FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1974
1974 - 0033.PDF
FLIGHT" International, 10 January 1974 Private Flight World gliding preview Australian high summer, with tem peratures of 100°F plus and cumulus at 12,000ft, would seem to be the pros pect for the 1974 World Champion ships, but oddly enough in recent years the weather has ceased to be typical. Already we hear that rains have produced so much grass from the semi desert that mowers have had to be purchased. Yet it is only a year since the competition organisers were installing an irrigation system to keep the airfield usable. For added variety, swarms of locusts are turning up to join the thermals. Sixty-seven pilots from 24 countries have weaved their way through the energy crisis to reach Waikerie, 120 miles north-east of Adelaide, with 28 Open Class gliders and 39 Standard. Again the situation is atypical with the first woman competing for 18 years; Adele Orsi from Italy flying a Kestrel 604. Also from Italy is the only 2- seater for 16 years, a Calif A-21 to be flown by Cattaneo and Serra. The newest entrant comes from Malagasy, J. Weiss with a Standard Libelle and the pilot longest in World Champion ships is Dick Johnson, who first flew 22 years ago with his remarkable home-built RJ-5 in Spain. The Championships start on January 12 following a week of acclimatisation and practice. The towing will now be done by a fleet of Pawnee and Cessna tugs; the earlier hopes of RAAF Win- jeels having fallen through due to overheating problems at towing speeds for which they were not designed. It is expected that most tasks will be for speed around a triangle—over as large a course as the weather permits. To avoid inhospitable areas, quadrilateral courses have also been permitted, to be used if necessary. The British team is a strong one. George Burton, Kestrel 19, and John Dalafield, Nimbus II, are entered in the Open Class, with John Williamson, Libelle, and Bernard Fitchett, Cirrus, in the Standard Class. All have plenty of championship ex perience, as well as good crews and equipment. But they will need all of this, since the long and expensive trek to the Antipodes has, even more than usual, demanded that teams weed out all but the best. Fan Pod The various moves by designers away from the front mounted engine- propeller module, to give a forward cabin for unobstructed view and access, has lead to a search for alter native ways of mounting the propul sion units. A small but very neat module has been built by the German firm of Fichtel and Sachs using a 40 h.p. Wankel engine driving a shrouded 5-bladed fixed pitch plastic fan. The engine is two chamber rotary combus tion, with dual ignition, the plugs not sparking simultaneously, but the en gine will run on one plug per chamber at reduced power. The unit is to be tried out initially on a boat, the deci sion to offer it for aircraft is to be made later this year. One imagines a two seat, side-by- side BD-5, propelled by two of these fan pods, a "micro" version of an HS125 or Lear Jet. SHUHfctfi laik-Aii The Fichtel and Sachs fan pod Fuel allocation problems After imposing the Sunday ban and 50 per cent cut in fuel supplies, then indicating that they would finance a fuel allocation system, the Govern ment's only output to date has been to rescind the offer of finance, and that after giving approval to the system set up by the General Aviation Fuel Allocation Working Group. Since this was reported in Flight of January 3, no policy directive has been given to the GAFAWG, who had planned to have utilisation questionnaires circu lated last week, and allocation dockets issued by February 1. The Government's Christmas recess, it appears, has priority over the fuel crisis and the resulting fortnight's delay is causing increasing difficulties in fuel distribution, and loss of confi dence in their handling of the situa tion. The co-operation of the general aviation community will not continue unless a more constructive output from the Government is shown at the meeting between the Chairman of GAFAWG and the Minister of Aero space scheduled for January 7. 31 The restraint shown by aircraft operators has enabled the majority of airfields to hold fuel to allow sufficient flying to keep the various concerns ticking over, although in general, fuel can only be uplifted at the base airfield and where freight or passen gers are picked up or put down. This is a problem to longer range opera tions, and largely negates the sector in which aircraft are most efficient. Also at a few airfields, which have not had fuel supplies renewed, local operators are being caused consider able worry. Meanwhile, the car parks of public houses continue to be filled with local cars on Saturday and Sunday evenings and thousands drive miles to catch a glimpse of a friend of the Royal Family. Thus the "psychological effect" of the Sunday ban is pretty obviously making little difference to the country's fuel consumption, and those who earn a living in the general avia tion industries are becoming very rest less over the Government's apparent disinterest. If the discipline currently exhibited by the flying community with respect to the ethically dubious fuel policy is to be maintained, the Government must promptly give more constructive backing to those to whom it has dele gated its responsibilities. Licence statistics The Civil Aviation Authority Annual Report for 1972/73 gives the number of current UK PPLs as 16,926, and the number of SPLs as 7693. Ratings issued during the period were: night 557, IMC 532, instrument (private) 53, full instructor 258 and assistant in structor 254. Five motor glider ratings and 30 motor glider instructor ratings were also issued. A Working Group was formed to study the practicability and economics of discontinuing the periodic renewal of PPLs, subject to a system for en suring competance of the holders. Existing requirements for medical examinations would be retained. The study was expected to be concluded last year. Aircrew licences current 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 n ^^^" Professional pilots I I I 1 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
