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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 1485.PDF
FLIGHT International, M August 1971 245 broken cloud at 400ft and 200ft and a visibility of about 112 miles in light rain. The board gives the probable causes as the failure of the pilot to recognise the wind-shear condition and to com pensate for it; the lack of crew co-ordination in that the co-pilot did not monitor the approach because he was busy with a "self-induced" communications problem and failed to warn the pilot that the aircraft was too low; and the diversion of the pilot's attention from his primary task of completing the approach and landing. "These conditions," the report continues, "resulted in a mismanaged ILS approach and the continuation of the descent into ground obstructions." The two pilots received serious injuries and the aircraft was destroyed. Euralair, the Le Bourget-based charter operator, is operating two ex-Austrian Airlines Caravelle 6Rs, replac ing two F.27s. AUA's Caravelles, five in all, are being replaced by DC-9-30s. Italian Civil Aviation Board? The Italian Ministry of Transport has completed preparations of a Bill to create a State board for civil aviation. The creation of such a board is considered by specialists in Italy to be the only solution to existing problems such as the financial control of airport construction and improvement. Israel Aircraft Industries has bought 13 of TWA's original Boeing 707-131s, with spares and other parts. The company will recondition them at its new engineering centre at Lod Airport where IAI has recently been completing its third major 707 overhaul. No specific future customers for the TWA 707s have been mentioned, but Aviation Daily reports that some may be sold to China. Caledonian/BUA started to serve Casablanca, Morocco, on a twice-weekly basis from August 1. The service, operated with VClOs, is a sector in the airline's South American route, with Casablanca replacing Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Traffic rights have been granted between Morocco and Brazil and Chile; negotiations are in progress for traffic rights between Morocco and Argentina. Beating a bomb After a hoax warning, with pay-or-else demand, that an altitude-operated bomb, set to explode below 4,000ft, was hidden on board a BOAC 747 flying on August 3 from Montreal to London, Capt John Kelly diverted to Denver, Colorado, which is 5,280ft above sea level. The cabin pressure was maintained at or above the equivalent of 4,600ft during this expensive diversion. No bomb was found. British Air Services The financial restructuring of BAS (which comprises Cambrian and Northeast) is a pretty thankless task, and the 1970-71 accounts show the progress which has been made towards making viability. (See also Flight last week, page 196.) But consider just the operating profit of £197,891, achieved after writing off only £73,197 of aircraft intro ductory costs; the balance forward of £630,578 indicates that the current year's charge will be around double if the five-year write-off is to be observed. Interest paid was £51,408, but the figure excludes any interest on a loan of £4-5 million from BE A, which BAS gratefully acknowledges, and costs at £300,000 per annum. While parent and subsidiaries can arrange contra-balances in whatever way they choose, it seems highly fictitious not to cost loan capital in financial accounts; if, alternatively, market money were available at no interest, many other borrowers would like to join the queue. Getting to the balance sheet, the notes concede that net assets employed of £1,724,157 provided a return of 16 per cent; if leased aircraft were included, this would have been Jugoslav accident The report on the accident to the Aviogenex Tu-134A at Rijeka Airport on May 23 this year is due to be published on September 1. Two teams have been investigating the causes of the landing accident in which 78 people were killed. Threat to Chile Amid complaints by businessmen about the Chilean Government's exchange restrictions and con sequent financial difficulties, the international airlines operating to and from Santiago have also said that they may be forced to pull out of Chile if the situation is not improved. Airline life-saver The first information about a fire on a Liberian tanker, some 480 miles from Miami, was given by a BOAC pilot, Capt Howard Easton, flying on the London-Miami service. As a result, all 37 members of the tanker's crew were rescued by" another ship, which was diverted to the scene. German traffic growth During the first half of 1971 the number of passengers handled at German airports increased by more than 14 per cent by comparison with the total for the same period of 1970. The figure was 15-8 million—considerably in excess of the passenger volume for German airports during the whole of 1965. Loss for Sabena For the year 1970 Sabena reports a consolidated loss of $11-3 million (£4-7 million) by com parison with a loss of $9-4 million (£4 million) for 1969. The annual report says that a complete reorganisation of the financial structure of the company is required and the directors of Sabena have made proposals accordingly to the Ministry of Communications. The general manager of Sabena, Mr Willem Deswarte, is retiring on September 30 with the title of honorary general manager. His position will be taken by Mr Gaston Dieu, the present assistant general manager, whose post, in turn, will be taken by Mr Roger Nys who will retain his present position of company secretary. The changes, announced at a board meeting recently, take effect from October 1. Turbulence trouble Fourteen passengers and a steward were injured, two and the steward seriously, when a Caravelle of the Italian operator SAM struck turbulence while flying at 26,000ft near Mont Blanc. The Caravelle was on a flight from London to Rimini and was diverted by the captain, who was also slightly hurt, to Linate, Milan, so that the injured passengers could receive earlier medical attention. halved at 8 per cent. This figure seems somewhat in conflict with the aircraft hire charges which totalled £1,200,981 for the year. One would expect the total asset value to be something above £10 million, which would mean that capital employed was being turned over about cnce a year, and would be about right for an airline. Presumably BEA provides the lease guarantees, since the debit profit-and-loss account of £4,740,179 and an excess of current liabilities over assets of £942,309 is hardly likely to bring much comfort to the lessor. If you also deduct the capitalised fashionable intangibles of pilot training and aircraft introductory costs, the balance sheet figure totals £1 million which virtually equals the figure entitled "Financed by share capital." It all seems so marginal for a turnover of £11,332,000; even after restructuring, the future must be one long slog, just to rectify the debit profit-and-loss account. Fleet rationalisation is certainly necessary but the relationship with the newly created BEA divisions is not entirely clear. When one hears that a short-haul network with Skyvans is under consideration, one must question what chance BAS has of showing a return, with British Rail receiving some £180 million subsidy and a motorway network being built to cope with nearly all trunk routes. They always say aviation cleanses the soul. Air Transport continued on page 247
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