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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0792.PDF
Official Organ of the Royal Aero Club Fleet Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded in 1909 THURSDAY MARCH 26, 1964 Number 2872 Volume 85 Editor-in-Chief M AU RICE A. SMITH DFC Editor H. F. KINO MBE Technical Editor W. T.QUN8TON Air Transport Editor J. M. RAMSDEN Production Editor ROY CASEY Managing Director H. N. PRIAULX MBE In this issue World News 45 2 Air Commerce 454 Airline Profile: BOAC-Cunard 461 Giant from Georgia. 463 Straight and Level 464 Israel Aircraft Industries 465 New Arab Steeds 467 A Supersonic Spy? 469 Letters 470 Industry International 4 72 Sport and Business 474 8ervice Aviation 47S Army Rings the Bell 476 Missiles and Spacefligrht 47 7 Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd, DorsetHouse, Stamford Street, London, SE1; telephone Waterloo 3333 (Telex 25137).Telegrams Flightpres London Telex. Annual subscriptions: Home £4 15s.Overseas £5 5s. Canada and USA (15.00. Second Clasa Mail privileges authorizedat New York, NY, Branch Offices: Coventry, 8-10 Corpora-tion Street; telephone Coventry 25210. Birmingham, King Edward House, NewStreet, Birmingham 2; telephone Mid- land 7191. Manchester, 260 Deansgate,Manchester 3; telephone Blackfriars 4412 or Deansgate 3595. Glasgow, 123Hope Street, Glasgow C2; telephone Central 1265-6. Bristol, 11 Marsh Street,Bristol 1; telephone Bristol 21491/2. New York, NY: Thomas Skinner A Co(Publishers) Ltd, 111 Broadway 6; telephone Digby 9-1197.© Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd, 1964. Permission to reproduce illustra-tions and letterpress can be granted only under written agreement. Brief extractsor comments may be made with due acknowledgement. America's Aerospace IndustryI NDUSTRIAL diversification was a prominent theme in a recent address on problems facing America's aerospace industry delivered by Mr Courtlandt S. Gross, chairman of the Lockheed Aircraft Corpor- ation. Though the current trend meant that less money was being spent on defence, said Mr Gross, predictions about the imminent collapse of the industry were "exaggerated and unrealistic." He conceded that, for the time being at least, the industry had come to the top of a "rather spectac- ular" growth cycle, and he pointed out that it would be unreasonable to expect the rapid expansion of the past few years to continue unabated. The present pause was characteristic of an industry that had always grown by upward surges, followed by "periods of plateaus or even declines." A complaint against the industry, Mr Gross noted, was that, having slowed down, it had made no provision for future growth in civil markets. Obstacles to an immediate and adequate conversion to civilian goods were several. "We are geared for very complex systems, requiring exten- sive engineering test, and evaluation, but we are not geared for mass production," he explained. "Even if obstacles such as these were elimi- nated, we would be confronted with lack of marketing facilities, like dealer and distributor outlets, so necessary to commercial sales. Above all, we have organizations which are adapted to the peculiarities of defence business and dealing with the Government, but inadequate, burdensome and non-competitive in the civilian field." In the course of his address Mr Gross said that Lockheed were identified with a number of large civilian systems, ranging from transportation to sewage disposal and salt-water conversion, though many of these projects were only marginally economic and all of them would involve large commitment of resources and a degree of risk as yet unknown. Ending on an optimistic note he said that there were many opportunities ahead— in continued research and development of aerospace systems; in new aircraft concepts to meet the changing needs of limited war; in the explor- ation of space and the oceans; and in air cargo and improved civil trans- port systems—land as well as airborne. Mr Gross's reference to the oceans has a particular interest in the context of diversification. Lockheed themselves are studying ram-wing air-cushion vehicles (among other systems); Boeing and Grumman are building hydrofoil craft; Douglas are working on big ACVs; and Republic have just taken to their bosom the Vickers VA-3 hovercraft—delivered to them by a company which had its origins in Britain's own aerospace industry. In mentioning land transport Mr Gross was doubtless thinking of Lockheed's monorail interests. ... and Britain's BY now accepting the term "aerospace" in a British context weconform with the recent decision by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors to change its name to the Society of British Aerospace Companies. While perpetuating the world-known initials SBAC, they say, the new title is more truly representative, in modern conditions, of the scope of activity of the Society's member companies, and brings the SBAC into line with comparable bodies in other countries, e.g., America's Aerospace Industries Association. With the forthcoming Blue Streak shot the new style and title will receive its warranty.
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