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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2152.PDF
953 FLIGHT International, 12 December 1963 One of Interocean's two Carvairs, LX-IOG, at Luxembourg. A note about a Dart-conversion of the Carvair, the Super Carvair, appears below AIR COMMERCE TURBOPROP CARVAIR MR FREDDIE LAKER, managing director of British United Airways, announced on December 3 that Aviation Traders Ltd— a company in the British United group—is going ahead with a £500,0OO-£6OO,OOO programme to re-engine the Carvair with Rolls- Royce Darts. It is hoped that the first aircraft, a new production Carvair, will be flying in just over a year's time. Mr Laker estimated, in answer to questions, that the conversion would improve oper ating cost per ton-mile by about 25 per cent (mostly from less engine maintenance) and cruising speed by about 20kt. The aircraft will be called the Super Carvair. Already, it is understood, a number of operators have expressed interest in a turboprop Carvair, not so much because of the improvements in operating cost and speed, but because people are hesitant these days to re-equip with piston-engined aircraft. The Super Carvair should, for this reason, widen the interest in the Carvair concept as a whole. The intention is to fit Dart 510 engines, of 1,740 e.s.h.p., in place of the Pratt & Whitney R.2000 piston engines of 1,450 s.h.p. Take-off and landing performance, as well as speed, will be improved by the increased power, and payload/range capability will be enhanced too for this reason and also because of the lighter weight of the Dart 510 powerplant. The conversion programme will obviously not be lacking a source of Dart engines; because of the very high rates of increase in Dart overhaul life, Viscount and Friendship operators tend to have a surplus of Dart stocks. The second-hand price of a complete Dart 510 powerplant has not yet found its level, unofficial quotations ranging from a little as £4,000 to as high as £20,000, but obviously BUAF Carvairs—all of which will be re-engined with Darts in due course—will be fitted with 510s from BUA's own Viscount stocks, and probably Aer Lingus—who are believed to be interested in the Super Carvair idea—would have their own source of Friendship and Viscount Dart supplies. The Super Carvair will at one stroke provide a modern freighter and vehicle-ferry aircraft and at the same time help to ease the Dart disposal problems that the dis placement of Viscounts by One-Elevens and DC-9s will create in the years ahead. The installation is not thought likely to present too many engineering problems; the Darts will help to bring the e.g. further forward thus easing the Carvair's present slight e.g. problems with a full load of passengers and only one or two cars. Few modifications to the control system are thought likely and passenger comfort should be greatly enhanced not only by the lower vibration of the Dart engine itself but also thanks to the fitting of smaller diameter (10ft compared with 13ft) propellers. The flight test programme is expected to take rather longer than the original Carvair trials, which lasted seven months. Twelve Carvairs have been built so far, accounted for as follows: four in service with BUAF (three more to come next season); two with Aer Lingus (one more to come); two, Interocean; one, Alisud; one written off; and two other aircraft are complete, one of them allotted to Alisud for delivery in February. Production of a further three aircraft will be completed by May. Aviation Traders are believed to be seriously considering "doing a Carvair" to the Canadair DC-4M, good used specimens of which (both North Star and Argonaut) are available. The conversion programme would include the fitting of Darts, presumably the Dart 520 series (1,990 e.s.h.p.) in place of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 626 piston engines of 1,760 s.h.p. The DC-4M is of course a younger, stronger aircraft than the DC-4, and it is pressurized. A Dart-powered "Carvaired" version of the DC-4M could clearly make a most attractive freighter and vehicle-ferry aircraft. SUPERSONIC SHEIKH ORDERS for BAC-Sud Concorde production positions rose t0 33, including the two prototypes, on December 4 when Sheikh Najib Alamuddin, president of MEA, signed a contract in Paris for the purchase of two aircraft. A downpayment of 1375,000, non-refundable on the usual conditions, has been paid on two delivery positions, 35 and 49, with a further $375,000 payable in 'he event of default. Because the French-built Concordes are allotted odd numbers, MEA are not as far down the list as might a PPear: their first Concorde will, in fact, be the seventeenth Concorde built. Sheikh Alamuddin says: "We believe that supersonic airliners will be on most routes from 1970 onwards. It is clear that these supersonic operations will not be confined to transatlantic travel." Financing of the order will be undertaken by MEA with the assistance of Intra Bank and the aircraft are for delivery in 1970-71 —by which time, says the Sheikh, MEA will have paid off its Present financial commitment for Comets and Caravelles. The Concorde delivery book, including the 12 aircraft reserved 0r BOAC and Air France, is now interpreted—in the absence of official information on this score—as follows: Concordes 1-20: delivery after the two prototypes rotated among Air France, BOAC and Pan American; Concordes 21-31: American Airlines (four); Continental (three); TWA (four, 22, 32, 34and38); MEA (two). — AND MORE FOR THE AMERICAN SST BOOK THE FAA last week booked in two more "orders" for the as yet non-existent US supersonic airliner, when El Al paid deposits on two and Northwest on four. This brings the FAA book to 45. Delivery positions so far allotted have now been published by the FAA. In establishing these, say the FAA, primary consideration has been given to the order in which carriers applied, and to a sequence of "market priorities," as follows: (a) US flag carriers, Atlantic; (b) foreign flag carriers, Atlantic; (c) US flag carriers, Pacific; (d) foreign flag carriers, Pacific; and (e) US domestic carriers. Total royalties paid to date are now therefore £4.5m at $ 100,000 per aircraft. These are refundable until November 1,1965. Delivery list is as follows: aircraft No 1, TWA (mid-1970); No 2, PAA; No 3, TWA; No 4, PAA; No 5, Alitalia; No 6, TWA; No 7, PAA; No 8, unassigned; No 9, Alitalia; No 10, El Al; No 11, TWA; No 12, PAA; No 13, American; No 14, El Al; No 15, TWA; No 16, PAA; No 17, unassigned; No 18, Northwest; No 19, unassigned; No 20, American; No 21, Alitalia; No 22, Northwest: No 23, JAL; Nos 24 and 25, unassigned; No 26, TWA; No 27, PAA, No 28, unassigned; No 29, Northwest; No 30, JAL; No 31, American; No 32, PAA; No 33, T WA; Nos 34-39, unassigned; No 40, American; Nos41 and42, unassigned; No 43, PAA; Nos44 and45, unassigned; No 46, JAL; No 47, TWA; No 48, American; No 49, unassigned; No 50, PAA; No 51, unassigned; No 52, TWA; No 53, unassigned;
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