Yesteryear

The Ministry of Defence, in a written answer to the House of Commons on December 18, indicated that the final choice of the new trainer for the RAF would be between the British Aerospace/Pilatus PC-9 and the Shorts Tucano. The statement said that the Australian AAC A-20 and the Norman Firecracker had been eliminated.

The first flight of the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 took place at Long Beach on December 17. The MD-83 is an extended range version of the MD-80 and is capable of carrying 155 passengers over a 2520nm (4670km) range. It will enter service with Alaska Airlines and Finnair late in 1985. Total orders and commitments for the MD-80 family stand at 500 with 191 deliveries made by December 1.

The newly certified Boeing 737-300 entered revenue service with Southwest Airlines on December 7 and USAir on December 18.

In a controlled impact demonstration at Edwards AFB on December 1, a remotely piloted Boeing 727 was deliberately crashed to test the effectiveness of ICI Avgard FM-9 fire retarding fuel additive. Initial analysis showed that although a primary fireball resulting from the wing being ruptured went out in less than 10 seconds, a secondary fire took hold almost immediately and was not retarded. Previous tests of Avguard on a smaller scale had been highly successful and the FAA and ICI are examining its failure to minimise the secondary fire.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-87 short body version of the MD-80 has received launch orders from Finnair for eight and Austrian Airlines for four, and it is believed that a formal go-ahead for the programme will soon be made.

20 Years Ago

Two Grumman F-14A Tomcat squadrons, VF-14 and VF-32, are being formed at Oceana NAS, Virginia for service onboard the USS John F Kennedy. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons, VF-1 and VF-2 are on the USS Enterprise.

The prototype Rockwell B-1 made its first flight at Palmdale on December 23 and landed at Edwards AFB where further testing will take place.

The prototype McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 had its first flight at Long Beach on December 17. This stretched version of the DC-9 can accommodate 139 passengers compared with 125 in the earlier version. Two Series 50s will be used in the flight development programme and the first delivery to Swissair is scheduled for next July. Meanwhile, the last Swissair Convair 990 Coronado service between Heathrow and Zurich was flown by HB-ICE on December 31. The airline will phase out its Coronados and they will be replaced from next July onwards by the ten DC-9-51s on order.

The Fairchild A-10, winner of the USAF close air support contest, has been ordered into production by the US Department of Defense. During fiscal year 1975 22 aircraft will be procured, to be followed by a further 30 in fiscal 1976. The US Department of Defence ordered the A-10 into production in December 1974.

The General Manager of East-West Airlines, Mr John Riley announced on December 3 that the airline had dropped plans to obtain jet aircraft and instead will replace its Fokker F27-100s with larger and faster F27-500s.

Air Malawi placed its Vickers VC10 acquired from British Caledonian, into service on December 3 between London (Gatwick) and Blantyre.

In the first 10 months of 1974, export sales of US general aviation aircraft accounted for 31% of total production. In the year to the end of October 1974 export shipments totalled 3633 aircraft with a value of $US234.8 million.

Ansett Airlines of Australia has awarded a contract to the Lockheed Aircraft Service Company to convert an L-188 Electra to an all cargo configuration. The contract valued at about $900,000 includes the installation of an 2.03m x 2.54m (80 x 100 inch) rear cargo door, strengthened floor, palletised loading system, and other structural and avionics modifications.

30 Years Ago

The first flight of the prototype General Dynamics F-111A (USAF version) took place at Carswell Air Force Base in Texas on December 21. The takeoff was made at an approximate gross weight of 26,330kg (58,000lb) and the 21 minute flight was carried out with the wing fixed at the intermediate 26 degree sweep angle.

The Lockheed YF-12A is now being evaluated by the USAF as an interceptor armed with Hughes AIM-47 A missiles stored in side fairings. The evaluation YF-12A aircraft 06934, which is now painted black, carries the same serial as the original Lockheed A-11.

The Department of Civil Aviation announced on December 22 that it had refused IPEC Air Pty Ltd and Comet Pty Ltd permits to import DC-4 freighters into Australia. IPEC had applied to import five DC-4s and while Comet wanted three DC-4s.

Freighter aircraft types are being evaluated by both Ansett-ANA and TAA to expand their services and reduce costs of operations. Ansett-ANA is looking at the Argosy, the Carvair modification of the DC-4 and the modification of its DC-4 fleet, while TAA favours the purchase of an additional DC-4.

The recent sale of four more Hawker Siddeley HS.125s to North American buyers has taken total HS.125 sales to 57 of which 34 are for overseas customers.

The Canadian Ministry of National Defence has announced that the RCAF is to place an initial order for 15 DHC-5 Buffalo turboprop transports with de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. Development of the Buffalo commenced in 1962.

Air Canada has increased its order for Douglas DC-9s from six to eight. Sales of the DC-9 now stand at 59 plus a further 44 on option.

The New Zealand Ministry of Defence has recommended the purchase of six Bell UH-1 and six Bell 47G helicopters for the Army.

SAS has selected the new DC-8-62 ultra long range version of the DC-8, which is capable of operating a nonstop service from Copenhagen to Los Angeles. It has given a letter of intent to purchase four of the type with another four on option. It will become the first airline to take delivery of the new version, with a planned introduction into service on the Polar route in May 1967.