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Aviation History
1970
1970 - 0331.PDF
FLIGHT International. 26 February 1970 291 were likely to be laid off this year; already 1.305 have been made redundant in 1969. Pan American's 1969 capacity was 4.8 per cent up on 1968. reaching 30,000 million available seat-miles, 48,200 million seat-km. Revenue passenger-miles increased 3.4 per cent to 17,000 million, 27,400 million passenger-km. LAKER CREW HONOURED THE flight crew of the Laker Airways One-Eleven which made an emergency landing at Hanover following an electrical fire on board in August last year have received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. They are Captain Basil Bradshaw, the commander, and Mr Bernard Sedgwick, the first officer. The cabin crew—Miss Susan Beck, Miss Marlis Hoffman and Miss Marian Redfern—have been commended for their action during the emergency. Smoke from the fire reduced visibility on the flight deck to 18in, 46cm. and the forward vision was nil. The fire, in an aerial tuning unit at the forward end of the passenger cabin, first broke out when the aircraft was 30 miles, 48km, from Hanover on a charter flight from Klagenfurt to Berlin. There were 84 passengers and five crew on board. Using oxygen, the captain made an emergency descent from the cruising level of FL250 under radar guidance from Hanover. The first officer depressurised the aircraft and endeavoured to open a side window to clear the smoke. During the descent, the cabin crew were deprived of public address services and of intercom with the flight deck. The flight crew abandoned emergency procedures because of lack of time before landing; the aircraft came to a rapid stop clear of the runway, and the passengers disembarked in an orderly fashion; by this time the fire had burned through the pressure hull and was being fed by oxygen. The citation for the Queen's Award states that the crew displayed a high standard of airmanship in circumstances which could have had "very serious consequences." Following the incident, BAC, in its service bulletins, circula ted ARB-mandatory action to be taken by One-Eleven opera tors. Earlier this month the ARB, in its Notice No 12, issued a more general warning of the need to ensure that oxygen leaks do not create a fire hazard where none existed before, and that oxygen lines are routed away from possible sources of fire. The notice stresses that release of oxygen The last VC10 delivered WITH THE DELIVERY of the fifth for East African Airways, production of the VC10 has now ended, with a total of 54 built, 32 of which were standard VClOs and 22 Supers. The former figure includes 14 VC10 C.ls operated by RAF Air Support Command's No 10 Squadron. The VC10 and its sales suffered in the past from political controversy and changing fleet requirements, but the type has now estab lished a high reputation in airline service, with outstanding passenger appeal to offset the slightly higher operating costs compared with the 707s. BOAC's 1969 annual report quotes a cost per revenue flying hour of £465 for the Super VC10. compared with £421 for the 707-420. although the high North Atlantic load factors enjoyed by the British jet have countered its economic disadvantage. Although Pan American's historic 707/DC-8 order of October 1955 had led to a rush of other major operators to place orders for the big jets, the long-haul re-equipment picture was still decidedly fluid in 1956-57. Two months after the Pan American order the four-Conway Vickers V.1000 transport intended for the RAF had been cancelled, together with the projected VC-7 civil variant, and as the months went by it became increasingly evident that BOAC would have to order 707s to remain competittive. At this stage the big jets were a much less known quantity than they are now; there were can lead to serious damage in a fire which would otherwise have been insignificant. A main concern is that cabin fittings and furnishings with good fire-resistant characteristics in air can form a major hazard in an oxygen-fed fire. The Air Registration Board is examining oxygen installations in all aircraft types within its jurisdiction; from work to date it appears that installations in most current types are satisfactory. 747 SCHEDULED SERVICES DAILY services with the Boeing 747 between New York and Paris will be initiated by Pan American on March 1, providing that discussions with the French Government are successfully completed. These talks have resulted from French fears that the turbulent wake could be dangerous. But Pan American, is confident that it can convince the authorities that the FAA restrictions on operation will ensure the safety of following aircraft. (Flight references: January 29, page 142; February 5, page 179; this issue page 294.) Our cover caption last week, which implied that services on the Paris route had already begun, was misleading. The second airline to begin 747 services from New York to London— TWA—is scheduled to do so on March 16. Lufthansa is hoping to start services with 747s from Frankfurt to New York on April 27. Their first aircraft is due to be delivered on March 9, with the next two arriving at 4-5 week intervals. DHC-7 Continues After consultation With the Canadian Federal Government, who are jointly providing funds for the DHC-7, de Havilland Canada has announced that the project will continue. A decision on whether to embark on full-scale production will be taken later this year. Lockheed v Conroy The dispute between, on the one hand, Conroy Aircraft and. on the other, Lockheed and Saturn over the contract for carrying Rolls-Royce RB.211s to Palm- dale for the TriStar (see Flight for February 12. page 218) has the makings of a long-drawn-out affair. Saturn has said that Conroy's initial charges were "not worth the paper" they appeared on. Conroy is being vociferous and is still pressing the CAB for a public hearing. doubts that the 707 would be able to carry a worthwhile commercial payload on the North Atlantic routes, and it seemed certain that for some years to come the big jets would be confined to the Atlantic and (JS domestic trunk routes, where traffic was heaviest and runways longest. When the Government approved BOAC's initial order for 15 707-420s in October 1956, it made it plain that no more dollars would be available for US aircraft; at this stage the 707s were intended primarily for the North Atlantic, and BOAC's requirement was now for a smaller jet for stopping services on the Eastern and African routes, but with cruise performance and payload capacity equal to the big jets. In March 1957 a detailed specification was issued, and the critical Singapore- Karachi sector decided the lift requirements and hence wing area. Not only passenger appeal but the necessity of achieving the maximum lift coefficient at take-off dictated a rear-engined layout. In May 1957 BOAC announced its order for no less than 35 VClOs with an option on 20 more—with its 707s and Britannias in service, Comet 4s due the following year and the bulk of the piston-engined fleet of Stratocruisers, Constella tions and Argonauts still to be in service for 2-3 years. At this stage transatlantic capability was not specified, but the Continued overleaf
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