Yesteryear

• De Havilland Canada announced on 20 May that it had received letters of intent for 55 of the new DHC-8 Dash 8 36 passenger short haul transport.

• The first of 18 Lockheed CP-140 Aurora maritime surveillance aircraft on order to the Canadian Armed Forces has been delivered. The Aurora combines the avionics of the S-3 Viking with the P-3 Orion airframe.

• Airbus Industrie has proposed a new twin engine single aisle airliner, the SA1 which would be a 132 seater powered by either the RJ-500 or CFM56-3.

• FAA approval was given to the Bell 222 twin turbine helicopter on 15 May for single pilot IFR operations in Cat 1 conditions.

• Boeing delivered 286 aircraft during 1979 comprising (including military derivatives) six 7078, 136 7278, 77 7378, and 67 7478. Deliveries are scheduled this year for two 7078, 137 7278, 1017378 and 82 7478 totall- ing 322 aircraft.

• To meet the needs of increasing A300 and A310 production rates, Airbus Industrie will put two more Super Guppy outsize transports into service, one each during the northern spring of 1982 and 1983. The two existing Super Guppies have been in service since November 1971 and September 1973 respectively and are operated by the UTA subsidiary Aeromaritime on behalf of Airbus

Industrie.

• Production has begun of the turbosuper-charged version of the Piper Seminole powered by 180hp Lycoming TO-360-E1 engines with a 125lb gross weight increase to 3,925lb. The Turbo Seminole has a better cruising speed, service and single engine ceiling and useful load. At a suggested list price of $101,500, Piper claims the Turbo Seminole can compete with six seat twins costing up to $40,000 more.

• During the first flight of the fourth and ist single seat prototype of the Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000 at Istres on 12 May, pilot Guy Mitaux-Maurouard took the Mirage 2000-04 to M=1. 5 and 42,000ft on what was the 495th Mirage 2000 flight.

20 Years Ago

• Pan American World Airways has announced that three flights a week will be extended to Tullamarine beyond the current USA/Sydney service commencing on 3 July. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• NASA announced on 12 May that McDonnell Douglas and North American Rockwell are the finalists in negotiations to develop a reusable Space Shuttle.

• The Minister of Defence, Mr Fraser, reported to Parliament on 13 May that the decision to accept or cancel the Australian F-111C order has been deferred until at least late 1971. If the order is confirmed, the RAAF may not have its F-111s in service until 1974 because of the time required to find a solution to the problems encountered with the D6AC steel and the wing carry through box. The Government is examining the offer of an interim lease of 24 F-4E Phantoms with USAF supplied tanker support. If the F-111Cs are cancelled, Phantoms will then be obtain- ed as an alternative. The number required to provide the same capability as the F-111Cs would be 40 F-4Es, eight RF-4Es and eight tankers.

• Production of the first A300B European Airbus has commenced at the three main plants in England, France and Germany and a first flight is planned for September 1972.

• The 21st anniversary of the Canberra’s first flight was marked by an announcement by the British Aircraft Corporation of the sale of an unspecified number (believed to be 12) of completely refurbished Canberras to the Argentine Air Force. The Argentinean Can- berras will be fitted with the latest equipment including Doppler navigation and autopilot. Part of the 21st anniversary celebrations at Warton saw W/Cdr RP Beaumont CBE, DSO, DFC (who flew the first prototype on Friday 13 May 1949) put on a flying display in the first Argentine Canberra B. 62.

• It was reported on 26 May that the Soviet Union’s Tupolev Tu-144 SST has flown at Mach 2. 02 at an altitude of 53,000ft.

• It has been reported that following the outbreak of fire on board a USAF Lockheed C-5A Galaxy on the runway at Palmdale on 25 May, its crew abandoned the aircraft leaving the engine running and brakes off. The Galaxy rolled down the runway and collided with two fire trucks, badly damaging both. The fire damage caused to the Galaxy, prior to the extinguishing of the fire in the main electrical compartment, was estimated at $US6m.

• Cathay Pacific Airways has ordered two Boeing 707-320Bs for delivery in June and December 1971 and they will join the air- lines’s current fleet comprising eight Convair 880Ms.

30 Years Ago

• The TB-58 trainer version of the Convair Hustler supersonic bomber flew for the first time on 10 May, and during the flight reached a speed of Mach 1. 52 at 44,000ft. The aircraft is a conversion of the 11th preproduction B-58 serial 55-670 and is the first of four Hustlers to be converted to the training role. The main external change is an increase in the cockpit window area.

• The Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Pal-tridge, announced on 16 May that Lockheed Electras operating in Australia would not be grounded, but the FAA imposed speed limit would be adopted until modifications had been carried out to the wings and outer engine mountings. All Electras were inspected on 4 May following a DCA directive and were subsequently cleared. Lockheed has proposed a modification programme for the 136 Electras in service, at a cost of $US25m to enable them to safely operate at their design cruising speed of 400mph.

• A Lockheed U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft flown by Garry Powers was shot down from an approximate 65,000ft altitude by a Soviet SAM near Sverdlovsk on 7 May. This led to the breakup of the Paris Summit Conference on 17 May following an attack by Mr Khrushchev on US spying activities over the Soviet Union.

• On 5 May it was announced that a committee will examine the construction of an airstrip on Lord Howe Island, which is currently served only by flying boats.

•ARAAF Douglas Dakota arrived in Sydney on 25 May at the completion of the longest mercy flight carried out by the RAAF. The Dakota, flown by Wing Commander S Bra- zier, went from Port Moresby to Manus Island to collect an injured naval rating. It then flew to Port Moresby, Townsville and Sydney on the 2,500 mile flight.

• The last North American B-25 Mitchell in service with the USAF was withdrawn from use at Eglin AFB, Florida on 21 May.

• Bristol delivered 19 Britannias last year but no further aircraft will be laid down beyond the total of 83 previously committed by Bristol Aircraft. Bristol delivered the final Sycamore last year taking total production to 178.

• It has been reported that Boeing will accelerate the development programme of their Model 727 three engine jet transport following Sud-Aviation/Douglas Aircraft plans for Caravelle 14 production in the USA. The Model 727 is now entering the prototype stage and a mockup has been constructed. •The GAM Dassault Mirage prototype and preproduction aircraft have now logged over 1,000 hours of test flying since the prototype’s first flight. All airframe tests throughnut the Mirage’s entire speed range have been completed and weapons testing is presently under way.