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Aviation History
1977
1977 - 0059.PDF
fllGHT International, 8 January 1977 53 Among aircraft which wilt have to be modified are the early 747s with blow-in doors around the inlet lips then it is likely to be expensive. McDonnell Douglas has not developed an FAR 36 kit for the DC-8. Most people believe that replacement rather than retrofit will be chosen, as has already started with pure-jet 707s and DC-8s. The timescale set by the FAA is longer than that for the other types; total compliance is set for January 1, 1985, with 25 per cent of the current fleet having to meet the rules by the begin ning of 1981. Many US 707 and DC-8 fleets will however be subject to the same schedule as those of foreign operators. The US authorities are now working with Icao on a timetable for adoption of an international noise rule, which will probably be based on the present Annex 16. But the FAA intends to take unilateral action covering all aircraft using US airports if no agreement is reached by January 1, 1980, and will then start a compliance countdown similar to that for domestic operators. This will mean that US operators are not at a disadvantage compared with foreign competitors. Aircraft weighing less than 75,0001b were excluded from the new rule, according to the FAA, because "there is as yet no clear evidence that currently operating business or private jets can be taken out of operation and retrofitted in an economically reason able manner." The FAA estimates that 1,600 air craft in the 2,100-strong US commer cial jet fleet do not meet FAR Part 36. Only some 300 of the noisier aircraft will have been retired by 1980, and some 650 will still be in service by 1990. Airlines which will be looking hard at the effect of the new proposals include TWA, with no fewer than 100 707s of various types. TWA will have to quieten or replace those aircraft not used for international routes, and the new timetables may bring replace ment of the entire fleet forward. Pan Am is in a better position than TWA because it has more 747s and fewer narrow-body types in service. Braniff's DC-8s will escape the immediate effects of the new rule because of the exemption of international carriers. Spotlight on safety AIR SAFETY is the subject of two unique residential short courses being offered by the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield Institute of Technology. The ten-week course on aircraft accident investigation is the first of its kind and has been devised in co-operation with the UK Accidents Investigation Branch. The course, to be held be tween April 25 and July 1, draws on the AIB's wealth of international experience. Wherever possible, films will be used to supplement lecture material and to give practical demon stration of witness fallibility and other interviewing problems. Participants will be given the oppor tunity to discover for themselves the lessons to be learned from the wreck age of past crashes. The aim is to bring together people from many areas of aviation for discussion and evaluation of how accidents happen. Participants will be given a sound basic knowledge of all the procedures, techniques and requirements associ ated with accident investigation and prevention. Further details are avail able from Frank Taylor, College of Aeronautics, Cranfield Institute of Technology, Cranfield, Bedford, Eng land; telephone 0234 750111, extension 248 or 252. The second course, on aviation safety, will be held between March 21 and March 25. Held in co-operation with the Air Transport and Travel Industry Training Board, the Civil Aviation Authority and the UK Flight Safety Committee, the course will be practical and will call for active participation from students. As well as hearing expert speakers from all sides of the industry, course members will work in groups to examine the handling of safety matters within organisations. The groups will consider the problems of formal and informal methods of infor mation transfer and will examine the reasons why vital safety data has at times in the past been mishandled with tragic consequences. Further details of this course are available from Bob Golding, College of Aero nautics; telephone 0234 750111, exten sion 280 or 426. ANA short-field 737 JAPANESE domestic operator All Nippon Airways last month inaugur ated Boeing 737 services to the pro vincial city of Yamagata in north-east Japan. Two round-trips daily are being flown from Tokyo to Yamagata's l,500m-long runway, making this the first time that the Japanese authorities have allowed jet operations from such a short runway. The Japanese transport ministry has however set certain limitations on the operation. The runway at Yamagata has been grooved, and operations are only permitted as long as it is free of snow. Aircrew on Yamagata flights must have a minimum number of hours on type. Take-off and landing weights are limited to 98,0001b and 92,0001b respectively, normal weights being 109,0001b and 98,0001b. ANA has been using 64-seat YS-lls on the route; introduction of the 119- seat Boeing 737s is expected to attract many more passengers, and the air line is hoping to double the present annual total of 60,000 passengers. The carrier's fleet of 12 Boeing 737s meets both the US FAR 36 and Icao Annex 16 noise rules. Worldwide, Boeing 737s fly from 35 airports hav ing runways less than 5,000ft (1,524m). The shortest runway regularly used by the type is the 4,000ft (1,219m) strip at Charlo in Canada. Many Japanese airports have wartime 1,200m runways. lata policy for Montreal conference THE International Air Transport Association has defined its policy on certain key matters in preparation for the Special Air Transport Conference convened by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, an inter- Government meeting due to be held in Montreal on April 13-26. Iata's recommendations, prepared in response to a request from Icao, follow the established lines of lata doctrine, as often stated by the associ ation's director-general and other officials. The association backs regula tion of charter service within the same network as scheduled airlines; it identifies unregulated charter ser vices as a threat to the survival of scheduled air transport and criticises governments who prevent carriers from making agreements on capacity.
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