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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0114.PDF
FLIGHT International, 16 January 1964 79 AIR CO E R C E BOEING 727s FOR JAPAN BOTH Japan Air Lines and All Nippon Airways have decided, like TAA and Ansett in Australia, to choose Boeing 727s for domestic operations. This decision concludes one of the most intensive commercial sales battles of recent years, and it must obviously be regarded as a severe blow for the Trident. It was announced by Japan Air Lines in Tokyo on January J 3 that they have ordered four Boeing 727s, with an option on two. All Nippon have ordered three 727s at a cost which they give as $4.7m each plus spares and equipment for the fleet valued at $4.9m. DECISION FOR THE FERRYMEN AUTAIR'S applications to operate vehicle ferry services from the north London airport of Luton to the Continent have been refused by the ATLB. At the same time BUAF's applications for new Carvair services from Coventry, with which the Autair appli- cations were directly competing, have with minor qualifications been granted. Air Ferry's applications to operate vehicle ferry services from Manston to Calais, Dijon and Toulouse are dis- missed, but this operator's requests to ferry cars to Le Touquet and Ostend from Manston, and also between Le Touquet and Belfast, are granted. The hearings were reviewed in our issue of November 14, 1963, page 786 (" Three Ferrymen "), EROS APPEAL LOST THE onus is on an operator to convince the ATLB of its financial fitness, and it is not the Board's duty to stipulate minimum re- quirements or to approve or disapprove financial plans. This controversial finding is handed down by Sir Ralph Hone, the com- missioner who heard the Eros Airline appeal against the ATLB's refusal—on grounds of financial unfitness—of two Gatwick - Per- pignan charter licences. The Minister upholds this finding, pub- lished on January 9. Eros complained to Sir Ralph that the Board had not given them an opportunity to discuss their plans and had not given a measure to the required finance. Sir Ralph concluded that the Board had " given the closest attention to the financial position of the com- pany over a considerable period," and had " properly exercised the discretion vested in them." The appeal hearing brought out financial facts and figures which are not normally made public. In their first year of operation Eros lost £23,000 (which they said was fully anticipated) and a small profit would probably be made in the second year. Eros considered that £30,000, the purchase price of their three Vikings, was a fair valuation, and £6,000 had been set aside in the June 1963 balance sheet for " checks, replacements, renewals and de- preciation." Eros told the commissioner that " all commitments have been honoured and there are no major creditors," adding that they were in a position to increase their capital. Sir Ralph Hone's report takes note of Eros's contention that the Board were satisfied with the company's operational competence. TO PUT IT ACROSS LORD NORMANBROOK, 61, former Head of the Civil Service and a former Cabinet Secretary, has been appointed by the Minister to be a member of the BO AC Board. Welcoming the appointment Sir Giles Guthrie, BOAC's chairman, says: "I shall especially value the advice Lord Normanbrook is uniquely qualified to give on the manner in which my proposals for the future of BO AC should be presented to the Government... At one time it seemed that he would be available only in an advisory capacity: as a Board member he will be able to help even more effectively." Footnote Mr R. M. Forrest, BOAC's solicitor, succeeds Mr Kenneth Staple as secretary of the corporation. Mr Staple made it known in 1961 that he intended to retire at the present time. CHANGES AT THE TOP THERE has never been a year bringing so many changes in the leadership and in the equipment of British air transport. The year will see making their debut into public service three completely new types of rear-engined British second-generation turbine aircraft: the BAC VC10 with BOAC, the DH Trident with BEA, and the BAC One-Eleven with British United. There are to be, or have already been, major changes in the leadership of BOAC and BEA, and less publicized but important reorganizations in both British United and British Eagle, the two leading independents. But even less publicized have been the major changes in the Ministry of Aviation's civil aviation staff. Two of the most senior people who have long been the grey eminences behind succeeding ROTTERDAM'S FATAL DYKE ' ' THE BUAF Carvair accident at Rotterdam at HOOhr on December 28,1962, is the subject of a Dutch report issued on October 30 and published* by the MoA on January 10. The Dutch investigators find that the commander, Capt J. B. Tootill, who was killed, made the final approach (his 120th to this runway since April 1961) below the glide path and with insufficient power. The aircraft hit a dyke 240m before the threshold and turned over. The co-pilot was badly injured but the 14 passengers were unhurt There was considerable snow-covering, and the red and white obstruction markers on the dyke had not, says the report, been cleared of snow. A special inquiry, involving a number of DC-3 test approaches, found that the dyke did not stand out against the surrounding terrain; that the approach lights could not be dis- tinguished; and that the threshold lights were not clearly visible. However, in the opinion of the Dutch investigators, the aircraft would still have hit the ground a considerable distance short off nc threshold even if there had been no dyke, " although possibly with less fatal consequences." Mr R. Burns, new Deputy Secretary (8), Ministry of Aviation (see "Changes at the Top") *,^ePort of the Netherlands Air Accident Board, Carvair G-ARSF,pub-"s«ed as MoA document CAP 201, HM Stationery Office, London, Is 3d.
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