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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2232.PDF
243 RIGHT International, 13 August 1964 As mentioned in last week's issue, Boeing is now offering a side-loaded mixed-traffic version of its short-haul tri-jet— known as the 727C. Operating from a 5,000ft runway, the 727C can carry 30,0001b ofpayload over 1,900 miles, or, in the all-cargo configuration, eight pre-loaded pallets (36,7501b cargo) over 1,500 miles. Northwest Airlines are the first 727C customer with an order for three, for delivery in June 1966 ROMAN TRIDENT J UST north of Fiumicino lies the seaside resort of Fregene, awonderful place to go for a Roman holiday. The sea is warm, the beach is golden, the sun is hot (though not, thanks to a cool breeze, too much so), and there are no flies. But it is not the place to go to forget about aviation. Jet after jet, and still the odd propeller, comes over on finals to Fiumicino. Nobody takes much notice of them. Their passage is not intrusive, and the bathing, boating and body-burning is carried on regardless. Except in the case of one type. At 11 a.m. each morning a mass turning of heads indicates that BEA's Trident is coming in. This was noticeable not just once, but each morning. At such a moment British chests were identifiable not only by their pallor but by their proud expansion. Britain's red-winged tri-jet turns heads everywhere it goes, almost as the Comet used to do. Rome has been on the Trident map since mid-July, doing the service from London within a couple of hours, or in little more time than it takes to have a relaxed breakfast outbound or luncheon homeward bound. The feeding is efficiently yet pleasantly dis- pensed despite the fact that the Trident's 600 m.p.h. does not make a stewardess's working life any less crowded. The best way to appreciate a Trident take-off is to observe the expression of incredulity on the faces of the passengers. The lack of sound is nearly actually disconcerting, though not so much so that BEA should pipe a gramophone record of jet noise through the PA system. Over the public-address towards the end of the flight the captain throws away—as an aside from his terminal weather Smalltalk—the fact that the air brakes on the descent may cause a little bumping. He mentions also that changes in engine note are no cause for concern, being "a normal feature of the automatic throttle system." Such thoughtfulness costs nothing and earns much goodwill, not only among the first-riders, but also among neurotic old-riders whose hearts miss a beat even when the airline's leatherbound copy of Homes and Gardens is accidentally dropped on the floor during flight. Interior decor is plain but not dowdy; dark blue for the chairs and carpet and grey walls and ceiling in the tourist section—rather reminiscent of the old BOAC scheme. Perhaps such a special aero- plane deserves something a little more special; and while on com- paratives rather than superlatives, we wonder whether life might not be easier for BEA as well as for their passengers if there were a seat-selection system (pick your seat card off a cabin plan at the check-in counter) to avoid the apron stampede and the game of musical chairs when Mum does not want her young family split up. Seasoned Tridenteers, incidentally, may well always go for the facing chairs towards the front of the tourist section. If the Roman holidaymakers at Fregene beach were to take note of every aeroplane, and not only the Trident, they would be amazed at the difference in approach to the approach. The scatter of heights and descent angles is very large; and even speeds, power-settings and configurations seem to vary not only from type to type but even among operators of the same type. To watch it all from the beach is to realize the importance of the Ministry of Aviation's current "ground flight recorder" programme at London Heathrow, where the Ministry's operations people are now putting a measure to different approach habits. They would enjoy it much more from the beach at Fregene, especially if they commuted by BEA Trident. J.M.R. French domestic routes in the Brittany region are about to see the first commercial operations by the Nord 262. The first production aircraft delivered to Air Inter is here seen with the recently applied dorsal fin
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