Yesteryear

• The first production Hawker Siddeley Hawk was rolled out at Dunsfold on 12 August and was test flown on 21 August by Duncan Simpson.

• Hawker Siddeley has undertaken a full review of the market potential of the HS146 and will soon increase expenditure to allow the construction of a prototype.

• The three Boeing 747SPs ordered by South African Airways will be the first to be powered by the 48,000 lb ST Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7F compared with JT9D-7A of 46,500 lb ST used by Iran Air and Pan Am.

• The 10th and 11th Boeing 7478 to be delivered to Qantas in 1975 will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7F rated at 50,000 lb ST with water injection. Qantas will convert its existing JT9D-7 and 7A engines to the same standard.

• Ansett Airlines has received Government permission to purchase a fourth Lockheed Electra freighter.

• The Swedish Defence Material Administration has placed an initial order for 30 JA-37 Viggen interceptors with SAAB-Scania.

• A British Army order for 60 Gazelle helicopters has brought the total UK military order to 202.

• The Nomad order book continues to grow and now stands at 44. Customers so far have been Australian Army 11, Indonesian Navy 4, Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service 6, Philippine Air Force 12, Peruvian Army 2, Aeromaritime Italia 1, Nationwide Air Services 1, plus options from Aeromaritime Italia 1, Nationwide Air Services 1, and Peruvian Army 5. Production of 70 Nomads has been authorised by the Government.

• A total of more than 4500 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms has so far been delivered and a backlog of 400 orders is in hand.

• The 3000th flight in the F-15 Eagle development programme took place at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on 30 September, 27 months after the first flight. A two seat TF-15, the first production example, first flew on 25 September.

• Swissair will cease operations of its seven CV-990A aircraft by the end of the year.

20 Years Ago

• An air show was organised by Victa Ltd at Cowra, NSW on 25 July 1964 as part of a sales campaign to promote Air Tourer sales. Aircraft attending included seven Air Tourers, several Tiger Moths, Austers and Pipers.

• A spey-engined version of the Comet 4 has been proposed by Hawker Siddeley to meet the requirements of RAF Coastal Command for an interim maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

• A new version of the Boeing 727 has been proposed by Boeing for COD (Carrier On Board) duties for the US Navy. The aircraft would be capable of flying large numbers of personnel between shore bases and carriers and would not bestowed on board. A simulated carrier deck at the Naval Air Test Centre at Patuxent River has been used by Boeing to demonstrate a 727 to the USN.

• Some of No 34 Squadron’s Dakotas will be replaced by two Vickers Viscount 800 Series aircraft being purchased by the RAAF. Both aircraft were originally built for an anticipated order from TAA which did not eventuate. The aircraft are A6-435 (ex N40N of Union Carbide Corporation) and A6-436 (ex EP-MRS of the Persian Government). They were originally built as VH-TVR John Murphy’ and VH-TVS ‘George Evans’ respectively.

• Five Boeing Stratocruisers are being modified by Israel Aircraft Industries to swing tail configuration to enable them to be used for freight and troop use by the IDF/AF. Following the modifications gross weight of the Stratocruisers will be increased to 153,000 lb.

• The first of TAA’s Beech Queen Air A80 Mk2s. VH-TGA, was accepted at Bankstown on 18 August by Captain John Chapman.

•The arrival took place on 18 August at Tan Son Nhat airfield, Saigon, South Vietnam of the first three DHC-4 Caribous for the RAAF.

• The delivery took place in July of the first of 17 Boeing KC-135 airborne command posts to the USAF Strategic Air Command. They will be used as command posts for SAC bomber and missile forces in the event of the destruction of ground posts by enemy action.

• Qantas has ordered an additional three Boeing 707-338C aircraft, bringing their 707 fleet strength up to 19. VH-EBM ‘City of Launceston’, the last Boeing 707-138B, arrived in Sydney on 12 September. Qantas has also ordered two Hawker Siddeley HS125 aircraft for crew training and these will be delivered November 1965 and early in 1966.

• Cessna received a contract in July for 170 model 172 aircraft which will be used by the USAF for basic flying instruction under the T-41A designation.

30 Years Ago

• The English Electric P. 1 fighter, which is capable of supersonic speed in level flight, first flew on 4 August 1964. Another product of the same company, the Canberra B. Mk8 night intruder, had its maiden flight on 8 July.

• The first Lockheed Constellation, known affectionately as “old 1961′ (1961 was the factory serial number) has a new role as a test bed for the Allison T-56 turboprop engine which is the power- plant for the new C-130 transport. “Old 1961′ first flew in 1943.

• Although the prototype Lockheed F-104 inter-ecptor first flew February 1954, information regarding it has not been released by the USAF It is believed to be a slim single-seater with a T tail and short very thin section straight wings.

•The first flight of the Folland Midge took place at Boscombe Down on 11 August 1954.

• One of the largest domestic airlines in the United States, Capital Airlines, has exercised its option to purchase an additional 37 Vickers Viscounts, bringing its total order to 40 aircraft. This is the biggest single sale of a British airliner ever made and the 40 aircraft order is worth $45,000,000.

•The prototype de Havilland Comet 3, G. ANLO. flew for the first time on 19 July 1954. Firm orders for the Comet 3 are held from BOAC, Pan American World Airways and Air-India International.

• Some of the interesting aircraft at the 1954 Farnborough Air Display were the Folland Midge, Supermarine 525, Hawker Hunter F Mk. 2, Supermarine Swift, Vickers Valiant 2, Avro Vulcan, English Electric Canberra B8 and de Havilland Comets 2 and 3. A fuselage mock up of the Handley Page Herald, due to fly in 1957, was also on show.

• The Fokker F-27 Friendship, a Dakota replacement project, will cost an estimated £165,000 sterling. It will carry 28 passengers and 300 lb of cargo over a maximum stage length of 1000 miles at a take off weight of 34,200 lb. The cruising speed will be 266 mph at 20,000 feet.

• An order by United Air Lines for 27 DC-7s has taken sales of the airliner to 107.

• The Lockheed C-130 transport made its first flight on 23 August 1954.

• Plans are being considered to install the 4000 hp Bristol BE-25 two-spool constant speed turbo-prop to the Saunders-Roe Princess.

• Fairchild will produce the Fokker F27 Friend. ship under licence if orders are forthcoming. An agreement to this effect has been completed by the two companies.