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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2224.PDF
BEA are saving on training costs by basing Vanguard conversion flying on Malta, as related on this page. Left to right, in flight over the island: Capt L. F. Holdstock, 2nd Offr R. F. Cooper and 2nd Offr A. L Campbell TRAINING IN THE SUN DEA pilots due to convert this winter on to Vanguards are doing ^ their circuits in Mediterranean sunshine instead of the rain and fogs of Essex. In an adventurous experiment which looks like succeeding, the corporation have transferred their programme from Stansted to Luqa Airport, Malta. Although other factors did influence the decision to move, the weather provided the chief reason. In previous winters Stansted has frequently failed to satisfy the minima—five miles visibility, 1,500ft cloud base—required by BEA and in one particular month as much as 67 per cent training time had been lost. Training captains and trainees were becoming frustrated, the programme overran, and costs began to soar. Although the present winter schedule has been running for only a little over a month, it looks as if all these drawbacks are vanishing in the Malta sun. Loss of training time during the first four weeks amounted to eight hours, or 3.1 per cent, due to strong north-west winds which, although not strong enough to stop scheduled services, were considered a sufficient challenge for the College of Air Training graduates, who are among those learning about the Vanguard, for a halt to be called. These small interruptions apart, a Vanguard has been in the air for an aggregate of six hours a day, and if this regularity can be maintained it will be possible to complete the training or conversion of 29 captains, four first officers and 37 Hamble lads by early April in time for both men and aircraft to phase into the summer sche dules. At Stansted, BEA estimate, the same programme would take Until June t0 finish and would cost anything up to £20,000 more. Lower costs in Malta will contribute to this financial saving as well, prth fuel—BEA are taking 5,000gal each day during the whole length of the programme—and oil are cheaper there, while landing charges will work out to the corporation's advantage. For although this latter item on the island is higher fractionally Juan the present UK scale, the corporation are paying nothing for touch-and-go landings, compared with 25 per cent of the full fee, 0r /12 16s a time, at Stansted. The programme calls for 50 per cent of the landings to be of the touch-and-go variety. For terminal landings, BEA are paying the WalteSe 20 per cent (£10 17s) of the full landing fee of £54 8s. ahUa0t^er big a<*vanta8e which Luqa has over Stansted is an psence of noise restrictions. The programme demands two hours' •"Rhtflying each day and a full detail on Sundays. So far the Maltese inn.—rwirn FLIGHT International, 26 December 1963 1023 have shown no sign of emulating the sometimes violent protests which such activities produce among the inhabitants of Essex. If they do feel some passing irritation at the Vanguard's repeated appearances the island inhabitants no doubt find comfort in the knowledge that the airliner's presence is helping both the local exchequer and to put their tourist-conscious island on the map. Why did BEA choose Malta for their winter programme when they might have gone to several other places offering similar facili ties and weather? The fact that the authorities, both Maltese and the RAF (who control the airfield), were co-operative helped, while another big factor was that the Vanguard is scheduled into Malta. This makes possible quick interchangeability of aircraft without special and expensive positioning flying, a benefit whose worth was demonstrated at the end of a recent press visit to see the BEA train ing set-up. Normally the Vanguard used for training will remain at Malta for a fortnight, serviced by 15 engineers from the engineering base at London Airport, before returning for Check I. Some spares have been taken out to Malta, and an early morning signal can usually ensure more esoteric items being on the island on the flight which arrives shortly after lunch. The continuity which these arrangements, plus the weather (there is an arrangement to divert training to Catania if it should deteriorate) will enable BEA to give each pilot about 12 hours' flying training. Pilots are being sent out to Malta three or four at a time, while three training captains are rostered for a period of duty there. Ex-Hamble cadets are getting anything between 60 and 70 landings while they are on the island, enabling some of them to narrow the gap between leaving school to flying scheduled services to two and a half years. Typical of this new material now coming into the corporation in a steady flow are two young men who had their first experience on Vanguards in Malta recently after graduating from the college's Piper Apaches. David Leah, aged 21, comes from Swinton, Lanca shire, and left Eccles grammar school in July, 1961, while Peter Benest (20), from Ashstead, Surrey, left Epsom College in April the same year. Their aviation careers have run together so far, both joining the College of Air Training in September, 1961, and passing out in July this year to go to BEA as second officers. Both expect to be "on the line" by January. AIR SAFETY COMPARED TWO quite unconnected comparisons have recently been made between safety standards in aviation and safety standards in medi cine. The first came from Mr J. E. D. Williams, managing director of Euravia, in a lecture of uncommon interest entitled "British Charter Aviation" to the London Society of Air Britain. In the course of his talk Mr Williams referred to a newspaper article "of quite breathtaking ignorance" by a Member of Parli- ment alleging that British independent pilots were not as good as they might be. Mr Williams believed that this person was a medical man by trade and, after outlining the proficiency and physical checks to which all airline pilots are subjected by law, he said: "Compare this with a general practitioner of 55 who is in a com parable situation in that people's fives depend on his technical knowledge, skills, judgment and experience. For 30 years he has had no competency checks; no one has ensured that he has kept abreast of the revolutionary advances of the last 30 years or even maintained his original standard. Unlike the incompetent pilot he does not die with the patient... and there is always the kindly veil of medical ethics to cover any errors of judgment which may be in danger of coming to fight." The other comparison was made by Professor W. C. W. Nixon of University College Hospital, London. Professor Nixon, speak ing at a press conference, said "One hundred babies die needlessly every week in Britain. If as many people die weekly in a 'plane crash there would be a national inquiry." UK Domestic Fare Increases The December 18 issue of the ATLB Licensing Notices publishes the fare increases on UK domestic routes that have been proposed by BEA, BOAC, BUA, British Eagle, Dan-Air, Cambrian and Derby. The increases, to be effective from April 1, are intended to cover the higher Mo A airport service charges proposed for next April 1, and are roughly of the order of Is in the £. UK domestic fares were last increased in April.
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