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Aviation History
1976
1976 - 0038.PDF
50 RIGHT International, w/e 10 January 1976 US Concorde: confrontation avoided? WORLD NEWS As US Secretary of Transportation Mr William Coleman heard arguments for and against Concorde operations in the USA last Monday, the general opinion was that a compromise solution would be adopted. It is expected that the foreign-carrier permits of British Airways and Air France will be amended to allow a limited number of Concorde nights into Washington Dulles for a trial period of between six months and a year. At the end of this period, if the aircraft proved acceptable, operations might be envisaged at New York; the airlines could then show a record of successful operations in the New York State courts, assisting their cause in the legal battles which will inevitably precede any Concorde flights into Kennedy. The British and French are attempt ing to play down the accusations of chauvinism made late last year, and say that they are only looking for a "just and equitable" solution. The Anglo-French delegation to the hear ings has nevertheless made it clear that an outright rejection would not be acceptable. They are reluctant to discuss the possible consequences of an unacceptable decision, but do not exclude the possibility of court action. Mr Gerald Kaufman, Minister of State at the Department of Industry and leader of the British delegation, has excluded at least some forms of retaliatory action, such as reprisals against US airlines or manufacturers: "I would regard it as beneath con tempt if we were to indulge in any such reprisal." Hopes of an unconditional all-clear for Concorde seem to have withered in the face of concerted opposition from environmentalists, community groups, public officials such as the Environmental Protection Agency executives, and some professional bodies such as the Airport Operators' Council International. Although the Governor of Virginia, Mills Godwin, LEAD LINES 747SP: ready for approval 53 Statsionar: Russia's first stationary satellite launched 83 Included in Flight next week will be a special supplement to mark Concorde's entry into commercial service. The issue will also carry a report on a recent Nato exercise with the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force. spoke on Monday in favour of a trial at Dulles, the Secretary of Transporta tion for New York State, representing Governor Hugh Carey, opposed any Concorde flights. Officials of the Department of Transportation are also skirting around questions as to the legality of the whole hearing process. An issue under debate at the hearing was the amendment of the foreign-carrier permits of the two airlines to include a new aircraft type, a matter which is usually the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration. The Environmental Impact Statement pro cess was initiated in the absence of a permanent FAA Administrator, and it is likely that this anomaly could form the basis of a legal action in the event of a ban on the SST. Mr Coleman has promised to announce a decision within 30 days of the hearing, that is by February 4. The airlines do not now expect to start US services in April as had been expected; a six-month trial period would thus delay the final decision until after the Presidential election. Another delta Mirage? Plans for an advanced twin-engined combat aircraft are being kept alive at Dassault-Breguet and a prototype could fly in the middle of 1978, accord ing to Marcel Dassault, talking in a television interview shortly before Christmas. Work is being carried out on an entirely private-venture basis to produce what Dassault called a Delta Super Mirage, to be powered by two Snecma M53 engines. The announcement came within days of the French Cabinet decision on December 18 to abandon the twin- engined Super Mirage and to develop instead a single-engined Delta 2000 based loosely on the Mirage ni air frame (see Flight last week, page 11). Dassault said that the new twin- engined aircraft would be designed for the low-level penetration role as well as for interception and reconnais sance. Germany plans aerospace future The German cabinet will consider next Wednesday the report of Herr Griiner, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Economics, on the future activity and structure of the German aerospace industry. As co ordinator for German aerospace Herr Griiner was commissioned to report on the programmes, potential, require ments and additional actions required of German aerospace, and to work out, in association with industry, any appropriate structural changes. It is understood that a small reduc tion in capacity is being suggested in order to keep the industry's size pro portionate to the resources devoted to it. In the R&D sector, the Government has now launched a co-ordinated four-year programme to cover all Government-sponsored military and civil aerospace research and develop ment, with a combined financial alloca tion of DM745 million, about £140 million. This will cover work spon sored by the ministries of research and technology, defence and transport, and will provide funds for developing air traffic control. The existing military programmes known as Zukunft Tech- nologie Luft (future air technology) and Komponenten Experimental Luft (experimental air components) will be integrated in the four-year plan. Following German treasury objec tions during the autumn, the German space plan is still under discussion and it is probable that the cabinet will agree to shift the financial emphasis slightly from national to international programmes. As part of this trend, the rocket test station at Trauen has already been reduced to a care and maintenance basis. Rolls-Royce cuts workforce Two factories in the Rolls-Royce Derby engine division are to be closed as part of the company's general pro gramme to increase productivity and to absorb a workload trough. The Dundonnel factory in Northern Ireland, employing 780 people and manufacturing small machined com ponents for many Rolls-Royce engines, is to be closed over the coming year. Its work will be transferred to other centres. It had been announced previously that one of the three factories in the Barnoldswick area (the old Wellhouse Mill plant, the lease on which expires next year) would be closed and its operations transferred to the remain ing factories. During 1975 Rolls-Royce Derby announced an intended reduction of 2,000 staff and 500 direct workers by the end of 1976, out of a total divisional labour force of 34,500. These reductions, in addition to 500 from the Bristol engine division, account for the total of 4,000 redundancies forecast for 1976. A further 2,000 can be expected. The company hopes that natural wastage and early retirement will account for most of the reduction. The Derby division, being more extensively engaged in civil engines,
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