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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2059.PDF
80 FLIGHT International, 16 July 1964 WORLD E W 8 Russian Order for Midas The first Soviet bloc order for British flight recorders was announced last week by Royston Industries, of Byfleet, Surrey. On behalf of Aeroflot, the Russian Government has placed a "very substantial pilot order" for the Midas type CMM/7T recorder, in both crash-proof and ejectable versions. Ground playback and data processing equipment is included in the order. The equipments to be supplied are 270-channel recorders, specifically suited to subsonic four-engined turbine aircraft, and the recording format is analogue. Although a substantial number of equip- ments is involved, the order is described by Mr K. G. Dobson, Royston's chairman, as a "pilot" order—for the decision has been taken to equip, in time, the entire Aeroflot airliner fleet with flight recorders and follow-on contracts are confidently expected. The 270-channel CMM/7T is also the recorder chosen by Air Canada (until recently TCA) in another contract announ- ced by Royston last week. Air Canada is the first major airline to decide to equip its entire fleet with a large-capacity recording system and the first unit supplied is already flying in a DC-8. Further Air Canada orders are expected as installation pro- gresses through the fleet. The CMM/7T fully meets the latest FAA requirements for complete crash-proofing. Its container is stated to withstand pressures of two tons; the impact of sharp flying objects weighing up to 5001b; shocks of up to l,000g; and 30 minutes' exposure to fire at up to l,100°C. Another U-2 Down Over China A second Nationalist Chinese U-2 recon- naissance aircraft was lost on a mission over eastern mainland China last week. The Communist Chinese Government claimed that the aircraft had been shot down; the Nationalists simply said that it had "met an accident" while returning. The Nationalist Air Force was reported to have "tempor- arily suspended" U-2 flights after the loss— presumably for lack of any further U-2s, for only two were reported to have been supplied to the Taipeh Government. Exports for May British aircraft exports in May totalled £10,134,082—an increase of £2,611,019 over the previous month's figure, the Board of Trade reports. The figure for May last year was £10,575,051. 132 StarLifters An undated news-release from Lockheed- Georgia Co announces that the US Air Force has signed a three-year contract with the company, valued at approximately $500,000,000, for the purchase of 127 C-141 StarLiftcr aircraft. This brings the total number of C-141s ordered by the Air Force to 132. Lockheed say that the current contract inaugurates a new concept of multi-year procurements designed "to save money and improve the Air Force's control of weapon-systems procurement. They go on to explain that "funds for each year will be obligated only in the years concerned. Under 1963 fiscal year funds, 16 aircraft were purchased, with six delivered in calendar year 1964 and ten others to come in 1965. Fiscal year 1964's procurement will be 45 aircraft, all to be delivered in calendar year 1965 (i.e., before next July). In fiscal year 1965, the additional 66 will be obligated, and all will be delivered in calendar year 1966." In addition to being the first multi-year contract signed by the USAF for a major weapon system, the contract, termed FPIFV, has several other unusual features. It is a fixed-price incentive contract, has a firm target from the outset and has value- engineering incentives. It also calls for Lockheed to act as an engineering-data depository, with the company retaining data on the C-141 and making it available to the Government, as required, on a separate call contract. More Clashes on Bangs Sonic booms over the land areas of the United Kingdom continued to engage the attentions of the House of Commons last week. Mr Neil Marten, Parliamentary Secretary to the MoA, rejected, in a written reply, the previous week's challenge by Mr Rupert Speir, MP, to arrange for a Lightning at 30,000ft to place a bang on the Palace of Westminster. "There are difficulties in arranging this over the Palace of Westminster," Mr Marten wrote, "but I shall be glad to arrange an exercise, at a suitable locality, after the recess [which means, in effect, after the new Government takes office], to demonstrate sonic booms under controlled conditions." MPs could be invited to this. Mr Speir, who has himself been the recipient of £25 for a successful claim concerning sonic-boom damage to his garden wall, was told that claims should be submitted to the MoD Claims Commission, Claims 3, York House, Kingsway, London WC2. After Mr Marten's refusal of his request for a test over Westminster, Mr Speir said: "It is an absurd suggestion that we should have to wait another three or four months before we can have an experiment under controlled conditions. I consider that, so far, there has been a conspiracy of silence, on the part of officialdom. It appears that they hoped the public would not be made aware of the extent of disturbance likely to be caused by supersonic aircraft, and the Concord might have been constructed before people have been made fully alive to the problems that it presents." Mr Marten, in another Commons reply, asserted that it was essential to our defence R and D programme for supersonic flights to continue over Wales and the border Royal Carriage—I Last week the first of two Hawker Siddeley Andover CC-2 transports for the Queen's Flight was delivered to the RAF. Below is the aircraft being ground tested. On the right is part of the executive suite. The royal aircraft is described on page 119
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