Yesteryear

United Airlines has won final approval to acquire Pan American’s Pacific Division. The $750m deal involves the transfer of route rights, 18 aircraft and about 2700 staff.

Lockheed has delivered the first two S-3B Vikings to the USN. Under the current contract, a further two S-38As are to be converted to the new standard, while the modification of 160 S-3As in USN service will depend on the test phase outcome. The new version has the addition of anti-surface unit warfare (ASUW) capability to the original anti-submarine role and has the provision to launch Harpoon ASMs.

A Finnair MD-83 has completed the longest nonstop flight ever made by a McDonnell Douglas MD-80. The 3405nm (6308km) from Montreal to Helsinki was covered in 7hr 26min. The MD-83 carried two 2139L (565 US gal) auxiliary tanks and arrived at its destination with about 2722kg (6000lb) of its 21,550kg (47,500lb) full fuel load remaining. It is the first aircraft to be equipped with the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 of 21,000lb (94.1kN) takeoff thrust.

Under the terms of an agreement proposed in September, the Cessna Aircraft Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics on November 18.

The delivery of the final batch of five Boeing Vertol Chinook HC Mk.1s to the RAF commenced this month and will continue at a rate of one per month. Completion of the order will see a total of 41 Chinooks delivered to the RAF.

An announcement was made on November 20 that TAA has ordered three British Aerospace Jetstream 31s to be used on routes in western Queensland. They will be delivered in August and September next year in 15 passenger configuration and will replace Fokker F27s. Jetstream orders now stand at 97 and TAA is the 19th operator.

20 Years Ago

Cessna established new records for its sales for the 1974/75 year to September 30. Sales of $US491m compared with $US416 for fiscal 1974, while aircraft unit sales of 7673 compared with 7145 during the previous year. The September aircraft unit sales of 740 aircraft worth $US35m was the highest monthly total in Cessna’s history.

Approval for the full scale development of the McDonnell Douglas/Northrop F-18 ACF (Air Combat Fighter) for the USN has been given by the US government. The $16m contract is expected to increase to $133m over the next 15 months. There will be 11 development F-18s constructed, with the first scheduled to fly in mid-1978.

A report suggests that 16 Russian MiG-21s are based at Luanda, operating in support of Marxist forces in Angola.

The Canadian Government announced on November 27 that it had placed an order for 18 Lockheed P-3 Orions to replace the Canadair Argus maritime patrol aircraft. The deliveries will commence in May 1979 and will be completed by February 1980. Canada’s Argus fleet is on its way out with the November 1995 announcement of a replacement.

Air France took delivery of its seventh Airbus A300 on November 17, which is also their first B4 long range version. Three days later, it was placed onto the New York/Caribbean route becoming the first Airbus to operate a scheduled service to the USA. Aerospatiale is studying a tanker transport version of the B-4 for use by the French Air Force.

KLM recently took delivery of the first of two Boeing 747 Combi versions on order. The 747-206B PH-BUF “The Rhine” at an 396,200 (800,000lb) gross weight is the heaviest 747 so far delivered.

As part of a 60,820nm (112,630km), 30 day, 18 country promotional tour, Boeing demonstrated the 747SP N4013 to Qantas on November 21. The aircraft is one of five on order to PanAm and is the fourth 747SP to be produced. It arrived in Sydney the previous evening after a nonstop 5570nm (10,315km), 11 hour 25 minute flight from Bombay. On November 23 it departed on the next leg of its tour, which was a nonstop flight to Santiago.

30 Years Ago

The last scheduled BOAC de Havilland Comet service through Sydney took place on November 23 when the Comet 4 G-APDM operated the Auckland/London service. It was also the last scheduled BOAC Comet service. Following the opening of Auckland’s new international airport at Mangere on November 24, the route will be flown by BOAC’s Boeing 707s.

The Bristol Britannias of Canadian Pacific were withdrawn from operations into Australia during the month. The final service was operated by Britannia 314 CF-CZW Empress of Rome which departed for Vancouver on November 26. The Britannias will be replaced by Douglas DC-8s.

A Boeing 707 of the Flying Tiger Line made the first circumnavigation of the world over both poles on November 15.

Twenty USAF Douglas AC-47s are now operating in South Vietnam. The AC-47 gunship is fitted with three fixed 7.62mm General Electric miniguns on the port side with a combined rate of fire of 18,000 rounds per minute.

The mating of the (57m) 187ft long fuselage of the Douglas Super 61 DC-8 and its wing has taken place at Long Beach. This version will have a maximum passenger capacity of 251. The other versions of the Super 60 DC-8 Series are the Super 62 claimed to be the longest range intercontinental airliner in the world, and the Super 63 which combines the fuselage extension of the Super 61 with the range of the Super 62. All versions are scheduled to fly this year.

The first of 14 RAF Vickers VC10s was rolled out at Weybridge on November 8 and had its first flight on November 26. The main external changes on the RAF VC10s are a large freight door on the port side and a flight refuelling probe.

The Commonwealth Government has ordered two BAC One-Elevens, 10 Hawker Siddeley HS.748s and three Dassault Mystere 20s for the RAAF. Eight HS.748s will be used as navigational trainers, the two other HS.748s, the One-Elevens and Mysteres will be used as VIP transports.

Convair has delivered the first Convair 600, a RR Dart powered Convair-Liner.

The North American OV-10A had its first flight on November 30.

The USAF has ordered a further 40 Bell UH-1F utility helicopters, taking the total to 146.