FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1972
1972 - 0007.PDF
FLIGHT International. 6 January 1972 Britten-Norman climbs back During the last six weeks of 1971 Britten-Norman (Bembridge), the new company, was due to deliver ten air craft— two Trislanders and eight Islanders. The latter include a Defender —the1 first delivered—to the company's Singapore distributor Heli Orient, who will use it for demonstrations in its Far-East territory. The US distributor Jonas has taken an Islander and a Trislander, the other Trislander being the second for Aurigny, who introduced the type in commercial service in October. New Islander orders have been won in the last few weeks by the sales team under Mr Desmond Norman. Mr John Britten says that the company is fitter than ever, and he and his col leagues appear to be impressed with the approach of the receiver, Mr Maurice Eckman, and his staff from Price, Waterhouse. B-N is planning to build 50 Islanders and eight Trislanders in 1972. The workforce is now 170, including 60 on the shop floor, a reduction overall of about 120. The receiver has given priority to making the company profitable, and in his view trading prospects—now the considerable stock he inherited is being cleared—are very good. There are no imminent prospects of a sale of the company, but negotiations are con tinuing with a number of potential buyers, including Westlands (owners Bembridge Handover Mr W. G. Tyson of the Anglo-Thai Corporation is seen receiving the keys and logbooks of a Defender and an Islander on behalf of Heli Orient. Mr Monty Eckman of Price, Water- house is on the left and Mr Tyson is flanked by Mr Desmond Norman and Mr John Britten (see news story) of BHC)—who are believed to have offered £4 million—and certain Singa pore-based interests. Creditors of the old B-N company include the British Government (£U million); the Exporters Refinance Cor poration (£3 million including £22 million owed to BHC for some 50 sub assemblies built at Cowes); and prob ably less than £2*2 million to trade creditors. A Romanian delegation has been in Britain trying to clarify its position with Britten - Norman, the British Government and BAC (who are in volved through Tarom's One-Eleven order). Speculation about a new Romanian partnership with the new Britten-Norman, perhaps a joint com pany, could not be confirmed earlier this week, but the Romanian produc tion of Islanders is continuing, with components still being supplied from Britain. Deliveries have for the moment stopped at 62 aircraft out of the original order for 215, and according to Mr Eckman relations have been "businesslike and friendly." Trident Cat 3 Imminent BEA expects British Department of Trade and Industry approval for Cate gory 3a landings to be made by the airline's Trident 3s this month. Captain Eric Lowden, operations director of the Mainline division, told staff at Heston last week that Auto- lands in passenger service down to 300m visibility would soon be possible. Take-offs would be allowed with a 90m visibility. BEA Tridents have been making automatic landings with their Smiths systems for several years. The Trident 3s will be the first to operate under Cat 3a because they have the latest modifications made to their Autoland systems. Luqa to Lose RAF Following the decision of the United Kingdom Government to withdraw military units from Malta in prefer ence to paying the higher rental demanded by the Maltese Premier, Mr Dom Mintoff, the future of the island's principal airport, Luqa, was in doubt as this issue went to press. Luqa is administered by the Royal Air Force and is operated by the Service for its own and civil use. Air- traffic and airfield personnel are largely RAF but maintenance of some technical facilities and the flight in formation centre are the responsibility of International Aeradio, which has a total of 177 employees, largely locally recruited. The IAL contract is with the Maltese Government and is not directly affected by the military withdrawal; it will be necessary, however, for the Government to arrange alternative operational manning of the airfield if civil services are to continue after the planned withdrawal date of March 31. Rolls-Royce Strike Ends The nine-week strike by manual workers at Rolls-Royce Bristol Engine Division ended last Monday. The withdrawal of labour took place in support of a demand for a 15 per cent wage increase and has cost the firm about 2J4 million man-hours of lost production, affecting the Olympus 593 engine for Concorde and Pegasus powerplants for Harriers. The End Of Afflninty? In a move designed to help ease charter abuses, the US CAB Has pro posed a new category of charter to be called the travel charter group. Under the proposed travel-group charter category, the affinity clause would no longer be required for groups of 50 or more. The CAB would allow "50 or more persons to be formed by a charter organizer for the purpose of chartering an aircraft on a pro rata basis." To police the charters, the CAB said any travel organizer would have to submit the names of his charter group to the board six months before departures and provide a 25 per cent deposit for the charter. The present system of allowing groups and organizations to charter nights would remain in effect, the board said. But it said it hoped the new category for group charters would end abuses of the affinity charter rules which it said were "in herently discriminatory and unen forceable." Comments on the proposal must be received from interested persons by April, after which the CAB can issue a final rule. The BOAC Year BOAC carried a total of 2,053,000 passengers during the calendar year 1971—an increase of 8-2 per cent or 156,000 over the 1970 figure—accord ing to provisional figures announced by the airline. Cargo carried—at 67,089 short tons—was up by 11-8 per cent. The overall passenger and cargo load factor was down from 49-9 per
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
