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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 1338.PDF
FLIGHT International, 21 December 1967 1021 AIR TRANSPORT TWO-ELEVEN REJECTED THE expected decision to reject the request by BEA for a fleet of BAC Two-Elevens was made by the Cabinet just before we went to press with this issue. The Government has agreed to meet a share of the cost of launching (believed to be some £15 million) the stretched 3/3B version of the HS. Trident it BEA chooses to order this instead. This decision closes an argument which has been going on for 18 months or more. But BEA is unlikely to accept the decision without a struggle and will almost certainly require a written directive from the Government to order the 3B instead of the Two-Eleven, the development of which, with its Rolls-Royce RB.211 turbofans, would have cost something of the order of £120 million. As long ago as February 1966 it was known that BEA had decided that a mixed fleet of Boeing 727-200s and 737-200s would be the best for them "on commercial grounds" and a request to buy them went to the then Minister of Aviation. On August 2 the Minister stated that BEA must buy British. In November 1966 BEA decided to order 18 of the stretched version of the One-Eleven, the series 500, to meet their medium-capacity requirements, but a bigger aircraft was still needed for heavy traffic routes in the early 1970s. Proposals from BAC for a variant of the VC10 eventually evolved into the Two-Eleven and in February this year BEA was ready to place an order if finance could be found to develop it. The formal Government statement of the decision was made by the President of the Board of Trade, Mr Anthony Cros- land, in the House of Commons on December 15. He said that the decision against the Two-Eleven was taken because the sales prospects did not justify the estimated development cost of £120 million. While BEA awaited a decision on a go-ahead (or not) for the BAC Two-Eleven, "orders" were placed by two British operators for a total of six. On December 13, Autair Inter- national, in association with Clarksons Tours, announced "a firm commitment" for three; on the following day Laker Airways, the contract-hire and charter operator, announced an order for another three. When he learned of the Govern- ment's decision, Mr F. Laker said that his company would now order Boeing 727-200s. FARE INCREASES APPROVED APPROVAL has been given by the British Government for the increases in fares agreed upon by IATA airlines follow- ing devaluation of the pound (see Flight for November 30, page 895). These provide in general for the raising of fares expressed in sterling by 16.67 per cent, to regain their pre- devaluation level in terms of the dollar. In approving the modifications, the Board of Trade has said that, as they relate to international traffic, it is not appropriate to refer them to the National Board for Prices and Incomes. ' The effect of the IATA adjustments might have been to raise minimum charges for inclusive tours from the UK, since these are required to be not less than the equivalent return fare by scheduled service, under Provision 1 of the air service licence. The Board of Trade say, however, that these charges will not be required to be raised during the present winter season, ana a tariff has been approved accordingly. This is the lowest applicable air fare available to the public on the particular route concerned on November 17. It does not affect ITX fares, which are subject to the IATA-approved adjustments. The Board of Trade has not made any decision on IT charges for next summer, but travel agents are anticipating increases of around 10 per cent to those countries which did not devalue. Most charter operators believe that their costs will rise by at most 5 per cent as a result of devaluation. ARREST THAT JET FOLLOWING pressure from the US Secretary of Transporta- tion, Mr Alan Boyd, the Federal Aviation Administration are re-examining their earlier opposition to the development and use of emergency arresting systems for runways at civil air- ports. There are, at present, two basic arresting concepts—a nylon net which can be raised at the end of a runway and the hook-and-cable principle, such as is used on aircraft carriers. The FAA have previously contended that the tests in 1965 showed that arrester-gear development had not reached the point where installation investment was justified and preferred to spend funds on approach aids and improved braking devices. The situation has, however, changed somewhat since the 1965 tests. Some time ago the French Government called upon Hispano-Suiza to develop an energy-absorbing barrier net capable of stopping the heaviest transport aircraft at speeds up to about 120kt or more and which can be raised into position near the end of a runway in a time of about one second. Such a barrier is, in fact, installed at Toulouse in preparation for the first flights of the Concorde. Because of these "potentially valuable" devices, the US Transportation Department will not go on record as being completely opposed to the use of such gear at international airports—a position the FAA originally planned to adopt. Instead, the FAA will urge the making of more studies on arresting gear. The Transportation Department is not the fr>e first of BEA's IB One- Eleven 500s is now struc- turally complete and in final assembly at BACs Hurn factory, with large components for the first s/x aircraft also in assembly ot Weybridge and Filton as we// as Hum. Certification flight tests of this definitive $00 will start early next year, with BEA service scheduled for November I
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