FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1314.PDF
LETTERS Exit removal hushed up SIR — I am in agreement with Dr James Johnson's comments regarding British Airways' re moval of overwing exits on its Boeing 747-100s and -200s (Flight International, 8-14 May). At the time of their removal, 1 was a BA cabin crewmember working on these aircraft and 1 wrote to our crew newspaper voicing my disquiet. My letter was not printed, the explanation being that outside interests had access to our in-house publica tions and such "alarmist" talk from crewmembers would give the newspapers a "field day". 1 also asked to know the financial gain from the extra eight economy seats per aircraft. 1 pointed out that the overwing exits in the Manchester 737 incident had saved many lives. 1 never received a satisfactory answer. In the event, the work was done. The two crew take-off seats in the removed door-area became most unpopular and, indeed, were nicknamed the 50% scats (draw your own con clusions). No matter how much BA claims that safety is always para mount, it does not seem to be quite as paramount as it was before privatisation. The com mercial exigencies on the airline industry in general are, of course, partly to blame (witness the widespread use of two-man crews and twin-engined aircraft on long-haul oceanic routes — but that's another story). As long as the general flying public remains in ignorance of basic safety considerations and, moreover, appears unconcerned about them — provided the "price is right" — such prac tices will continue. In the "bad old days" BOAC and BEA were accused of being nothing more than a large flying club run for the benefit of its "old boys". Nowadays, BA — together with most of its na tional and international compe titors — is run by accountants lor the benefit of "plus ca change". HILARY STEVENSON Saintfield Hunters Meadow Great Shefford Berks RG16 7EQ, UK South Africa's Wonderair operates at least three Turbo DC-Js South Africa soups up DC-3s SIR — 1 read with interest the article on the Basler Turbo DC- 3 in the 24-30 April issue of Flight International. The picture above is of a DC-3 Turbo conversion at Pre toria, South Africa, owned by a company called Wonderair. These conversions are made on the airfield and the company has at least three Turbo DC-3s in service. Wonderair also oper ates two DC-6 freighters — one of which can be seen in the background. ROGER KUNERT 83 Juniper Birch Hill Bracknell Berks RG12 4ZF, UK Support your local airport... SIR —The editorial "Local diffi culties" (Flight International, 24- 30 April) urges that Govern ment restrictions should be ap plied to protect those airports that have potentially useful run way capacity from being lost to non-aviation developments. Such protection would ensure that these assets are retained. The UK is on the brink of massive new marketing poten tial as the trading benefits of a free Europe open up. Exploiting a liberalised European market will generate opportunities for regional/short-haul carriers, as the need emerges for additional economical, fast, accessible, no- fuss means of transport. If air transport is to be viable and a preferred alternative to the Channel tunnel, immediate attention must be applied to the social benefits that enhanced regional services will provide. London City Airport has demonstrated how well a short runway can integrate regional air services into a community and provide it with an asset. As you indicate, runways exist today that could well be incor porated into the air-transport infrastructure of tomorrow. The south-east of England, with its high population and corre spondingly high level of indus try and commerce, would be the source of much of tomor row's "Eurotraffic" and it is in the south-east that many poten tially useful runways exist. The past years have seen many businesses decentralise from London as city properly prices have soared, placing themselves amid the massive swathe of industry and com merce that encompasses our capital city. Is it logical that regional "bus-stop" services within this swathe should be concentrated upon the highly- priced prestige runways of BAA when many operational, all- weather runways exist within this catchment area? If BAA was to price regional carriers out of Heathrow and Gatwick, where would they go? Would they simply cease to exist and consequently bereave the public of a valuable service? Would we have to wait until then before realising that alter natives must be found? Europe will see the dawning of an age of increased opportunity, and maybe a new chapter in this country's air-travel story. If this chapter is to be written, now is the time to lay its foundation. PETER BROWN Cherry Tree Lodge UO Gaily Hill Road Church Crookham Hants GU13 0RX, UK ...and keep up development SIR —Your leading article (Flight International, 24-30 April) on the UK Government's proposals to force local authori ties to sell off their airports needs to be corrected. Virtually all the regional airports run at a profit. Whereas the local com munity can decide to plough back these profits to update its airport, the Government's pro posals could well bring the de velopment of Britain's airports to a halt. Because airports are capital- intensive, virtually none of them returns 12% on net assets. Most of them, in fact, trade at less than their asset values and are, therefore, prime targets for asset-stripping property devel opers. IAN CRAN AIRPORT CHIEF EXECUTIVE Gloucestershire Airport Staverton Cheltenham Glos GL51 6SR, UK WHAT'S ON Institute of Safety and Systems Man agement 3-14 June, Aircraft Accident Investigation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; tel: +1 (213) 740 3995. No 56(F) Squadron 75th Anniversary 7-9 June, Ex-members who wish to attend should contact Sqn Ldr M F Killen. No 56(F) Squadron, Royal Air Force, Wattisham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP7 7RA. Cosford Air Show 9 June, Cosford Air Show. Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV7 3EX. Credit card bookings tel: +44 (0898) 122999. Shephard Conferences 10-11 June, The Fighter Helicopter Conference & Exhibition, Paris, 29-30 August Street. Burnham, Bucks SL1 7JZ, UK; tel: +44 (0628) 604 311; fax: +44 (0628) 664 334. London Society of Air-Britain 12 June, Jet Profelled file and The Glos- ter Story by Derek James, 19.00, Holborn Central Library, 32-38 Teobalds Road, London UK; tel: Char les Oman, +44 (0444) 811317. Eurocae 1991 General Assembly 24- 25 June, "System Validation'1, Amster dam, Netherlands. Contact: General Secretariat, Eurocae, 11, rue Hamelin •—75783, Paris, Cedex 16, France; tel: +45 057188; fax: +45 530393. RAF International Air Tattoo 20-21 July, "Global Tiger Squadron Meet", RAF Fairford, Glos. Contact: Sue Bushell, IAT Officer, International Air Tattoo, Building 1108, RAF Fairford. Glos GL7 4DL, UK; tel: +44 (0285) 713 300; fax: +44 (0285) 713 268. 38 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 - 28 Mav, 1991
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
