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Aviation History
1978
1978 - 0499.PDF
FLIGHT International, I April 1978 903 BAe staff prepare to get tough WITH gentlemanly restraint but mounting determination, members of the British Aerospace staff associa tions not affiliated to the Confedera tion of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions are preparing to fight exclu sion from the Corporation's new in dustrial-democracy arrangements. The nationalisation act required British Aerospace to report within six months on steps towards "industrial demo cracy in a strong and organic form". In December industry minister Eric Varley reported that British Aero space and the Confederation envisage "a series of participatory councils composed of management and em ployee representatives at all levels of the Corporation." These are now defined as works councils at factory, division, group and corporation level. A small but growing number of British Aerospace employees have formed staff associations over the years with the object of remaining outside the politically affiliated unions. Some associations existed before nationalisation and were recognised by their employers as bargaining voices for their members. Others were formed during or after national isation. The CSEU-affiliated white collar unions Tass, ASTMS and Apex are vigorously recruiting uncom mitted staff and object to the forma tion of the new associations, whose membership may now be as high as 5,000 out of a potential 20,000 or so in British Aerospace as a whole. As the pressure mounts on both sides, British Aerospace is keeping the door open. "A way may yet be found for the non-CSEU bodies to be given a voice." To achieve proper union status, an association has to be officially recog nised as an independent union by the government certificating officer (referred to here as C); the body must be recognised by the employer as bargaining on behalf of its mem bers (R); and it may have existed before nationalisation (PN). None is affiliated to unions. These are the bodies: British Aerospace Staffs Association representing groups at Hatfield, Kingston, Hamble, Prestwick, (C); BAC Guided Weapons senior staff association Stevenage and Filton (PN, C, R); Rolls-Royce management association at Filton (PN, C, R); BAC staff association Warton (PN, C); HS Dynamics staff association Hatfield (PN, C, R); and HSD Stevenage (PN, R). The United Kingdom Association of Professional Engineers (Ukape) and the Engineers and Managers Association are also gaining some membership in the non-CSEU area of British Aerospace. Maurice Smith to retire AFTER 42 years With Flight, includ ing an interruption by Hitler, editorial director Maurice Smith is retiring early to devote more time to writing. He joined us in 1936 after learning to fly with Oxford University Air Squadron and after an apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce. He was commis sioned in the RAFVR in 1937, served as an RAF flying instructor in Canada, and flew with Bomber Command from 1942 until the end of the war. He did two tours (41 missions) on Lancasters and Mosquitoes, ending the war as a Wing Commander and Pathfinder master bomber with a DFC and bar. Rejoining Flight after the war, he became editor in 1949 on the retire ment of C. M. Poulsen. Those proto type-productive days saw the initials MAS at the bottom of many air-test features in our pages. Some of the more robust or rare single-seaters to which he strapped himself in the- course of editorial duty, and which he remembers with the most affection or respect, were the Martin-Baker MB.5, Trent Meteor, Saab 21R, Sabre Tempest and Blackburn YA.I. He was the first journalist to fly the B-47. His more "forgettable memories" include the Chrislea Ace, Newbury Eon and Seabee, and "I sweated most in a Bell 47D." His favourite aeroplane is the Miles Gemini: "It gave me more pleasure over more hours than any thing else." MAS set the standard for the flight- test reports which were to become a strong feature of Flight and of the editorial team which he selected. He has always, since relinquishing the editorship in 1957, and as editor-in- chief and editorial director, main tained the policy that the editorial staff should include a strong core of professionally trained and experi enced pilots. He has always been a strong and successful advocate of the policy—not always endearing to the company accountants—that Flight should operate its own aircraft (Gemini, Airedale, Baron, Seneca) and "be seen to be practising what we preach." Among his other great contribu tions to the editorial success of the journal have been an extraordinarily wide range of good friends throughout the international world of aviation; total unflappability; and confidence in his staff. He will continue to serve as a liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators and also of the Coachmakers. Everyone will join us in wishing Maurice a long, happy and literary retirement. J.M.R. Sensor There are signs of renewed Pratt. & Whitney interest in the JT10D as the debate between "new-new" and derivative engine technology con tinues. Rolls-Royce remains con vinced that no fuel, weight, drag or noise improvements could justify the tripled investment required by a "new-new" engine. Launch cost of the RB.211-535 with nacelle, contingencies and warranty provisions is likely to be £200-£250 million for 1982 certification. European civil-airframe industry calculations put total launch cost of the Jet A/B to be $624 million excluding the CFM56, with the British share just over $220 million. This is just over £100 million, less than the cost of the 757 wing and less than half the cost of launching a derivative -535 cropped-fan ver sion of the Rolls-Royce RB.211. Weybridge and Hatfield analysis of the ISO-seat Boeing 757 concludes that engine and fuselage weight and drag make it easily matched by the Jet A/B (European 150-seater CFM56 twinjet) on seat-mile and fuel costs. There is a feeling that not even Boeing's very low price to British Airways—Jess than $15 million per aircraft—could compen sate for the extra fuel cost. Boeing and British Airways are understand ably not including full wing and engine design and development costs. Boeing 767 launch date is moving nearer. The company had expected to decide on a go-ahead for the seven-abreast, twin-20-tonne 180/220- seater in June, but may now decide sooner. United's new-airliner interest is con centrated on the Boeing 767, though the A300B10 is still in the running. American Airlines is leaning to wards the trijet 777 with cropped- fan RB.211-535s or CF6-32s, or JTlODs. Delta is at the moment looking hardest at the TriStar 400 with three derated RB.211s. Sea Harrier first flight, delayed by industrial difficulties, will be in time for public display at Farnborough. There is a feeling that unless the labour troubles are soon resolved the Sea Harrier project could lose export business to the AV-8B, which is being strongly advocated again by the US Marine Corps lobby. Olympus engine-control system re liability is at present the main area of Rolls-Royce Bristol Concorde technical effort. There have been very few primary engine problems. The main difficulty is the large amount of human and technical re sources which the engine is de manding for relatively low commer cial gain to the manufacturer. Nevertheless, Rolls - Royce knows that its reputation goes with the Olympus and that it must be sup ported to the utmost.
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