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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 2228.PDF
FLIGHT International, 23 November 1967 823 Jlore on Britain's US Purchases Further information on the cost of purchases of American military aircraft by Britain (Flight, November 16) was given by the Minister of State, Mintech, Mr John Stonehouse, in answer to a Parliamentary question on November 13. He said that total expenditure during the first half of 1967 was £64,600,000, of which £13,400,000 was in sterling. Estimated total for the second half of this year was £68,200,000, £19,300,000 of it being in sterling. Mr Stonehouse had been asked how the figure for the first half of 1967 com- pared with that for the same period of 1966, when the total was £26,500,000. The Minister's figures were, of course, given before the devaluation announce- ment. It now seems likely that at the present rate of expenditure the bill will increase at the rate of about £17 million a year. Beagle Board Changes With the formal nationalisation of Beagle still delayed by the slow progress of Government plans to invest in the aviation industry at large, the top management structure of the company was changed last week to make way for a Mintech-appointed managing director. The present managing director, Mr Peter Masefield, becomes chairman. The Mr K. N. Myer managing director is Mr K. Nicho- Myer, a business administrator from tiie metal industry; he is a director of Brookhirst Igranic Ltd, of Chester, and *as formerly managing director of vcett Preston Ltd. The appointments take effect on February 1, 1968. The other senior members of the Beagle board are unaffected by the change; they include Mr T. Norman Ritchie, part-time financial director; Col F. T. Davies; and Mr P. W. Brooks, deputy managing director. It is now almost a year since the Government announced its. intention to acquire Beagle in its entirety. The long- expected Minitech appointment to the board from outside the aviation industry promises to bring new production ex- perience to the company—vital now that the Pup series of trainers has almost completed its trials with flying colours, and with the market opportunities look- ">g very bright. BsE Inquiry Widened The Minister of Technology, Mr "edgwood Benn, said in a Parliamentary written answer on November 16 that he ?d asked Sir Roy Wilson, who is head-ln 8 the inquiry into alleged overcharging by Bristol Siddeley Engines on MoA engine overhaul contracts, "to include the consideration of the profits on con- tracts for the repair of spares within the ambit of the enquiries which his Com- mittee is making." Mr Benn said that Sir Roy had pointed out that questions his Committee had now been asked to look into were so closely interwoven with those it had been considering that it would be in- appropriate to deal with them in a separate report. "I appreciate," added Mr Benn, "that this will entail some delay in the submission of its report." One-Elevens for Brazilian AF The Brazilian Air Minister has indi- cated an intention by the Brazilian Government to buy two BAC One- Elevens for the Brazilian Air Force's Special Transport Group. This organi- sation runs presidential flights and pro- vides air services for Ministers, visiting foreign dignitaries and other VIPs. The contract is now in the final stages of negotiation. The two One-Elevens will replace two Viscounts which have served for ten years. Another Shackleton lost Last Sunday, November 19, the RAF lost the second of its long-serving fleet of Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft in two weeks. A Mk 3 of 120 Sqn, RAF Kinloss, crashed into the sea 180 miles south-west of Land's End. Two survivors and three bodies were picked up, and six crew members are missing. On November 5 a Shackleton 2 had been lost on a flight from Gan to Singapore, with eight of its 11 occu- pants. It' is not yet determined whether there is any link between the two acci- dents; an obvious difference is that while the earlier accident occurred during an en route flight, last Sunday's loss hap- pened during low-level excercises in conjunction with the frigate HMS Brighton. More Aircraft for Biafra? Despite claims by the Nigerian Federal Government to have crushed the secessionist Biafran forces, arms dealers still appear to be active on be- half of Colonel Ojukwu's rebel regime. Last week, we understand, Mr Larry Moye, an arms dealer of Piarkstone, Dorset, flew to Portugal to purchase four B-26 light bombers, previously used as target tugs, for the Biafran forces. Biafra entered the civil war with an air advantage over the Federal Government in having two French-supplied B-26s, but has long since lost them to anti-air- craft fire in one case and through techni- cal immobilisation in the other. Mean- while the Lagos Government has accu- mulated a small air force of L.29 Delfin light trainer/attack aircraft, MiG-15 and 17 fighters, and two armed Jet Provosts; they will be flown by South African, British and Dutch mercenaries, and Egyptian pilots who are believed to be regular officers on secondment. Mr Douglas Gilbert, of Welling, Kent, an ex-RAF Spitfire pilot, claims to be standing by to ferry one of Mr Moye's SENSOR International Jetstream Corp, the American distributor of the Handley Page Jetstream, plans to increase its order from 65 to 100 aircraft. This would bring total orders to 200. British Eagle is expected to announce soon an order for two 134-seat Boeing 707-l38Bs from Qantas. Asking price is about $US7i million excluding spares. Eagle's new 707-320C is due to be delivered from Seattle on December 12. Sir Reginald Wilson, who has an interest in Skyways through Transport Holdings, will take no active part in the affairs of Skyways until the Edwards Committee, of which he is a member, has completed its task. Mr Stephen Wheatcroft is relin- quishing his appointment as economic adviser to BEA. It is assumed that he is doing this following his appointment as assessor to the Edwards Committee on the British civil aviation industry. BOAC pilot recruitment, now running at some 400 a year, will fall to an annual 100 after 1971. This year the corpora- tion is seeking 120 graduates for pilot training. This massive intake will fill the gap which would have been created when BOAC found that half its pilots would be retiring or leaving by 1975. In 1966 prices BAC/Sud are still below the £500 million Concorde estimate. New figures being prepared for delivery next month are expected to be below £450 million. So far about £150 million of the £450 million has been spent. BOAC's specification for the Con- corde's navigation system will include three separate inertial systems and a general-purpose digital computer. No Doppler or astro-tracking equipment will be carried, but the inertial system will be up-dated by Loran or Dectra. The computer will be used to compare the outputs of the inertial and other systems, and will print out the fuel remaining and ETA to any required destination. This configuration is also being specified for the Boeing 747 and 2707. Hardware has not yet been defined. BOAC expects that the Concorde will be certificated to Cat 3a automatic landing standards on delivery, and eventually wants to use the equipment to Cat 3b limits. Weather conditions for the two categories are, respec- tively: (3a) 100ft or lower (decision height) and RVR of 200m; (3b) RVR 500m. B-26s to Biafra. Mr Gilbert previously signed on with the Federal Government to fly Delfins (despite having no jet ex- perience) but returned from Lagos about three months ago without having become operational. More World News overleaf
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