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Aviation History
1975
1975 - 0061.PDF
FLIGHT International, 9 Vanuory 1975 25 Hang-gliding at altitude Hang-gliding pilot Ken Messenger of Birdmao Sports Promotions improved on Ihis recent 8,000ft descent with a glide on January 4 from a UK record of 12,700ft, to which height he was carried beneath a hot-air balloon. The glider was suspended by a cable to a release hook on its kingpost, operated by a motor-cycle brake lever on the control bar. Mr Messenger was carried by the 77,000 cu ft Thunder balloon British Bacon and accompanied by another balloon carrying cameramen. With both balloons descending, he flew to and fro between them. After take-off from Marsh Benham, near Newbury, Berkshire, the three drifted southwards and were joined by a Piper Cub and a Motorfalke from Lasham, before landing to the south of Basingstoke. Shuttle threat British Airways' London-Glasgow shuttle service, due to start in three days' time, may be in jeopardy be cause trade unionists consider that tickets should not be sold on board aircraft (see page 29). Members of the Association of Professional, Execu tive, Clerical and Computer Staff say that payment should be made before departure and not to cabin staff after the aircraft has taken off. They have told British Airways that they will withdraw their labour if the shuttle goes ahead. Management and unions were engaged in talks on Monday but no settlement had been reached as we went to press. 1974 exports overtake 1973 Record aviation exports from Britain worth £64-2 million in October lifted the year's exports so far to £529-5 million, nearly £10 million higher than for the whole of 1973. October's figure was also more than £1 million higher than the pre vious all-time record in September. The expected increase for the whole of 1974 over 1973 represents a growth of almost 15 per cent, which barely equals domestic inflation over the same period. While the USA is still Britain's main export customer and engines are earning more than airframes, a feature of October is the rise of China to second place among export customers. Over the year to date France still holds its traditional second place, probably by virtue of components exchanged in co operative programmes, West Germany is third, and China fourth. France and Germany were respectively second and third throughout 1973. Engine exports to October 1974 amounted to 1,694 new engines and 1,025 "other than new" engines and parts. Total engine exports over the year to date are £254-6 million. Guided weapons accounted for £9-7 million, while airborne radio, navigation and radar aids and instru ments totalled £13-2 million. M45H intensive flying The third prototype VFW 614 is currently based at Filton for six months of intensive flight-testing aimed at extending the cleared life of its M45H engines from 400hr to 800hr. Rolls-Royce hopes to certificate the engine as soon as possible for services with Cimber-Air, the first VFW 614 customer, to begin during the middle of this year. The aircraft has been averaging 9-10hr flying each working day. Public transport accidents A Tarom aircraft on a scheduled flight from Orades to Bucharest crashed on December 29, killing 33 passengers and the crew. Reports; indicate that the flight had made: a diversion to pick up passengers at Sibiu and that the accident happened during a turn on the approach. The standard equipment on the route is the An-24. • A privately owned Lockheed 18 flying a tourist charter crashed on take-off from Tikal, near Guatemala City, on December 29. The 21 SENSOR UK distributors of the larger American twin-turboprop business aircraft are concerned at the pros pect of ex-RAF Jetstreams coming on to the civil market. They will be surplus to Training Command re quirements now that Oahington has closed. Two official European bodies are assessing the effect of SSTs on the stratosphere. One is the so-called Comesa committee, presided over by the UK Meteorological Office and funded by the Department of Industry, and the other is the French Covos. Following a joint conference in Oxford last autumn they are now producing their own assessment of the effect of Concorde on the ozone layer. A highly scien tific controversy between American and Anglo-French scientists can be expected to develop. Japan Air Lines is now technically convinced about the operational and economic feasibility of Con corde. The first firm export custo mer is, however, expected to be Iran Air which is likely to sign a contract for two aircraft with an option on a further two this month. RAF policy for the 1980s is for at least two combat aircraft for the land battle, of which MRCA will be one. The RAF has to decide between Jaguar and Harrier as the second standard attack aircraft. The opera tional requirement for a Jaguar/ Harrier successor is already taking shape. Senior air staff officers are reminding Ministers that the opera tional requirement for TSR.2, OR339, was written in 1956 and that MRCA, the ultimate fulfilment of that OR, will not enter service until 22 years later. The RAF is not contributing much to the Maritime Harrier programme, but if the project bears fruit it hopes to play a significant part in its operation. What the RAF would have liked now in addition to the Harrier is an HS.1154, the super sonic project cancelled ten years ago. The RAF can still see a requirement for a supersonic aircraft with vectored thrust which can be used in combat, like a flap, for fast pene trations with high-g decelerations and breakaway. But the RAF recog nises the difficulty in finding the money for such a development. The more modest subsonic Advanced Harrier (USN AV-16A) development remains on the table but, again, the RAF finds it difficult to see where its share of the budget would come from. Senior officers would like to see a more lively American interest in the project. Hawker Siddeley is expected to lay down a further substantial batch of HS.748s. The order situation is now approaching the point where the roll-out rate will have to be in creased to meet demand. Panavia doubts whether the Super Mirage will be developed into an operational aircraft. Senior tech nical executives, especially on the German side, do not think that the full cost of the programme at to day's prices, even by Dassault's efficient standards, has been fully appreciated by the French Defence Ministry. The Concorde structural and ther mal fatigue test rig at the Royal Aircraft Establishment is costing about £1-5 million a year to operate. Special leading edges fitted to RAF Phantoms have been used to con tribute to tests, now virtually com pleted following successful dis covery of heavy icing during the Moses Lake operations, of Con corde de-icing. Cost of installing and certificating the RB.211-524 in the 747 will be £25 million, including £8 million for power increases. Cost of installing the same engine in the A300B10— which will have similar pods, pylons and "interface" systems—will be be tween £5 million and £6 million assuming that the £25 million has been spent on the 747 installation. Total cost of developing the basic RB.211-524 engine from the -22B will be, in addition, £60 million. One of the by-products of MRCA co-operation, the RAF finds, is that it leads to fruitful discussions about many other matters of common interest with the German and Italian air staffs.
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