Yesteryear

• The Chiefs of Staff of the British, French, German, Italian and Spanish air forces signed an agreement for the Outline European Staff Target of a Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) on December 16. The agreement specifies a twin engined, single seat fighter of 8. 5 tonnes empty weight, 17 tonnes maxi- mum takeoff weight, maximum speed of M1. 8 and a +9g to-3g manoeuvre capability is required at design combat weight. The prototype will enter test 1990/91 and an in service date of 1996 has been specified for the five customer air forces.

• The Royal Thai Navy will take delivery of four GAF Searchmaster maritime surveillance aircraft under a $7. 5m defence co- operation program. Two will be delivered in June 1984 and the remainder in 1985.

• The 1000th example of the Boeing 737 was rolled out at Renton on December 9, one of 33 currently being delivered to Delta. Delta also received the 1000th Boeing 727 about ten years ago. Total 737 sales stand at 1114 for 114 customers.

• On December 20, delivery commenced of McDonnell Douglas MD-80s on order to Alitalia, when the first two aircraft named “Roma” and “Milano” departed Long Beach for Rome.

A F-20 completes a nonstop flight across the USA on December 1 1983.

20 Years Ago

The French Navy’s last three Convair PBY-6A Catalina amphibians have been acquired by the Chilean Navy.

The last group of six General Dynamics F-111Cs to be delivered to Australia, arrived at RAAF Base Amberley on December 4 at the end of their flight from McClellan AFB in California via Honolulu and Fiji. The flight was led by Wing Commander G W Talbot. • Seventeen ex RAAF GAF Canberras recently advertised in Department of Supply tenders have been sold for an average price of $2715 each.

A distance record for the type was established by Martinair Holland’s new McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF”Kouhetek” on December 6. It flew 6901nm non stop in 13 hours 45 minutes from Amsterdam to Jakarta at the start of a sub charter to Garuda.

• A report was tabled in Parliament on December 13 which recommended that Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) airport be further developed. It states that developments costing $500m, including the construction of a second north-south runway would delay the need to build a second airport until the 1990s.

The first production BAC/Aerospatiale Concorde, F-WTSB, had its maiden flight on December 6 at Toulouse. During its second flight on December 14 it went supersonic including 40 minutes at Mach 2.

• The first order has been received by DH Canada for its DHC-7 “Quiet STOL Airliner” or Dash 7 with a sale of two aircraft to Norway’s Wideroe’s Flyveselskap A/S. The first flight of the Dash 7 is scheduled for the end of this year, the first two pre production aircraft are under construction at Downsview.

The Lockheed P-3C Orion and Boeing milltary 707-320C are the contenders for the Canadian Long Range Patrol Aircraft (LRPA) requirement to replace the aging Canadair Argus maritime patrol aircraft.

An Argentine Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules arrived at RAAF Base Fairbairn on December 6 after a flight from Argentina via Marambio in the Antarctic. The aircraft was used for a feasibility study of a trans polar route for Aerolineas Argentias.

An RAF Nimrod, XV250, of 203 squadron based at Luqa, Malta won the Fincastle Trophy for 1973. The competition between Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand was held off the Australian east coast. The Australian participant, a Lockheed Neptune from No 10 Squadron was a close runner up.

30 Years Ago

• British aircraft industry employment is still declining with a fall of 5. 4% or 15,200 workers in year to August 1963, when the employment level of the aircraft manufacturing and servicing industry stood at 267,200.

The three Saunders-Roe SR. 45 Princess flying boats powered by ten Bristol Proteus turboprop engines, built more than ten years ago for the British Ministry of Supply, have been offered for sale by the War Office.

Three Sud Aviation Alouette III helicopters have been ordered by the Department of Supply. They will be used at the Woomera rocket range to seek and recover missiles after test firings, for range survey work and to ferry personnel.

The first flight of the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter took place on December 17. The type, of which 132 are on order, is scheduled to become operational in the middle of 1965.

The Ansett Flying Boat Services Short Sunderland VH-BRF, ex RNZAF NZ4108, arrived at Rose Bay on December 18. The flying boat had been previously in storage and had not flown for six years. On arrival, it was still fitted with some of its turrets. The overhaul and modifications required to bring it up to civil standards is expected to take three to four months.

• The prototype Hawker Siddeley 748MF, registered G-ARRV, rolled out at Woodford on December 12 and had its first flight on December 21. It has been converted from the original civil 748 prototype G-APZV. The main changes are a redesigned rear fuselage with a ramp type door, freight floor, a “kneeling” undercarriage to aid loading and unloading, and more powerful 3245 ehp Rolls-Royce Dart R. Da. 12 engines.

The USAF is considering extending the life of its Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses by equipping them with a new air-to-ground missile and the addition of improved electronic countermeasures equipment.

The French Air Force has been negotiating a contract with Air France to take over six of the airline’s 12 Breguet Deux Ponts transports. They are to be based at Tahiti for supply missions in connection with the establishment of the new French nuclear and missile test centre to be built on an island in the area.