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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0049.PDF
INDUSTRY BCal updates One-Eleven GATWICK _ In the biggest single engineering programme it has yet undertaken, including 747 floor restructuring, BCal has fitted the first of its 13 One- Eleven 500s with hushkits, Cat 3a blind-landing equip ment, and a completely new cabin. The first aircraft is now back in service. The remain ing 12 aircraft will each require a down-time of only about five or six weeks. The One-Eleven structure has proved to be particularly durable, justifying BCal's £12 million "mid-life update" until the airline gets its first A320s in 1988. Even then the airline will retain a fleet of six or so for operation well into the 1990s. BCal's aircraft have only about half the 60,000-plus landings of the lead operator, US Air, some of whose aircraft have logged 60,000 landings and are still structurally sound. BCal's One-Eleven update, in addition to Rolls-Royce Spey hushkits, involves a complete strip of the cabin down to the bare skin and the replacement of every item other than passenger service units. The 99 new seats (3 x 2) are supplied by Flying Services and Engineering. Cabin materials meet current CAA fire and toxicity stan dards. The Fromoplas side- walls are supplied by BAe, with window recesses which give more elbow room. The design emphasis on increased passenger comfort has resulted in a doubling of the One-Eleven's passenger locker space (to l-3ft3 per seat). The fibreglass lockers are supplied by Fliteform of Heathrow, and the new galleys by Henshall. The Cat 3a blind-landing system replaces the One- Eleven fleet's existing Cat 2/Cat 1 mix. Designed by BAe and supplied by GEC Avionics (Marconi Avionics), . the system is single-autopilot "fail-passive" and, subject to CAA certification, will give BCal the operating flexibility of lower decision heights and runway visibility. BCal Engineering is going after an estimated 150 One-Elevens in the world fleet, nearly all of which, it believes, are worth updating. FLIGHT International, 5 January 1985 • '-'-? .$ -^Sf'-.- . _ V Villi y^ htfi'L This is a black and white print of a pencil sketch depicting an RAF L-1011 Hercules over Ethiopia. These prints are being sold to raise money for the Save the Children Fund's famine relief efforts in that country. If you would like one, and wish to help Ethiopian children, please make out a cheque or postal order to "Support Our Hercules Ethiopia Famine Relief", and send it to Sqn Ldr Derek Oldham RAF at No. 30 Squadron, Royal Air Force Lyneham, Chippenham, Wilts SN13 4PZ, UK. the cost is £2-50 including postage and packing. The print measures 17in x 12in and has a 2 in. border to allow for framing At Makale strip in Ethiopia, local labourers offload packs of blankets, bought with donations collected by the Brighton Evening Argus, from an RAF Hercules C Mk 1. All loading and unloading in this operation, with few exceptions, is carried out manually Here helpers want help ADDIS ABABA RAF Hercules aircrew work ing on famine-relief flights in Ethiopia have been so struck by the plight of the people out there that they have set up a scheme for raising money to help them. The details of this scheme, in which we hope you will participate, are set out in the caption to the Hercules print associated with this story. There are always two Addis-based Hercs in this relief operation, and so far they have carried more than 6 million pounds of supplies to the distribution stations at Makale, Axum, Gondar, and Alimata. Each aircraft makes three resupply runs a day, picking up an average 35,0001b payload, usually from the port at Assab, but sometimes from Asmara. Payloads are often maximum weight, which is 43,0001b. Runways at the unloading points are sand and gravel, with an average length of 4,500ft and elevation of 7,000ft. Dust is a problem, but Here crews are familiar with that; what they did not foresee is the fact that birds like grain, so they have major problems avoiding disabling birdstrikes. Sorties completed so far total about 530. Average sector time is an hour, but manual loading and unloading means that air time is not high. Basing at Addis may seem inefficient, but night time "rebel" activity at outstations could result in an aircraft being disabled. In one of the first sorties, commanded by Fit Lt Paul Spears, an aircraft blew one of its four mainwheel tyres on runway rocks. The crew chained up the affected oleo and took off for Addis. Once a week another Hercules carries out the round-trip from RAF Lyneham carrying spares and fresh crews. The environment is rough on men and machines but, according to Sqn Ldr Ken Bull, the aircrew are "fighting to get on the Ethiopia run". It certainly makes a change from Ascension and the Falklands, which is not the kind of run for which Hercs were designed. 47
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