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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0280.PDF
'LIGHT International, 30 January 1964 177 Certification Times SIR,—Two items from your January 2 issue prompt some intriguing comparisons between the American and British aircraft industries in terms of transport aircraft development programming. The news that the Boeing 727 has been certified in 1,100 flying hours and that the VC10 will complete its programme in some 2,250hr makes me wonder how the 707, DC-8 and Trident compare. Hampstead. London NW3 MICHAEL JOLLEY [The first version of the 707 was certified in l,600hr, and the DC-8 in 2,300hr. The Trident is expected to be certified in 2,100hr. The Convair 880 did it in l,200hr. Variations in the amount of route and demonstration flying and the number of aircraft allocated to the test programme are some of many reasons for variations in the test flying hours. British air- worthiness certification also involves more route flying and stall investigation than does its US equivalent. It may be significant that 707 development was backed by a big programme on the KC-135 military tanker version; but, apart from the slight benefits of some engineering similarities with the 707, the 727's remarkably few develop- ment flying hours probably show what modern techniques can achieve when commercial considerations dictate urgency.—Ed] Pick-a-back Ansons SIR,—Mr F. Carloss mentions in his letter Flight Inter- national, January 16) the landing of two Avro Ansons pick-a- back fashion which occurred with 33 SFTS, Carberry, Winnipeg, in 1941. A similar landing took place at 7 SFTS, Macleod, Alberta, involving Ansons. The Ansons were flown solo by LAC Bolli and LAC McKeown. The third Anson pick-a-back landing took place at Wagga Air Base, Australia, on September 29, 1940. Birmingham 14 ... • ... MAURICE AUSTIN SIR,—I have been very interested in your "Are You All Right?" series of photographs and the letters resulting from them, particularly the latest from Mr F. C?.r!oss. Unless by a remarkable coincidence there was an almost identical occurrence at 33 SFTS, Carberry, Mr Carloss is a little adrift with the incident of the colliding Ansons which he has outlined, since I understood it happened in Australia. Two Ansons from the SFTS at Wagga, NSW, collided at 3,000ft above Brocklesby, about 50 miles from base, whilst practising formation flying. This occurred on September 29, 1940. After the collision and the crew of the lower aircraft had parachuted to safety, LAC Fuller, the other pilot, found that both machines were still flying pick-a-back fashion under the uncontrolled power of the lower machine. He ordered his observer to jump and then set about landing the two aircraft, which he did successfully. Although extensively damaged both aircraft were later repaired. Unfortunately, there was a tragic sequel four years later, when Fuller, then a flying officer and holder of a DFM which he won in the Middle East, was killed in a road accident near the RAAF station at East Sale, Victoria. Coventry, Warwickshire F. J. BROWN SIR,—With reference to the letter from Mr F. Carloss about the landing of two Ansons one on top of the other at 33 SFTS, Carberry, in 1941, I have looked through my books and files and found another occasion when this happened. Two Avro Ansons being flown solo by LAC Bolli and LAC McKeown, pupils at 7 SFTS, Macleod. Alberta, made contact at about 60ft above the ground when both were being landed. They landed safely and neither pilot was injured. I can find no report of the incident mentioned by Mr Carloss and I have complete sets of Flight, The Aeroplane and Aeroplane Spotter from 1940 to 1946. Barnby Dun, Doncaster, Yorks A. DRINKALL SIR,—Mention of the pick-a-back Avro Ansons sent me scurrying for my wartime photograph album. For a period of time I was stationed at 18 SFTS, Gimli, Manitoba—about Three pick-a-back landings by locked Ansons? The top illustration is from a cutting sent to us by Mr R. T. Roles and shows a well- authenticated "twin Anson" landing which took place at Macleod, Alberta, in 1941. The second shows the equally well-authenticated landing near Brocklesby, NSW, of collided Ansons on September 29, 1940, the landing being made by the pilot of the top aircraft, using the uncontrolled engines of the lower. This picture (from a cutting) was sent by SAC I. R. Jones. The bottom picture, sent by Mr F. R. Alexander, is an enigma—it looks almost too neat to be a true collision and may be two redundant Ansons piled one atop the other, but it could also be an incident said to have occurred at 33 SFTS, Carberry, Winnipeg, which provoked this correspondence 80 miles north of Winnipeg—and the enclosed photograph came into my possession. However, I don't think that the incident occurred at Gimli and your contributor is possibly correct in stating 33 SFTS, Carberry. Is this the photograph he has in mind? Largs, Ayrshire FRANK R. ALEXANDER FORTHCOMING EVENTS Jan 31 RAeS Rotorcraft Section: Half-day symposium, "'Physical Principles of Hovercraft" by W. A. Mair, and "Hovercraft Noise Suppression," by Prof E. J. Richards. Feb 4 RAeS: "Recent Advances in Aerial Reconnaissance and Survey" by T. D. Weatherhead. Feb 5 RAeS, Southampton Branch: "An Investigation of the Uses of VTOL Throughout the World" by 1. C. Cheeseman. Feb 3 RAeS, Hatfield Branch: "City Centre to City Centre Transport" C. S. Cockerell. Feb 5 RAeS, Swindon Branch: "Principles of General Noise Suppression,'* by W. C. Copeland. Feb 5 Kronfeld Club: "Rebuilding and Flying Historic Aircraft" by Air Cdre A. H. Wheeler. Feb 5 British Institution of Radio Engineers and the Instit- ution of Electrical Engineers, Torquay: "Principles and Technology of Lasers" by R. C. Smith. Feb 5 British Institution of Radio Engineers, London: "The Decca Omnitrac II Computer," by J. A. Ashton.
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