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Aviation History
1968
1968 - 2103.PDF
479 FLIGHT International, 26 September 1968 ILLUSTRATED WITH "FLIGHT" PHOTOGRAPHS Pilot's-eye view of the 1968 S8AC Display, from a Royal Navy Wessex during the RN tactical assault demonstration; and at left, spectators- eyes' view, with Dominie, Andover and MB.326 in the background FARNBOROUGH WEEK THE 1968 SBAC DISPLAY METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA, over £30 million worth oforders announced, brilliant flying by the Services' aero-batic teams, and one tragic accident—these were the main features of this year's 26th Society of British Aerospace Companies' Flying Display and Exhibition, which ended at Farnborough last Sunday, September 22. Inevitably the meteorological phenomena, which in plain English means rain, dominated the proceedings at the Royal Aircraft Establishment airfield; for the staple ingredients of an SBAC Display remain the same—flying programme, the tented and open-air exhibitions, the entertainment enclosures, only the aircraft types and new kinds of equipment forming variations on the show theme. But the weather is something which not even the experienced SBAC organisation can plan into good behaviour; and this year, with torrential rain on the Sunday before the display opened, it came near to wrecking exhibitors' preparations. On the opening day (Monday, Septemlber 16) the flying display had to be cancelled because the south-western end of the runway was flooded by the Basingstoke Canal. How serious a menace this flooding remained throughout the week was made clear by the SBAC Director, Sir Richard Smeeton, in his end-of-the-display press conference last Sunday. He explained how the RAE had filled an old aircraft fuselage with concrete to block a gap in the canal bank; and how, when the bank showed signs of breaking, it was thought that the first public day's flying might have to be cancelled. This disappointment was avoided by pumping-out 50,000gal of water per hour from the canal, and making hourly checks on its level throughout the show. Sir Richard, when referring to the weather, much more unfavourable this year than when the display (as in previous years) was held earlier in September, hinted that, if the SBAC decided to hold the event in 1970, it might well revert to the traditional timing. As to the business which had been done at the display, Sir Richard said that 14 major orders, worth £32 million, had been announced during the week. Added to the £750 million orders which had already been obtained this year by the industry, this brought the total order book to date to over £780 million, and for 1968 as a whole this was expected to amount to £800 million, about half of these orders being for export. "We think there are several more about to be announced," he added. "I believe the aircraft industry has a bigger order-book than any other industry in the country." Making it clear that of these orders, the overseas ones do
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