Yesteryear

The last Lockheed F-104J Starfighters in operation with the Japanese Air Self Defence Force will be retired by next March.

The Egyptian Air Force received the first of five Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft on order, at Bethpage New York on September 3. The initial Egyptian Hawkeye is the 100th E-2C to be produced.

A formal Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to industry by the USAF on October 8 for the demonstration/validation phase of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) programme.

Delta Air Lines is the first airline to upgrade its early model Lockheed L-1011 TriStars using the latest engine technology and the improvements developed for later TriStar models. Commencing late next year, Delta will use kits provided by Lockheed and new RB211-524B4 engines supplied by Rolls-Royce to convert six of its TriStars to L-1011-250 configuration. The improved engine efficiency will give a 6.7% improvement in nominal range to a maximum of 4,500 nm (8,340 km). Range is increased by 1,130 nm (2,095 km) with a maximum 256 passenger load.

Four GAF Nomad N24As have been presented by the Australian Government to the Royal Thai Navy. The final two aircraft were handed over at Utapao Air Base early this month. The Nomads will be primarily used on anti-piracy patrols over the Gulf of Thailand. In 1982 the Royal Thai Air Force received 20 Nomad N22Bs which are based at Phitsanulok.

loped for the USAF and has a 9.2 m (30 ft) diameter rotating radome above the fuselage.

The 500th Rolls-Royce RB211 engine was delivered on October 7. Accompanied by engines Nos 501 and 502, all three were flown to Palmdale, California for installation in British Airways’ seventh Lockheed TriStar.

The first BAC One-Eleven to be adapted as a freighter has been handed over to the Sultanate of Oman’s Air Force. The series 475 model has a 3.05 x 1.85 m (120 in x 73 in) freight door on the forward left side. Two earlier aircraft will be similarly converted.

McDonnell Douglas had 227 firm orders for the DC-10 plus 27 options at the end of September. DC-9 orders total 840 plus 26 options of which 787 have been delivered including 34 C-9 military versions. The company’s work in hand is presently 29% civil and 71% military. The number of employees has declined to 64,672 compared with 73,665 a year earlier.

Concorde should enter service in January 1976 Government representatives from Britain and France have stated that it is intended that Concorde will enter regular commercial service with British Airways and Air France on January 21 1976. The British Airways’ Concordes will operate a twice weekly service from London to Bahrain while Air France will have a similar frequency for services from Paris to Rio de Janeiro.

The first production Hughes 500D five seat helicopter had its first flight at Culver City, California on October 9. The new 500D is developed from the 500C and is about 20% faster, has a 50% increase in internal load carrying capability and will be significantly quieter.

Qantas is to return 16 of its Boeing 747 JT9D powerplants to Pratt & Whitney for modification. The modified engines will be known as the JT9D-7F and will feature improved reliability and increased power. They will increase both the carrying capacity and range of Qantas’ 747s. The engines will be transported to the US every 21 days carried in the fifth pod under the wing of a 747 operating a regular service from Australia to the US. The first commercial delivery of the new engine took place in June, when Qantas received its tenth 747.

30 Years Ago

The DH.88 Comet G-ACSS Grosvenor House which won the 1934 Mildenhall Melbourne air race was presented to the Shuttleworth Trust on October 30. It had been previously preserved at Leavesden.

The US FAA has released statistics which show that at the end of 1964, there were 90,935 active civil aircraft in the USA, 2,193 of which belonged to airlines. Of the latter, 2,081 were actually engaged in airline operations. The total number of turbine-powered and piston engined airliners in 1964 were 812 and 1,362 respectively.

A Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2 (XN974) made a nonstop flight across the Atlantic on October 4 flying from Goose Bay, Labrador to RNAS Lossiemouth. The 1,695 nm (3,140 km) distance was flown without inflight refuelling and demonstrated the increased range of the Spey engined version. It was the first Fleet Air Arm aircraft to make the crossing nonstop. The Buccaneer was one of three S.2s which recently completed tropical trials at USNAS Pensacola, Florida. The trials included operations from the USS Lexington, one of the original Essex class carriers.

Beechcraft has delivered its 8,000th Bonanza to the Norman Larson Co of Van Nuys, California. The first Bonanza flew on December 22 1945.

The Minister for the Navy, Mr Chaney, announced on October 26 that 10 Douglas Skyhawks will be ordered for the RAN at a cost of $9.2 million. Comprising eight A-4Es and two two seat versions, deliveries will commence in late 1967. The Skyhawks will replace the obsolete Sea Venoms presently based on HMAS Melbourne. The Skyhawks will be delivered in conjunction with the previously ordered 14 Grumman Trackers. Both types will join HMAS Melbourne after she completes her refit at the end of 1967.

Modifications are being made to some Boeing B-52s to increase their internal bomb load. The present typical load over Vietnam is 27 x 750 lb in the bomb bay and 12 x 750 lb under each wing.

The first civil Westland Wessex 60 was handed over to Bristow Helicopters on October 21. Powered by two Bristol Siddeley Gnomes, the Wessex 60 is the first twin engined civil helicopter to be produced in Europe.