tiger did even better, returning a 15 million profit as compared with the previous year's narrow break-even position. As both reports are woefully inadequate in regard to statistics of operations and traffic, it is not easy—until the CAB's 1962 Handbook is available—to analyse the factors that account for this mutual improvement. In the case of Seaboard, the transition to all-Canadair operation appears to have been accompanied by asubstantial reduction in cost level. On the revenue side, improvement has come from in creased earnings from scheduled freight (which now accounts for almost half of total revenue). An increase in charter revenue was offset by a fall in mail revenue. Unlike Seaboard, Tiger's emphasis is still noticeably on the charter side. As MATS contracts accounted for virtually all the airline's growth last year, scheduled transcon tinental freight services having remained static, the scheduled portion of Tiger's business fell from one-third to one-fifth. Although in each case the 44 has brought increased traffic and reduced costs, the reports of these two carriers give the impression that scheduled all-freight services alone are not yet an economic proposition. For both operators, salvation has come from the sources of governmental revenues that the 44 has made available. UNITED BOEING INCIDENT SHORTLY before midnight on Friday, July 12, a United Boeing 720 took off from San Francisco for Chicago. Over Nebraska at 37,000ft light turbulence was experienced. The pilot, Capt Lynn Deuscher, asked for and received a clearance to 41,000ft. According to Aviation Daily, the aircraft "started up and ran into severe turbulence, buffeting, and finally stalled out and fell over on its nose," falling 27,000ft before control was regained. There were no injuries, the seat-belt sign having been flashed before the five- mile drop, and the aircraft proceeded uneventfully to Chicago. The CAB impounded the flight recorder and grounded the air craft. It is hoped that a clue may be found which will link the incident with the fatal break-up of a Northwest 720 shortly after take-off from Miami on February 12 last. Alitalia DC-8 Accident Inquiry The Indian Court of Inquiry into the Alitalia DC-8 accident near Bombay on July 6, 1962, has decided that it was caused by the premature descent of the aircraft following a navigational error by the pilot. Contributory causes are given as "the pilot's failure to use navigational facilities available to ascertain the correct position of the aircraft; infringe ment of the prescribed minimum safe altitude; and the unfamiliarity of the pilot with the terrain." The aircraft was flying from Bangkok to Bombay when it struck high ground at night, killing all 85 passengers and nine crew. The Italians dissent from these con clusions, blaming Indian ATC's negligence for the accident. Biggest aircraft operated by Central African Airways is this DC-6B, which is chartered from Alitalia. Seen here at Gatwick, it is the first CAA visitor to the United Kingdom since Viscount services were taken over by BOAC in 1959. CAA have two BAC One-Elevens on order URIC** 4£££2JJL II I m^
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