Yesteryear

Financial difficulties prompted a halving of Peru’s 26 Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000 order for the Fuerza Aerea Peruana. The move was prompted by the country’s foreign debt of $US13,500m and IMF pressure to reduce overseas armament purchases.

The UN Command has released figures which show that manpower of the Korean People’s Army Air Force has increased by 129% from 24,000 to 55,000 over the last 10 years. Jet fighters in use have risen from 350 to 650 over the same period. Included in this total are 150 MiG-21s, and a mixture of obsolescent types ranging from the MiG-15 to the MiG-19. Helicopters have increased from 33 to more than 250 and transport aircraft from 100 to 250.

The first flight took place on August 7 at Cordoba (Argentina) of the second prototype IA-63 Pampa basic/advanced trainer. This aircraft has a more complete avionics installation than the first prototype which first flew on October 10 last year.

Two refurbished Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibians have been ordered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force for delivery later in the year. They will be powered by Garrett TPE331-15 turboprops and one Albatross will have VIP seating.

A contract was signed on August 14 on behalf of the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force for the supply of eight Panavia Tornado fighters ADV. As the Sultanate requires delivery as soon as possible, aircraft under construction for the RAF will be diverted to complete the order.

The name of Hughes Helicopters Inc has been changed to the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company. MDC acquired Hughes Helicopters on January 6 1984.

20 Years Ago

The 300th F-5E Tiger II was delivered by Northrop on August 20, one of 141 on order to the Imperial Iranian Air Force. The first F-5E flew on August 11 1972.

Qantas resumed scheduled services to Darwin on August 19 after operations had been suspended following the damage caused by Cyclone Tracy. The service was operated by Boeing 707 VH-EAC on a weekly return flight between Brisbane and Singapore.

The first production Concorde G-BOAC flew from Singapore to Melbourne on August 4 in 3 hours 37 minutes on what was the first of a series of route proving and endurance flights.

The first of two McDonnell Douglas YC-15 prototypes built for the USAF AMST (Advanced Medium STOL Transport) programme was rolled out at Long Beach on August 5 and had its first flight on August 26. Powered by four 16,000lb (72kN) Pratt & Whitney turbofans, it is the first jet transport to fly with a supercritical wing and an externally blown flap system. The YC-15 fuselage contains 67% more cargo space than the USAF’s current largest medium transport. The YC-15 made its first flight on August 26 1975.

The Swiss Government has announced that it proposes to order 72 Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs for the Swiss Air Force next April. It is likely that the first 19 will be US built with the remaining 53 assembled by the Federal Aircraft Factory at Emmen. Delivery of the first batch of 19 is scheduled to be completed before the end of 1979.

The first of 60 LTV A-7H Corsair IIs on order to the Hellenic Air Force was delivered on August 5.

The first sale has been made by Fokker-VFW of the new 85 seat F28 Mk 4000 version of the Fellowship, with five going to the Swedish domestic operator Linjeflyg. The airline already has three Mk 1000 versions and will eventually have an all jet fleet to replace its 19 Convair 340s and 440s.

It is believed that the heaviest items ever carried by a commercial airline were recently carried in a nose-loading Seaboard World Airlines Boeing 747 Containership on a flight from the United States to Kuwait. The two base plates for an oil pumping station each weighed 31,100kg (68,500lb) and were 15.25m (50ft) long, 3.5m (11.5ft) wide and 76cm (2.5ft) high.

30 Years Ago

A spare Rolls Royce Conway engine can now be carried on BOAC Vickers VC10s and Super VC10s in an underwing light alloy pod which has virtually no effect on the aircraft’s flying characteristics.

Ansett-ANA Vickers Viscount VH-RMJ made an emergency landing at Mangalore on August 4, while operating a service from Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra. After the port outer engine failed near Albury, the propeller was feathered. Despite this action, the engine caught fire and the captain was directed to make the emergency landing at Mangalore. All of the 38 passengers and five crew were evacuated without incident.

Following the delivery of the last of 20 Mirages to No 75 Squadron at Williamtown in the final week of July, the squadron became the RAAF’s first fully operational Mirage unit on August 1.

A further 20 options have been taken up of the Dassault Mystere 20 (Fan Jet Falcon) by Pan American, raising their total to 67, and total orders of the type to 75.

Japan Air Lines’ first Boeing 727 JA8307 Tone entered service this month and all JAL 727s will also be named after Japanese rivers.

A 31,870kg (70,195lb) load has been successfully parachuted from a USAF Lockheed C-141 StarLifter, which is believed to be a world record.

The Minister for Defence, Senator Shane Paltridge, announced on August 26 that the Macchi MB-326 has been selected by the RAAF as its all-through jet trainer. A total of 108 will be acquired in two batches, one of 75 followed by the second of 33, at an overall cost not exceeding £15 million. They will begin replacing the Winjeel basic trainers and dual seat Vampire advanced trainers from March 31 1968, by which time a minimum of 12 Macchis will be required.

A recent test of the first prototype North American XB-70A Valkyrie Mach 3 research aircraft took place with the wingtips folded down to the maximum of 65°. The wing folding enables the aircraft to ride its own shock wave using the principle of compression lift. The first flight of the second XB-70 was made on July 19.