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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 0700.PDF
682 FLIGHT International, 4 ts,ut WORLD E W 8 Go-Ahead for America's SST Last weekend President Johnson finally gave the go-ahead for the construction of two prototypes of the American super- sonic transport—four months after his approval of the selection of Boeing to build the airframe and General Elec- tric the 60,0001b powerplants. The cost of building the prototypes is estimated at $1,200 million (£430 mil- lion), of which 90 per cent will be paid by the US Government. If the costs exceed this figure the Government's share will be reduced. Development costs will be repaid by the manufacturers when 300 SSTs have been sold; for every aircraft in excess of 300 the Govern- ment will receive a six per cent royalty. The total cost of the project, up to the time of entry into service in 1974, is estimated at $4,500 million (£1,800 mil- lion). So far 25 airlines have reserved delivery positions for 112 aircraft. No US Concorde Deal According to a report in the April 24 issue of our US contemporary Aviation Week the French Government has approved a Sud plan "to seek US in- dustry and Government help with recent problems in the construction of the two Concorde - . . prototypes." The report states that NASA will carry out wind-tunnel tests with Concorde models, including a one-third-scale model at Ames Research Centre. BAC's reaction to this report last week was that they were unaware of any such developments, which would be a matter for the committee of officials. A Ministry of Technology spokesman said: "There is no agreement of the kind suggested," and a NASA spokesman described the wind-tunnel model reports as "absolutely false." Ministers Meet on AFVG Mr Denis Healey, Minister of Defence, and M Pierre Messmer, French Minister for the Armed Forces, are to meet their German counterparts in Paris on May 8 to discuss possible German participation in the AFVG programme to help reduce costs and ensure a wider market. A further attempt is to be made to reach agreement on the AFVG speci- fication, but German participation may well result in alterations to this and will certainly mean a revision of work- sharing between three countries instead of two. Agreement on the specification and division of work between Britain and France was originally scheduled for September this year. Russia's Paris Exhibits Among aircraft and equipment which Russia will display at the Paris Show are the Yak-40, a medium-sized, short- haul aircraft powered by three Ivchenko AI-25 turbofans of 3,3001b thrust. Also at the Show for the first time will be the Yak-18PM sporting aircraft, and models of the Tu-144 SST are promised. Automatic flight control systems will be emphasised on three aircraft. The 11-62 will be shown with reverse thrust and the "Polet" automatic flight con- trol system; this system, too, is to be shown in the Tu-134, which has auto- matic-approach ability; and an I1-18D equipped with the "Polosa" Category 3 automatic landing system will also be on view. Among Russian helicopters will be two versions of the Mi-6, one with a capacity for 90 passengers, the other equipped for fire-fighting. British Designer Joins Fairchild-Hiller Mr J. R. Ewans, manager value en- gineering of BAC, has joined Fairchild- Hiller. As chief aerodynamicist of A. V. Roe & Co Ltd from 1949, and chief designer from July 1955, Mr Ewans played a leading part in Vulcan develop- ment, and headed the team responsible for the Vulcan B Mk 2 and the Avro 748. From 1960-61 he was director and chief engineer of Avro's aircraft division, joining BAC as technical sales manager in 1961, becoming manager value en- gineering in 1964. In the Aerodynamics Department at RAE Farnborough, Mr Ewans was one of the team that investi- gated German war-time aeronautical research and development and operated 1 German wind-tunnels. He joined Black- burn Aircraft Ltd in 1946 as head of the aerodynamics section of the design office, moving to Avro three years later. Hover Platform at Paris An unmanned tethered hovering plat- i form will be displayed by Dornier at the Paris Salon this month, it is reported from West Germany. Supplied with fuel by a hose from the ground, the plat- form can hover for hours at a time at heights of up to 800ft, and can be used for numerous purposes such as survey, reconnaissance and radar and radio relay. The Wilson Committee The widest terms of reference have! been given to the committee that is toj investigate the Bristol Siddeley repay- ment, and its recommendations (the report is to be published) could result in further investigation—and perhaps eventual reform—of Government con- tractual procedures. In a statement to the House on April 24, Mr Wedgwood Benn, Minister of Technology, said: "The Committee of Inquiry is being set up jointly by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and myself. Its terms of reference will be: — "To investigate the circumstances of the pricing of certain contracts for the overhaul of aero-engines in the period 1959-63, leading to repayment in March 1967 by Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd to the Ministry of Technology and matters relating thereto; and to report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Technology as soon as possible. "The Committee should feel free to make any recommendations they may consider necessary, in the light of their inquiry, on the need for further investi- Forty years after Col Charles Lindbergh made his historic solo Atlantic crossing from Long Island to Le Bourget—on May 20-21, /927—o replica of his Ryan monoplane is to fly at Le Bourget during the Paris Air Show. Built by Tallmantz Aviation, it is seen here during its first fligm, in the hands of Mr Frank Tallman at Orange County Airport, California, on April 24. Right, at the post-flight press conference: I to r, Mr Donald A. Hall, designer of the original; Mr T. Claude Ryan, chairman, Ryan Aeronautical Co.; and Mr Frank Tallman. (Pictures by Howard Lti))
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