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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0006.PDF
The first Norwegian Air Force F-16 to come from a European assembly line made its first flight from Amsterdam Schiphol on December 12, staying airborne for l±hr and reaching Mach 1-6. The drag chute specified for Norwegian F-I6s was successfully deployed on landing. Fokker will assemble 72 F-I6s for Norway US and UK share Rhodesia air lift THE Royal Air Force and US Air Force have airlifted British and Commonwealth troops and equip ment to Rhodesia. Three RAF Pumas were carried in a C-5A Galaxy, which entailed less dismantling and brought the helicopters into action more quickly than if they had been carried in a C-130. Other aircraft involved were RAF VC-lOs for trooping and C-130K Hercules and USAF C-141 Starlifters. One of tihe RAF Pumas crashed on December 27, killing the erew of three, during a positioning flight to Kotwa to pick up water supply equipment. It struck a pylon near Mtoko township, 95 miles north-east of Salisbury. The Ministry of Defence says the Puma was not shot down. Also on December 27 a low-flying RAF Hercules was hit by a "small- arms round." The aircraft was ferry ing 17 soldiers and two Land-Rovers from Salisbury -to an assembly point at Grand Reef near Umtali, south east of Salisbury. The bullet entered the fuselage and was found near the liquid oxygen package. No-one was hurt. Pan Am 747 in Heathrow incident THE right outer engine of a Pan Am Boeing 747 freighter caught fire during landing at London's Heafchrow Airport on the evening of December 27. The aircraft, with a crew of three, was completing a flight from New York and touched down on Heathrow's runway 23. The runway normally used for landing, 28L, was closed because of strong winds from the South-West (gusting between 23 and 30kt at the time). It is not clear whether the fire occurred immediately before or after touchdown. Some eyewitness reports speak of the 747 being caught by a gust of wind which tilted the air craft causing the engine to hit the runway. Neither Pan Am nor the British Department of Trade's Acci dents Investgiation Branch will com ment on these reports. After landing, the aircraft taxied down runway 23 and turned off near the end of the Terminal 2 piers, where the fire was put out by emergency services which are located by the Terminal. There were no casualties. The incident closed runway 23 for the rest of the evening and about 17 flights were diverted to other UK air ports. Runway 28R remained in use for take-offs. Photographs of the aircraft, taken immediately after the fire, show the right outer JT9D hanging from the pylon on its rear mounting only, and extensive scorching of the outer wing almost as far as the inner engine. A Pan Am investigating team arrived in London last week to examine the aircraft and three AIB inspectors are investigating the incident. The aircraft will remain at Heathrow until investigations and repairs are com pleted. • A Turkish Airlines Fokker F.28 crashed on a hill near Ankara on December 23. Initial reports give the death toll at 39 with four survivors— three passengers and a stewardess. The aircraft, with 59 passengers and four crew, was preparing to land at Ankara, at the end of a flight from Samsun, when radio contact was lost. Epsilon makes first flight THE first of two prototype Aero spatiale TB30 Epsilon trainers made its first flight from the Socata airfield at Tarbes in the Pyrenees on December 22, flown by Socata chief test pilot Marc Yoh accompanied by flight-test manager Claude Durand. Epsilon is a tandem two-seater powered by an aerobatic 300 h.p. Lycoming AEIO-540 engine and will probably be used by the French Air Force for the first 60 to 80hr of pilot training. If the design is successful Aerospatiale, which is in charge of the programme, will look for exports. 4 FLIGHT International, S January /98C Enstrom has found buyer? THE parent company of Enstrom Helicopters, Aircraft Management Associates, seems to have found a determined buyer to take over majority ownership of Enstrom and to finance new production and development. The name of the new- buyer has not been revealed, but Enstrom has already received money to pay salaries owing since it closed down late in October last year. The eight helicopters partially completed on the production line will be financed first and materials and parts must then be acquired to relaunch production. Staff will prob ably be recalled in about a month from now. Enstrom will also con tinue with development of the four seater Hawk. F. Lee Bailey, who has been majority owner of Enstrom since 1970, will now sell his stake in the company progressively and relinquish his management interest. Flight Directory 1981 THE Flight International Directory of British Aviation 1981 is now being prepared and it is planned to have it on sale during the SBAC Farn- borough Show in September. It is now the principal guide .to aviation in Britain, including listings of and references to government aviation departments, the armed forces, private and commercial aviation and the airframe, engine and equipment industry, i Questionnaires will be sent out shortly—we will let you know when they have been posted—and we would ask those who wish to be included to ensure that their entries are typed and returned by the date stated. Entries received after the final date cannot be considered. Flight visits to Hanover THREE trips from London to this year's Hanover Air Show (April 24- May 1) have been arranged by Flight, in conjunction with Planet Travel (108 Kilburn Square, London NW6 8PS; telephone 01-328 2281). Trip A—four days: departing Heath row 10.20hr Friday April 25, returning ETA 13.20hr Monday, April 28. Price £198-80. Trip B—three days: departing Heath row 10.20hr Friday, April 25, return ing ETA 13.50hr Sunday, April 27. Price £173-30. Trip C—one day: departing Heathrow ll.OOhr Saturday, April 26, returning ETA 19.05hr same day. Price £84-80. Accommodation is at the Kastens Hotel mit Luisenhof, near Hanover city-centre air terminal, from which airport coaches leave every 20min. Flights are by Lufthansa and British Airways and flying time is 80min. See Planet Travel advertisement on page 104 of next week's issue.
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