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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0793.PDF
452 FLIGHT //iternotionol, 26 March 1964 WORLD E W S Westland's Order . . . The British Army's light reconnaissance helicopter is to be the Agusta-Bell 47G-3B-1, and not the Hiller 12E, it was announced in the Commons last week. The oft-deferred decision goes to Westland Aircraft and the Italian company Giovanni Agusta, Italian licence-builders of the basically American machine. To satisfy the Army's most urgent needs, 50 are to be acquired off the existing Agusta production line, this being the first substantial purchase by Britain of Italian aviation equipment. They will be followed by 100 to be produced by Westland, working at two removes from the designers, Bell Helicopter Corp. "The requirement for the Royal Marines can be met in the same way," said the Minister of Aviation, Mr Julian Amery, announcing the decision. Mr Amery said that Westland's tender was "substantially lower" than Shorts' offer of the Hiller 12E and Westland also had more experience in the making of helicopters. It is understood that the 47Gs will cost £18,000 each against £22,000 for the 12Es. Certainly the aircraft off the Italian line, with low labour rates obtaining in Italy, are likely to be substan- tially cheaper than any Hillers which might have been obtained direct from the USA. Countering criticisms from Ulster MPs that there was a social need for the work to be placed in Belfast, with Shorts, the Minister said that the order could not have been a major source of employment— Shorts had estimated that the work would occupy 120 men and Westland's estimate was 80—and in all the circumstances the arguments for the Bell were decisive. A Westland spokesman later told Flight International that exact details of the arrangement with Agusta had not yet been worked out and the company had given no estimate of how many men the work would employ. It is believed that Westland's will not have any rights to sell the 47G outside Britain, unlike Shorts' agreement with Hiller, which would have given them sales rights in half the world and may have led to a substantial volume of export business. The ways in which the Army intends to use its new unit light helicopters are dis- cussed in an article on page 476. ... and Shorts' Travail Mr C. E. Wrangham, Shorts' chairman, speaking to the Press shortly after the helicopter order was announced, discounted the idea that it was of very great im- portance in Shorts' threatened redun- dancy problems. "When the Prime Minister was at Shorts two weeks ago," said Mr Wrahgham, "he rightly noted that the helicopter work could be measured only in terms of hundreds of men and Shorts' employment problem is measured in terms of thousands." The Prime Minister had assured them that Shorts would be retained as a design and production unit and that he is determined that their problems should be solved. "We regard this assurance to be of far greater value than to have had this order," said Mr Wrangham, "though a bird in the hand is always worth having." Mr Wrangham said that work in hand could only support the present level of employment—about 7,200 people—for an- other 12 months and on the present order book employment would fall very steeply during 1966 on that basis alone, but he was confident that further orders would be placed. Shorts, he said, "are not whining or belly-aching." Seacat was employing about 1,500 people and missile prospects were good; they were a most important supplement to aircraft work. A selling campaign on Skyvan was now being re-opened and the firm was hoping to break into this entirely new market. Had valuable time been lost by the delay in the Government giving the go- ahead for Skyvan? he was asked. "It's not First HFB 320 Hansa six-seat executive aircraft, powered by General Electric CjblO-ls is seen undergoing ground-resonance tests prior to its first flight. The second , machine is in final assembly and Hamburger Flugzeugbau have received orders for nine' 320s—three for Europe, one for Africa, and five for the United States for me to criticize my masters," he replied. "I am confident the RAF will take more Belfasts," said Mr Wrangham, remarking that there were still chances of civil sales of this heavy transport. The company had considered going into the hovercraft field but "I wouldn't think hovercraft would help to maintain employ- ment." The company had not considered entering the business aircraft market as producers, instead of their present role as distributors—they thought it was "interest- ing but speculative" and there was much more scope for that kind of aircraft in the USA than in Europe. Of non-aviation products Mr Wrangham said that the company made "a fine line in carpet sweepers," straddle carriers and fork-lift trucks, and had two more such projects. "But these are outside our aircraft works. Please come and tell me what we can do with them—except make aircraft, big ones and lots of them. We require to be fed with orders for large aircraft." Prince Philip as RAeC President Lord Brabazon of Tara, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, is retiring from the presidency of the Royal Aero Club, a post he has held for the past 21 years. Last Friday the committee stated that it "is honoured and proud to announce that he will be succeeded by HRH Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, who has graciously consented to accept the presidency of the Club from April 22, 1964, for a period of five years." The committee also expressed "its deep sense of gratitude to Lord Brabazon for his outstanding and indeed unique services to the Club, not only as president and past chairman, hut also as a member since its foundation in 1901." SBAC Changes Name Following the change in the names of comparable bodies overseas, the Society of British Aircraft Constructors has changed its name, while retaining the same initials, in preparation for the time when the British aircraft industry has more than American- boosted satellites in orbit. The SBAC is now to be known as the Society of British Aerospace Companies, and the change is commented upon in our leader this week. There are 534 aerospace companies in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, if the Society's membership is taken to in- clude them all. In the UK membership comprises 18 aircraft companies, three air- craft engine firms, four guided-weapons manufacturers, 389 equipment manufactur- ers and 98 materials companies. There are 11 SBAC member-companies in Canada, five in Australia, one in India and one in Hong Kong.
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