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Aviation History
1978
1978 - 0276.PDF
486 FLIGHT International, 25 February 1978 New 11-62 has stronger wing A NEW variant of the Ilyushin I1-62M is beefed-up and modified to improve airframe life, particularly on short, high-density routes, and to allow operations on to runways which can not take the weight of the standard aircraft. Designated I1-62MK, the new version will probably become the standard production subtype of Aero- flot's long-haul airliner. The basic change to the I1-62MK is the strengthened wing box. The main undercarriage bogies have been widened, and lower-pressure tyres are fitted. New brakes and a system to permit automatic spoiler deployment on touchdown are fitted. Landing weight, maximum take-off weight and approach speed are slightly increased. Maximum take-off weight is up from 165 tonnes to 167 tonnes, and landing weight from 105 tonnes to 110 tonnes. Maximum seating capacity is in creased to 195 in a high-density lay out by the addition of emergency exits, although the long-haul two-class ver sion will seat 163, as does the I1-62M. The I1-62MK also features a "wide- body-look" interior, with indirect lighting and enclosed overhead bag gage racks. Los Angeles Skytrain hearing set LAKER AIRWAYS' application to operate a London-Los Angeles Sky- train service will be heard by the British Civil Aviation Authority on March 16. British Caledonian, which still holds a valid CAA licence for the route, is objecting to the application. British Airways is not opposing Laker, although it would be competing with the independent if it were designated as the second British carrier on the route. Even if LakeF is licensed on London-Los Angeles by the CAA, its designation is still up to the British Government. British Caledonian has already said that it will sue the British Government if its pre-Bermuda 2 designation is overturned in favour of Laker. Pan Am looks forward to a gooc PAN AM reports a profit for 1977, the first in eight years. The airline says that 1978 "will be another good year—but one which is not without its perplexities as well as its promises." A net profit of $45 million for 1977 is reported, compared with "a loss of $13 million, before extra ordinary credits" in 1976. After those credits, "principally an exchange of debentures," the 1976 results showed "a steady net income of $99-9 million." If 1978 goes according to plan, Pan Am will be "flying less but enjoying it more." It will have a smaller fleet and fly fewer aircraft-miles, but expects increases in available seat- miles, revenue passenger-miles, load factor, and market share in all of its major markets. One exception is the North Atlantic, on which competition from new gateways will cut Pan Am's traffic. Pan Am will take delivery of two more 747SPs this summer, bringing Among Pan Am's 747 fleet is this natural-metal- liveried -IOOF, an ex-American aircraft origin ally converted for Flying Tiger Line, Pan Am has leased it from Tigers to fill the gap in its fleet left by the Tenerife loss its fleet of 747s to 42, including eight SPs and six freighters. The 747s are also being reconfigured to ten-abreast seating, with 405 seats instead of 373. Pan Am is increasing the capacity of its 707s from 180 to 183 seats in charter service, and from 146 to 180 seats all-economy in scheduled service. But it will be operating only 26 707s (against 46 in 1977), none of them freighters, in 1978. Pan Am vice-president planning and scheduling David Hall outlines some of the plans for 1978: "significant added capacity" on routes from the West Coast to Europe, with a total of three daily flights by summer; re- introduction of services from Los Angeles to London and Amsterdam after the TWA route-swap expires; restoration of services to Vienna; introduction of the first 747 service to Argentina with three flights a week starting in April; 747s replacing 707s from this summer on the route beyond Rome to Istanbul, Tehran and, "if CAB approves," Bombay; increased frequency from one to three a week on the Bahrain route from July 1 and, "again subject to CAB approval," extending the route to Bombay; and through-plane service from Houston to New York beginning in July. Pan Am is cutting back on charter operations and is putting its weight behind low scheduled fares. With these route changes, Pan Am expects the average utilisation of its 747 fleet to go up from 13hr per air craft per day to 13-5hr, while 707 utilisation will go down from 7-3hr to 6-3hr. Pan Am also expects its 727s, which account for only 3 per cent of the seat-miles on the system, to show a decline from 6 • 4hr to 5 • 8hr. The result will be a decrease of 6-2 per cent in aircraft-miles, with an increase of 2-1 per cent in revenue passenger-miles, "including an 8-7 per cent increase in scheduled service and a 31-3 per cent decrease in charter service." Because of the trend to lower fares, Pan Am is not forecasting much increase in yield, particularly on the North Atlantic. The airline is satisfied that it is beating the Laker competition with its budget and standby fares, but says that these fares have not been in effect long enough to permit an assessment of their relative appeal. A. B. Magary, vice - president pas senger marketing, says that a full year would be needed for an evalua- (ar«(! ,f3*aw,*a|wvr c
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