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Aviation History
1966
1966 - 0011.PDF
Internat 6 janua 1966 BOAC has nowtaken delivery of its two Boeing 707-336Cs; G-ASZF, seen here, was the first to arrive at London Airport. See story on page 11 the too-common cause of major disasters-thai of hitting the fround en route, on let-down, or on final approach Nearly Sf the serious scheduled-service accidents were m this cate- gory. In such accidents there was, overall, a very low passenger- survival ratio. . . A record of accidents does not, and never can, provide any idea of the number of incidents which, but for good fortune and the skill of flight crews, could have developed into disasters. Among the few recorded because of the dramatic circumstances were the engine-fire cases of the Pan American 707 (in June) and of the JAL DC-8 (see page 11) after take-off from San Francisco. Both aircraft were landed safely. Included unobtrus- ively in the table are the deaths following the collision between the TWA 707 and the Eastern L-1049. This, too, could, with less good fortune and skill, have been a disaster comparable with the collision near New York between a DC-8 and a Con- stellation in 1960. Air transport safety must not be allowed to depend too much on such statistically unlikely good luck. H.A.T. MEA STILL HEDGING BETS JANUARY 10 is the deadline which Middle East Airlines has given the British Aircraft Corporation to complete a contract to sell three Super VClOs. At the same time MEA is still con- ducting advanced negotiations with Boeings for 707s in case the British deal does not go through. Originally it was hoped that the contract with BAC, which is understood to be virtually completed, could be signed before Christmas, but credit arrange- ments which BAC are making need the approval of a Cabinet sub-committee which was not expected to meet before the New Year. Under the proposed agreement MEA would pay approximately £2.7 million for the Super VClOs, but as each aircraft is delivered BAC will make a cash payment of £350,000 to cover re-capitalisation costs of MEA. This sum will be repaid to Britain over a ten-year period. CAB TO DISAPPROVE IATAS $50,000 ON December 2 (page 949) Flight reported that IATA'S mail vote on $50,000 (£18,000) was in cold storage instead of operat- ing as originally intended on December 1 for the benefit of passengers travelling to and from the USA on contracts of carnage governed by "The Warsaw Convention as amended at Sfe' , 55- flight ah0 noted *« *«* ^d been no7 °f ** pr°P°Sal b* *e CAB desPite the State 1" rejeCt'°n °f $50'000 on November 15, and 5* afOSe from me CABs d«ire to help govern- ment ^ an CVen hi*her limit in Montreal next of Squarely behind &* State t°- 5' 22"? °f Decembw 15' has ^ven d'Sappr°Ve the IATA vote subJect to ysS^/T"6111* from Crested parties withinbe that the CAR?fiW CXp-re in mid-January and it may well outstanding when \i,- aCtlOn on the mail vote wil1 still be ^ boardWlJ? ** G°vernments ™<* °n February 1.«» November 1ftadraws u attei>tion to the US official position <** 15 m whlch fte State ^ rtment £d that they would withdraw the notice of denunciation which they had just filed if there seemed a reasonable prospect of government agreement in the area of $100,000 (£36,000) per passenger, accompanied, meanwhile, by a carrier limit of at least $75,000 (£27,000) as already reported (see Flight for November 18, page 842). Acting as the Federal guardian of the "public interest" in air commerce, the CAB objects mainly to the principle that IATA members may not offer higher limits than those specified in the resolutions. The board would like individual carriers to be free to offer more if they so desire. No doubt this principle may be hotly contested by IATA—which has found it neces- sary from time to time to limit anything from the size of sand- wiches to the pitch of seats. If carriers are to be free to offer a limit of liability higher than that set out in the IATA resolu- tions, why should they not be equally free to offer more than the agreed standard of tourist-class amenities? However, the board has indicated its willingness "to accept, as an interim measure, a collective agreement among the IATA carriers to increase their limits of liability by special contract for Warsaw carriage to amounts consistent with US policy . . ." This means not less than $75,000. The message to IATA members preparing for the ICAO meet- ing in Montreal is very plain. Will they be able to take the necessary steps in good time? TROUBLE OVER ALITALIA DC-9 ORDER BRITAIN is making strong representations at high level to the Italian Government about the adverse effect on future Anglo- Italian co-operation of the Alitalia decision to order DC-9s (Flight for December 23, page 1073). The alternative would have been a stretched version of the One-Eleven which could have been designed to Italian requirements and built under a co-production agreement There are conflicting reports as to whether the Italian Government has approved the Alitalia order or not, but if it has been approved it will mean a severe setback to hopes of integrated European production projects. One possibility, according to the Financial Times, is that an Alitalia subsidiary, Aero Trasporti Italiani, at present operating F.27s on domestic services, might be interested in buying yet another new version of the One-Eleven which could be built under some kind of co-production agreement JAL TO NEW YORK THE United States and Japan have signed a new commercial airline agreement giving Japan Air Lines the right to operate to New York and beyond. Until now the airline's trans-Pacific services have terminated at Los Angeles or San Francisco. The arrangement will allow JAL to fly round the world if the appropriate traffic agreements are concluded. The United States has, in return, been granted rights to serve Osaka "and beyond." The agreement is regarded as a big step forward in US- Japanese relations; negotiations have been in progress inter- mittently during the past four years. The agreement, which was signed in Tokyo on December 28, includes an undertaking by Japan that there will be no restrictions on US round-the- world cargo flights through Tokyo.
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