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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1732.PDF
fLIGHT International, 26 September 1963 5n (£) Straight and Level (+) SOME funny things happened to IATA on its way to Salzburg. Three things, in fact:— (1) A number of airlines, notably Pan American, committed the reprehensible 1ATA sin (for which BOAC were sternly admonished when they did it in 1959) of saying in advance, and in public, what new fares they wanted. (2) 1ATA announced that there would be progress conferences for the press, who have hitherto been highly non grata at these meetings. (3) Representatives of the American CAB (IATA's Unfriend No 1) were allowed to attend the conference as observers. * * * Each of these things is remarkable. Added together they are sensational. But 1 think that each can do IATA nothing but good—everyone will see that its fare-fixing conferences are not just cosy commercial conspiracies, but great feats of international compromise. It is a pity that IATA has not recognized before that secrecy is the badge of conspiracy. Never mind: let us rejoice in a new victory for the secrecy-bashers, and in a brave new world of international air transport. • Sir Matthew Slattery of BOAC was very cross last week, and rightly so, because it has been suggested in the US press that at Salzburg PAA are championing the cause of lower fares and BOAC are opposing it. 1 wonder who inspired that "gross misinter pretation," as he describes it. His statement was certainly pretty strong, as most of his statements are. It seemed to be getting at Pan American, whose thrift- fare proposal Sir Matthew described, twice, s a "cattle-truck" service which had received "very qualified support" from the US Civil Aeronautics Board. I read the CAB's pre-Salzburg statement, and its support for the thrift proposal seemed to me to be remarkably wwqualified, e.g., " We support the introduction of a third-class low-fare service into principal European markets along the lines proposed by Pan American." I gather that the Salzburg meeting has voted against PAA's thrift proposal any way, but I feel bound to say that if a £57 London - New York no-nosh service is a cattle-truck service, you can include me in the lowing herd. • The bird problem isn't as simple as you may think. This is what the Air Ministry News Bulletin says about the influence of kite-hawks on the activities of the Aden Services Gliding Club at Sheikh Othman Airfield, Aden:— "Spanning up to four feet, the birds at first proved useful in indicating the presence of rising air currents, though later they appeared to resent the gliders sharing their airspace. Pilots complained that they had been deliberately led into patches of downdraughts, after which the birds flapped round in mocking circles." I should hate to have birds making mock ing circles round my glider. Several of them, I read on, "made aggressive passes at the gliders, culminating in an attack on a Swallow. The bird struck at the leading edge and was later recovered with a broken neck. . . The incident seems to have resulted in increased respect and no further incidents have been reported." I hasten to say bird-strikes can be a singularly unfunny subject, as a note on page 497 of last week's issue attests. « PILOTS READY * •:•:•: we You All Right?—No 26 [Yes, the doctor was all right—in fact he wasn't on board. ne apparently forgot to tie his Do27 down, sport, in case a storm blew up—which it did] TO STRIKE Dispute on Manningl New B.E.A. Aircraft fl MERCHANT SEAMEN'S CLAIM REJECTED from the "Glasgow Herald," August 23 • According to a TWA statement a 315- channel flight recorder system has been in operation for more than 800hr on one of their Boeing 707s, as a "major advance in the airline's programme to maintain and increase its industry leadership in safe, reliable, on-time performance, and to improve its operating efficiency." If multi-channel recorders are so good for the economics of one airline, are they not good for them all? • Have you noticed how many pop music groups have aeronautical names? Like the Viscounts, the Tornadoes, the Caravelles, the Sputniks, the Comets, Billy Fury, to name but a few. I wonder how far up the hit parade the 707-320Bs or the VClOs might get? Top of the hit parade at the moment, of course, are the Beetles, but I can't think of an aeronautical connotation here. LETTERS • From Sir George Withit Dear Rog, I have just been reading your column for September 26, 1963, page 541, all about the Caravelles, Viscounts, Tornadoes, etc. You are so square, my dear fellow, that you are almost cubic. Did you not know that the BEATLES spell their name with an A? So you see they do have an aero nautical connection—e.g., BEA, BEAgle, etc. By the way, I understand that this talented young group is the pioneer of the so-called new "Liverpool sound" in pop music today. And what a remarkable sound it is! When they play "Twist and Shout" you can hardly hear yourself Speke! Yours faithfully, Liverpool Airport o. WITHIT ROOER BACON
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