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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 0015.PDF
FLIGHT International. 2 January 1969 After 32 years' service as chief executive of the Air Registration Board Mr R. E. Hardingham has retired. At a farewell dinner on December 18 (see page 1049 of "Flight" last week) he was presented with an inscribed silver cigarette case by Lord Kings Norton, left, chairman of the board; and there was also a rather bulkier token of appreciation— a Rover 2000. Mr Hardingham is succeeded as chief executive by Mr Walter Tye (upper right), hitherto chief technical officer, who in turn is succeeded by Mr ]. G. M. Pardoe (lower right) reported, and the airline's maintenance base was stated to be undamaged. Although it represented a major blow to the three airlines and to the none-too- strong Lebanese national economy, the attack will have far more serious reper cussions abroad. The destroyed 707. only just delivered, was being financed by the US Export-Import Bank: the VCIO, on lease from Ghana Airways, is believed to be still the property of British Air craft Corporation: and American Airlines are understood to be involved in the financing of the two L1A Coronados. The repercussions may be felt no where more seriously than on the Lon don insurance market, where the risk was estimated at £14.5 million. Although airline policies do not normally cover acts of aggression or acts of war, the chairman of MEA stated that his com pany's aircraft were fully insured against all risks. Lloyds underwriters were meet ing as Flight closed for press to deter mine whether the attack was to be con strued as an act of war. and to consider its effects and those of a possible increase of violence directed against airlines. If— and the situation was not yet fully clari fied—MEA's policies were extended to cover acts of aggression or war, Lloyds will have to decide whether they can afford to continue to underwrite such cases in view of the magnitude of the risk involved. Beagle's New Directors A further stage in the reorganisation of Beagle into a profitable light-aircraft manufacturing organisation making the popular range of Pup trainer/tourers and developments of the B.206-S is taken this week with the appointment of two specialists to the key directorships of production and marketing, while an additional board appointment has been made from within the organisation. The new production director is Mr J. W. MacKirdy, formerly production director in charge of the Cardiff factory of BAC Guided Weapons Division since 1960. Before that he was deputy group chief inspector of Bristol Aircraft. He will be in overall charge of produc tion at the Shoreham and Rearsby factories. The new marketing director is Mr D. W. Gray, an Englishman who for the past two years has been vice-president in Europe for the Singer Corporation of New York and has had direct respon sibility for 12 local companies in the manufacture and distribution of sewing machinery. Before working for Singer Mr Grey was marketing director of Ampex Corporation of Redwood City, well known for video tape and electronic equipment for advanced military aircraft; and before that he was sales manager of Colston, where he took a leading part in the launching of dishwashers on to the British market. Mr G. C. J. Larroucau, chief engineer of Beagle since August 1966, has been appointed to the board. These are the first senior appointments made since Mr K. N. Myer became the Government-appointed managing director of Beagle early last year (Beagle is now 100 per cent Government owned and financed). They follow the resignation of several senior men last autumn and a heavy pruning among the non-productive departments; with these changes the company is seen to be putting the emphasis on production. In an interview with Flight last week Mr Myer said that 30 Pup-100/150s had been delivered and that production would "definitely reach one per day by the middle of 1969." Orders with deposits had been received for more than 250 Pups, he said. When, we asked, would Pup production start to break even? The answer, said Mr Myer, depended upon the introduction of further Pup variants. More models were necessary, because the competitive pricing policy of the market SENSOR The Paris Air Show will continue to take place at Le Bourget in 1969 and 1971. It will almost certainly be moved elsewhere in 1973 and afterwards. The most likely new site is Evereux. The Mintech report on the Breguet Atlantic accident during SBAC Display at Farnborough, now in process of being finalised, is thought to be the first of its kind to contain a complete film record of the accident. Subject to French agreement, as the accident concerns one of their naval aircraft, the report is likely to be made public. British Midland is planning to reduce the proportion of inclusive tour work below the existing 40 per cent. Scheduled services will be given greater emphasis. Both sectors will, however, continue to be expanded. Some independent operators are wail ing for the end of the Vietnam war before buying jet aircraft. World jet prices remain high while the demand for supplemental charter capacity in the war theatre is high, but it is foreseen that there will be a very rapid slump in prices—as well as a flooding of capacity on to the charter market—when the Vietnam war ends. First two BAC 167s for the Sultan of Oman's Air Force, based at Muscat in the Persian Gulf, are not now likely to be delivered until towards the end of January. Qantas believes that ii will not be the only airline which will have difficulty raising the massive finance needed for the purchase of Concordes and American SSTs. Aviation Traders are to launch a sales campaign in the United States, starling with a visit of three senior executives— Messrs J. R. Batt, Eric Church and John Loader—this month. The team will visit Washington and Los Angeles, making presentations of the company's services, including aircraft brokerage, maintenance, overhaul, conversion and repair work. The SOOth Northrop F-5 will be de livered from the company's California factory next month. To date some 1,200 F-5s have been ordered by 16 air forces, and the order book will carry production up to at least 1973. Northrop will be shipping up to eighty 747 fuselages to Boeing in 1969 and 1970. More than 20 sets have been delivered to date. BUA are to increase the frequency of their South American services from two fo three a week in 1969. Traffic is very buoyant and will be boosted by the forthcoming British fair in Sao Paulo. Radio compasses in the preproduction Concordes will be British (Marconi). The units selected by Sud for the pro totypes are American (Bendix).
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