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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 2202.PDF
fUGHT International, 16 November 1967 797 in a the reproducability of stalling properties and CLmax (which on" Al is 2.56 with flaps fully extended). It is expected that it will be possible to complete all icing tests on the Fellowship in the course of the coming winter. The third F.27 made its first flight on October 20 and has since joined the flight-test programme. The fatigue-test work on TA2 (front fuselage) and TA3 (main fuselage part, less tailplane and rear fuselage) is pro- gressing swiftly. The number of simulated flights in the water tank totalled, at October 16, 39,000 and 25,000, respectively- equivalent to 19,500 and 12,500 flying hours. Fatigue testing is to be continued up to the equivalent of 60,000 flights. During TA3 testing a crack in the border profile of the rear bulkhead necessitated a modification. In TA2 the tension profile of the central cockpit window-post also showed the need for some reinforcement. The fatigue-test programme as a whole is on schedule, with certain tests ahead of planning. On the production line the A6 front fuselage has been tested in the pressure-test ri,g, while sections for A8 are taking shape in the various jigs. The first front fuselage for Fairchild Hiller, SI (A5) is now in the United States; S2 is in the final stage of assembly; while S3 parts are being built in the jigs. In the fourth production aircraft, A4, installation of systems is now in progress. At VFW and HFB the first set of components for Fairchild Hiller should by now have been dispatched to the USA. ,\ ,....-... .... . AGENTS UNDER FIRE THE vision of a highly geared tourist world in which the local travel agent had no place, sharpened the tempers of delegates at the annual convention (Bournemouth, October 29-Novernber 2) of the Association of British Travel Agents. At one point BEA was roundly accused of issuing threats. But the airline's Mr Gerry Draper (general manager, marketing) was only peering into the future as ABTA had bidden him to do. Under pressure from charter tour competitors, he suggested, airlines might reconsider the wisdom of licensing these competitors to sell air tickets on scheduled services—often used simply as a reserve against charter failures. He wondered if national air- lines, in future, might be better served by a smaller number of agents getting a higher reward. Courageously, Mr Draper looked forward beyond 20 years, and saw the communications revolution—the video phone and the computer—cutting out the agent altogether as they linked airline and passenger direct. Though this didn't make him the agents' pin-up boy, at least he tossed them a crumb: he didn't see any rapid movement among airlines to abolish reservations and to introduce air shuttles. Also under fire from local agents was Mr H. V. Richards. He found himself defending BEA's performance on stand-by fares and the do-it-yourself Timesaver Ticket for business houses. He admitted the stand-by fare frequently by-passed the agent, but gave the assurance that there was no intention of introducing it on international routes. BEA had introduced the Timesaver to cut out airport and terminal delays over businessmen's ticketing; it too was valid only on domestic routes. Mr G. W. W. Dodd (BOAC) described the next stage in airline computer utilisation as dealing with the rapid movement of people on the ground—"unless systems are developed that speed handling on the ground, the value of fast air transport will be defeated." As for automatic ticket issue by computer, he felt the first step was fare simplification; "Sophisticated ticket issue is dependent on tariff simplification." The agents listened and were uneasy. They asked for consideration for hundreds of agents striving to achieve IATA status, and were asked in return if they wanted an "agency explosion." They suggested a review of the "ponderous" air transport licensing system. They left Bournemouth having passed a new code of sales conduct. Now they await the outcome of a £20,000 economic survey of travel, jointly undertaken by ABTA with BOAC, BEA and other carriers. In the hands of The Economist Intelligence Unit, it will be ready for publication in February/ March. Naturally, they hope it will prove them to be doughty salesmen—but oh so badly paid. TAN-Lanica Co-operation Lanica, the Nicaraguan airline, has agreed to joint operation of its BAC One-Eleven 400 with TAN Airlines of Honduras. TAN will inaugurate its first non- stop jet service to the USA on November 1, using the One- Eleven. ...... . . .- • -"•••„••. . ."•••':.•. ; :f;> Back to Midway Air transport operations will be resumed at Chicago Midway Airport by the middle of December after a four-month shut-down for runway extensions and other im- provements. Until the arrival of the jets in 1958-59 Midway was America's busiest airport; in 1966 it ranked 37th in terms of total aircraft and 216th in air transport movements. ALM to be Nationalised KLM's unprofitable Caribbean subsidiary, Antilliaanse Luchtvaartmaatschappij (ALM), is to be taken over by the Dutch West Indies Government from January 1. The fleet is likely to consist of two DC-9s and two F-27-500s provided by the Netherlands. ALM at present operates within the West Indies and to Miami. Not for Cimber The Nord 262 pictured on page 553 of Flight for October 5 was not the first for Cimber Airways. The photo- graph reached us from the French USIAS press service with the Cimber reference, but Nord-Aviation writes to say that the 262 was in fact one for the West German carrier LTU (D-CADY); the picture was taken on a training flight in France while engine failure during take-off was being simulated. Airport Terminal Design Those concerned in any way with the planning and design of airport terminal areas may well learn much from a study of the winning and other entries in a competition initiated in 1965 for the development of Berlin's Tegel Airport. A total of 68 designs were submitted in the com- petition and these form the subject matter of a fully illustrated book (with English-language translation supplement) obtainable at a price of DM30 ($7.50) through Berliner Flughafen GmbH, 1 Berlin 42, Zentralflughafen. The members of the Edwards Committee of inquiry into the British air transport industry held their first meeting on November 6 (see last week's issue, page 748). Seated, left to right, are Sir Hugh Tett (deputy chairman), Sir Ronald Edwards (chairman) and Mr A. G. Manzie (secretary); standing, also from left to right, are Mr S. F. Wheatcroft (assessor), Mr A. W. Fisher, Dr M. G. Kendall, Mr Philip Shelbourne, Copt F. A. Taylor and Sir Reginald Wilson
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