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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2339.PDF
346 FLIGHT International, 3 September 1964 AIR COMMERCE... Now in service. Passengers going aboard a Nord 262 of Air Inter on a service from Paris Orly to points in Western France the rear bearing of the second-stage compressor and that the feathering mechanism had failed because the operating controls had been damaged. The third incident concerned a BEA Comet 4B which was making its second approach to Milan Linate Airport on August 2 early in the morning and in foggy conditions. After touchdown the aircraft ran into an area of thick fog and braking was increased. After a swing to port which was corrected without difficulty, deceleration was pronounced. When the aircraft came to rest it was found that the four tyres on the port mainwheels had burst and were on fire. The fire was extinguished by the aerodrome fire tenders. A deterioration in runway visual range was observed immediately before the touchdown but too late to pass to the pilot. The last of the incidents occurred to a BEA Viscount on Septem- ber 9. While en route to Geneva it was noted that two screws were missing from the flap beam fairing between the inner and middle flaps on the port wing. As a precaution it was decided to make a flapless landing at Geneva. Touchdown was smooth on the main- wheels, but the nosewheel and axle broke off because of a material fracture when the nosewheels touched the runway. A small fire developed in the nosewheel bay by the time the aircraft had come to a halt. certainly show the fight to have been just about as hard as British Eagle's most pessimistic estimates. Even with the undoubted passenger appeal of a jet in its favour, it is hard to imagine how British Eagle's flying the One-Eleven could seriously upset BEA's position on the domestic routes. With little prospect of an early increase in British Eagle's licensed capacity (the restriction is in terms of flights per week and not seats per week) the use of a smaller aircraft like the 79-seater One-Eleven in place of the 105-seater Britannia could mean that, overall, fewer if any more passengers would be carried. The main advantage of operat- ing One-Elevens would seem to be lower aircraft-per-mile costs and a very competitive aircraft for inclusive-tour services. Parallel utilization of aircraft on IT services is fundamental to the econo- mically successful operation of the domestic services operated by British Eagle. Last week Mr Milward, BEA chairman, attacked the British Eagle proposal on two scores: first on the question of noise, and secondly that the application of jets to United Kingdom domestic routes could only harm the economics of both operators and in the end force up fares. Following the BEA announcement of its boom year during which domestic services were still said to be in the red, Mr Bamberg expressed "surprise" at the statement in view of what he regarded as a very high load factor by BEA on these services. BEA's average load factor on domestic routes in 1963 was 69 per cent. JETS FOR UK ROUTES? BRITISH EAGLE'S recent application to the ATLB for inclusion of the BAC One-Eleven as an approved type for its various United Kingdom domestic feeder routes and the intention to ask the same for its domestic trunk routes from London to Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow (licensed only for Britannias, DC-6Cs, Vanguards and Vikings at the moment) has already provoked comment from BEA and brought counter-remarks by British Eagle's chairman, Mr Harold Bamberg. For some time the independent airline has been evaluating the One-Eleven, but an order for six—as has been sug- gested—obviously depends entirely on ATLB approval for use of the type on domestic routes. The expected strong objection by BEA could well lead to the testing of regulation principles never before faced by the ATLB. With one hand metaphorically tied by a frequency restriction amounting to a permitted one or two services per day in each direc- tion on each route, British Eagle, flying Britannias, began its chal- lenge of the BEA domestic route monopoly almost a year ago. While the incentive from competition has undoubtedly led to a better quality and frequency of service and the independent airline has wen a lot of firm friends, the first year's results will almost A MUNICH RE-HEARING? THERE now appears to be every chance that the West German Ministry of Transport will re-open the inquiry into the 1958 Munich take-oft" accident involving a BEA Elizabethan and the loss of 23 lives. The much-contested earlier report had put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the aircraft's commander—Capt James Thain—for not making sure the wings were clear of ice before attempting to take off. The reason for the possibility of a fresh probe into the disaster is the recent publication by the British Ministry of Aviation of a report detailing the results of tests conducted at RAE Bedford to determine the drag caused by slush on runways. Under German Ministry of Transport regulations a new enquiry must be h&r\ material is deemed to have been produced which brings to lig" aspects which were either not previously known or taken fully uw account. Among those recommending that the probe be re-openea is Capt Hans Reichel, head of the West German air accident investigations branch, who conducted the original enquiry.
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