Yesteryear

• A ceremony was held at Hawker de Havil- land’s Bankstown factory to mark the delivery of the first DC-9 Super 80 elevator set. Á US$6m contract is held to supply 75 elevator sets and Hawker de Havilland is the sole supplier of this part of the DC-9 Super 80.

• Boeing has been told by British Airways that they would like to introduce a 600 seat version of the 747 into service by 1986. A possible stretched version under consideration by Boe- ing would incorporate a fore and aft fuselage plug and extended upper deck which would accommodate 70-90 passengers or alternatively all the galley equipment. This latter course would enable more passengers to be carried on the main deck. Another Boeing study proposes a version capable of carrying 1,000 passengers on two complete passenger decks.

• Rockwell International has reversed an earlier decision to cease production of its single engined Commander line and will soon announce details of improvements for its 1979 models.

• The Royal Flying Doctor Service has sold its Beagle 2068 in the UK and VH-FDB and VH-FDF arrived at Biggin Hill during December. The other aircraft VH-FDA was lost at Corfu on 6 December when it hit a flock of seagulls and crashed into the Lonian Sea.

• McDonnell Douglas has announced that the delivery of the final A-4M for the Marine Corps in February will bring Skyhawk production to a close. During continuous production extending over 22 years a total of 2,960 examples of the light attack aircraft will have been built.

• An agreement has been concluded between British Aerospace and Avco Corporation of Greenwich, New Jersey for the latter company to build wings for the BAe 146 on a risk sharing basis. Avco’s Aerostructures Division at Nashville, Tennessee will build the entire wing torsion box but not moving portions of the wing. The Avco plant also produces wings for the TriStar and tail units for the Hercules.

20 Years Ago

• An announcement in London on 6 November stated that British Eagle International Airlines would cease operations to Australian destinations. Some of the reasons for the decision were, restrictions on travel for British citizens, the loss of migrant charter business to Qantas and a decline in inclusive tour charters.

The Bird Corporation of Palm Springs, California is test flying a modified four engined Convair PBY-5A Catalina amphibian. The additional engines are two 340hp Lycoming GSO-480s with Hartzell reversible, fully feathering propellers which are mounted out-board of the existing powerplants. The maximum speed is now 200mph, cruising speed on four engines is 152mph and 129mph with the two auxiliary Lycomings feathered.

• Boeing’s President Mr T A Wilson announced on 5 December that his company will build two prototypes of their supersonic transport as soon as the design has been approved. The design is to submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration on 15 January. The Boeing SST will be built of titanium, have a length of 280ft, wing span of 141ft Bin and be 50ft high. Powered by four GE4 60,000lb st engines, the 280 seat airliner will cruise at Mach 2. 7. So far 26 airlines have reserved 122 delivery positions and Boeing expect to sell a minimum of 500 of the type.

• Both Ansett and TAA have received their fifth DC-9s. TAA’s VH-TJN ‘Paul Strzelecki arrived at Essendon on 3 November and VH-CZE arrived the following day on its delivery flight from the USA.

• Following the loss of Vickers Viscount VH-RMQ on 31 December when it crashed about 27 miles from Port Hedland, the remaining six Viscount 700s in Australian service have been withdrawn from use as a precautionary measure. The aircraft had been on charter from Ansett ANA to MMA and was the oldest Viscount in Australian use with 31,800 hours total time.

• The last of 116 Mirage aircraft on order by the RAAF was received on 4 December. Since the programme was inaugurated in 1961, 48 fighters, 52 ground attack aircraft and 16 trainers have been delivered.

• Plans for a smaller version of the A300 Airbus, to be designated the A3008, have been submitted by Hawker Siddeley to the British Government. Amongst the changes are a reduced wing span of 147ft (down from 155ft 6in). length shortened to 165ft from 176ft 11in, fuselage diameter of 18ft 2in instead of 19ft 7in and maximum weight down to 275,000lb from 330,000lb. If the three Governments involved in the project give the go ahead, the first flight could take place in late 1972 with an entry into service during 1974.

30 Years Ago

• The RAAF’s Avon-Sabres are to be equipped with the heat seeking Sidewinder air to air missile. Sufficient supplies of the Sidewinder will be acquired to equip all the Avon-Sabres in the two Squadrons which will join the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve in Malaya. The Sidewinder weighs 155lb, can reach speeds of Mach 2. 5, has a range of approximately 3,500ft at sea level and this extends to 11,000ft at high altitudes approach- ing 50,000ft. It will the RAAF’s first guided missile.

• Sir William Hildred, the Director-General of IATA told the 14th annual meeting at New Delhi last month that passenger traffic in 1957 grew by 13% and passenger kilometres by 16% compared with 1956. The combined airline fleets stood at 3,106 aircraft, a rise of 316 over the previous year. Of the 316 increase, 292 were new four engined airliners with four engined types now representing 52% of the fleet total.

• During operation Sabre Ferry which commenced on 27 October at Williamtown, a total of 21 Avon-Sabres (including two reserve aircraft which flew as far as Darwin) from No3 Squadron No78 Fighter Wing were flown to the Squadron’s new base at Butterworth in Malaya. The 6,040 mile ferry flight was flown via Townsville, Darwin, Biak in Netherlands New Guinea, Guluan in the Southern Philippines and Labuan in British Borneo. The Sabres left Darwin in four flights of four aircraft and one of three on November 1,3,5 and 7. Other aircraft involved in the operation which was the RAAF’s most complex ferrying task since the war, were seven Canberras from No82 Bomber Wing which obtained high level weather information and flew ahead of the Sabre formations as ‘mother’ navigation aircraft, four No11 Squadron Neptunes providing Search and Rescue cover and seven No86 Transport Wing Dakotas for transport duties.

• Recent maiden flights have been of the 2nd prototype North American A-3J Vigilante on 26 November and the Douglas DC-8 airliner on 29 November.

• Piper has given the name Caribbean to a new four seater light aircraft derived from the Piper PA22 Tri-Pacer. It will be powered by a 150hp Lycoming and have a tricycle undercarriage similar to the Tri-Pacer.

• The annual picnic day of the Sydney Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society was held in perfect conditions at Camden on 15 November. Service aircraft participating were four RAAF Avon-Sabres and RAN Sea Venoms, Gannets, a Sea Fury and a Sycamore. Demonstrations of various light aircraft including Cessna Models 172 and 310B, Auster J/1M showing its banner pick up technique, the Royal Aero Club of NSW’s Chipmunk formation and solo performances of one of their Tri-pacers and the Percival Prince were other highlights.