Yesteryear

• Airbus has changed the nomenclature of its proposed 130/160 seat single aisle short/ medium range transport from SA (single aisle) to the A320. This will see the 130 seat SA1 become the A320-100 while the longer fuselage 160 seat SA2 will be redesignated the A320-200. Other Airbus projects are the TA-9 (twin aisle) stretched fuselage A300 and the TA-11 four engine version, both using the same new wing design.

Boeing announced on 26 March that it will make a formal commitment to produce the 737-300 stretched version of the basic 737 after having received confirmation that at least two US regional airlines were ready to place orders. USAir, (formerly Allegheny) stated on 10 March that it would order 10 with a further 10 options “when that program is formally committed by Boeing. ” This was followed soon after by Southwest’s order for 10 aircraft plus 10 options with another 20 options to be negotiated. The first 737-300, which has an 80% commonality with the 737-200, is scheduled for initial deliveries in December 1984.

• The last scheduled British Airways VC10 flight was made on 29 March. The type entered service with BOAC on 29 April 1964 and since then, the fleet of 12 standard and 17 Super VC10s have flown 1,137,000 hours carrying 13 million passengers. The remaining fleet, consisting of 14 Super VC10s has been sold to the RAF after attempts to sell the aircraft for commercial use was unsuccessful. The RAF plans to cannibalise the BA aircraft for spares for its 13 VC10 C. 1 transports and five K. 2 and four K. 3 tankers.

20 Years Ago

• The US Senate rejected President Nixon’s request for Federal funds amounting to $134m to continue work on the Boeing 2707-300 supersonic transport, by 51 votes to 46 on 24 March. It has been reported that the cancellation of the project will cost 13,000 jobs including 7,000 at Boeing in Seattle.

The first flight of the prototype Westland WG. 13 Lynx multi-purpose helicopter took place at Yeovil on 21 March.

The first pre-production

BAC/Aerospatiale Concorde, aircraft 01 G-AXDN, was moved out of the Filton assembly hall for weighing on 31 March.

•Two contracts for Boeing 727 components have been awarded to Hawker De Havilland, for $1,564,000 for wing ribs and rudders for 50 aircraft and for $846,062 for horizontal stabilisers. GAF will share in the contracts, performing 10% of the work in the first contract and 90% of the latter contract. • The RAF’s last operational Hawker Hunter squadron in Germany was disbanded at Gutersloh on 12 March. No 2 Squadron equipped with Hunter FR. 10s was the last of 14 squadrons which had operated Hunters at some time over the past 16 years. The only RAF squadrons still operational with Hunters are Nos 8 and 208 Squadrons in the Gulf.

• The RAAF’s two new aerobatic teams, the Deltas, part of 77 Mirage Squadron based at Williamtown, and the Roulettes comprising a Macchi team flown by instructors from Central Flying School at East Sale, will perform at several Golden Jubilee flying displays during March and April.

Because of the adverse state of the economy, both Ansett and TAA will delay the delivery of each of their 12th DC-9s, from September to November. In addition, the first of their Boeing 727-200s will be accepted in November 1972 instead of June 1972.

• The RAAF will withdraw the last of their Avon Sabres from service by 31 July. Fighter pilots will now convert directly from Macchi jet trainers to Mirage 111D dual trainers.

• Qantas has sold VH-ECD, its last Lock- heed L. 188C Electra, to Nomads Inc based in Detroit.

30 Years Ago

• The Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Paltridge, announced on 8 March that following the report of the Board of Inquiry into the loss of TAA’s Fokker Friendship VH-TFB on 10 June 1960 at Mackay, all Australian airliners will be required to be fitted with cockpit voice recorders. Another recommendation by the Board was that the presentation of altimeter information be improved.

Recent first flights were the Rolls-Royce Avon powered version of the Mirage on 13 February, the Victa R-2 on 16 February and the Armstrong Whitworth AW 660 Argosy on 6 March. The Mirage is fitted with an Avon which gives a sea level thrust of 12,500lb increasing to 16,000lb with afterburning.

Garuda Indonesian Airways has recently taken delivery of Lockheed Electra PL-GLB which flew the 11,052 miles from Burbank to Jakarta non-stop.

• De Havilland will build two prototypes of the DH125 jet transport. Regarded as the Doves’ jet successor, the DH125 will seat eight passengers and have two rear mounted jet engines.

When a TAI DC-8 carrying 13 crew and 131 passengers arrived at Sydney Airport on 23 March, it created a record for the greatest number of people to arrive at the airport in one aircraft.

• Senator Paltridge has announced that Australia’s first duty free shop will open at Sydney’s International Air Terminal in April. The facility will be available to passengers on all departing flights, with the exception of those which terminate in New Guinea.

A pilotless Boeing QB-47 bomber was destroyed by a Bomarc-A in a trial con-

ducted last month. The drone was controlled by a DT-33 mother aircraft and the interception took place at 35,000ft. Computers at the SAGE direction centre at Montgomery, Ala- bama remotely fired the Bomarc after they had received position data on the bomber.

• The Minister for Air, Senator Wade, announced on 17 March that the first of the RAAF’s 12 Lockheed P2V-7 Neptunes will arrive in Australia from early 1962. They will replace the GAF Lincoln MR. 31s presently operated by No 10 Squadron at Townsville. The total cost of the Neptunes, including spares, will be about £5m.