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Aviation History
1975
1975 - 0004.PDF
WORLD NEWS Aerospatiale looks to 1975 The French Government has promised its backing for research and development of three big civil air craft programmes, yet to be desig nated, which will keep Aerospatiale at work for the next decade, according to the State-owned company's chair man Charles Cristofini. M Cristofini told a Press conference in Paris on December 20 that defence minister Jacques Soufflet wrote to him on December 18 giving a Govern ment guarantee to help Aerospatiale go ahead with development of air craft in co-operation with other European manufacturers, provided that their projects would not compete with US programmes. M Cristofini said the new Franco- European projects would be neither a Concorde development nor a Stol type. Although it would be premature to' identify the French Government- sponsored programmes, M Cristofini said the basic idea was to find a re placement for European airlines' ageing Caravelles and Tridents by the mid-1980s. The powerplant could be the General Electric/Snecma CFM56. Another project which could be developed on a Western European basis with the blessing of the French Government would be a freighter designed for a payload of between six and eight tons. A third project which could provide long-term work for the Aerospatiale design office and workshops would be variations of the Airbus, although it was unlikely that this aircraft had amy chance of selling in the USA. Turnover for 1974 seemed set fair to pass the mark of Fr4,500 million, about £432 million, compared with Fr3,700 million last year. Revenue from aircraft sales was down by ten per cent and from helicopters up by the same amount. In terms of constant francs the company's turnover was up by ten per cent. The Government was helping with a Fr550 million, about £53 million, increase in capital. Exports had risen from Frl,150 million, about £110 million, in 1973 to Fr 1,400 million this year. Work load will be down from 28 million manhours in 1974 to 27 million in 1975. This meant staff cuts, which M Cristofini hoped to achieve by natural wastage. "We are facing considerable diffi culties. Financial charges represent ten per cent of our turnover. But we can expect to do better than the aircraft companies which do not have the same range of activity as we do." Concern for top engines The US National Transportation Safety Board is concerned at the vulnerability of the centre engines of wide-body transport aircraft. It has recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration should issue an Airworthiness Directive requiring the tail engine inlet of the DC-10 to be modified to prevent ice accretion. In the view of the NTSB, the AD should call for additional pre-flight checks for ice in the intake until a modification can be embodied. Previous recommendations directed at improving the safety of the air craft in the event of fan-blade frag mentation have been with reference to aircraft powered by the CF6 engine with drilled fan blades. However, in vestigation by the NTSB of a fragmentation following ice ingestion by a JT9D in a DC-10 has led the board to widen the scope of its recom mendations. Regardless of the type of engine installed, the board would like to see better protection for the fuel lines in the region of the No 2 engine of the DC-10. The board considers that the FAA should also study whether similar measures should be taken on the TriStar. Pilot error in PanAm crash The US National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the January 30, 1974, crash of a PanAm 707 at Pago Pago resulted from the failure of the pilot to correct an ex cessive rate of descent after the air craft had passed decision height. The crew were in contact with the runway lights but a high rate of des- FUGHT International, 2 January I97S cent was established after the first officer had reported that the aircraft was high on the approach. The wreckage came to rest 3,090ft short of the runway threshold. All components of the ILS were working satisfactorily throughout the approach. Public transport accidents A DC-9 of Avensa, YV-C-AVM, crashed shortly after take-off from Maturin for a scheduled flight to Caracas on December 22. Six crew members and 71 passengers were killed. It is reported that there was a radio call referring to engine trouble shortly before impact. • The registration of the Tarom 11-18 which crashed in the Red Sea on December 9 was YR-IMK. © We regret that the references to the TWA and Northwest Airlines accidents in last week's issue said that the aircraft were 707s; both aircraft involved were 727s. "Flight" Diary A few Flight Pilot's Diaries for 1975 are still available. The diary contains a mass of useful information for the private pilot with notes on aviation law, meteorology, air traffic control and details of most of the airfields in the British Isles which are available for light aircraft. Brief details are included of a number of typical club and touring aircraft and there are pages for logging flying time. The diary can be obtained from IPC Business Press (S & D) Ltd, 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R ONE, price £1-05. "Flight" issue numbering Collectors and librarians should note that the issues of Flight for October 3 and October 10 were both numbered 3421 owing to an admini strative error on our part and that the issues of October 10 to December 26 inclusive were all numbered one too low. This issue has departed from sequence and no issue has been num bered 3433. The first DC-9-50 flew from Long Beach on December 17; the small nose strokes are in evidence here (see opposite) mmmmt, ,im.i.mn|Mu.n.iyimff'H'i I.**M|IWI'I.I .t- * .i• ji"••• iin • iiMtiiiftjj|MJiE<wiiw#iHM»iii>iiiii<iiHiM'~iiii ••«:•'.• <ty« ;• • <##.*,.? .•••••••.
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