Yester Year

The Aircraft Are Modified From 767-200er Airframes.

The Remaining Two Aircraft Will Be Delivered in Early 1999.

• on March 5 a Report Appeared on Brazilian Television Stating That Negotiations Are Underway for the Brazilian Navy to Purchase the Usn Forrestal Class Aircraft Carrier Uss Saratoga, Which is Nearing Retirement.

• the General Electric Cf6-80e1 Powered Airbus A330-200 Received Simultaneous Type Certification From the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the Us Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada on March 31. It Will Enter Service With Canada 3000 Next Month.

• the Royal Air Force’s 45 Year Nuclear Strike Role Ended at Midnight on March 31, With the Removal of the We177 Tactical Bomb From Service at Raf Marham, Norfolk.

• Two B-2as Landed at Andersen Afb, Guam, on March 25 After a 20 Hour Flight From Whiteman Afb, Missouri. During Their Deployment, Tests Conducted on a Bombing Range on the Uninhabited Island of Farallon De Medinilla, 222km Northeast of Guam, Included Dropping a Full Payload of 80 Mk82 500lb ‘dumb’ Bombs.

25 Years Ago

• the Stretched Upper Deck Boeing 747-300 Entered Service on March 28 When Swissair Flew Its First 747‑357bc Convertible Combi From Geneva. The Upper Deck is Lengthened by 7. 11m to Seat Extra Passengers.

• French and German Authorities Awarded the Airbus A310 Full Certification on March 11.

The First A310s for Commercial Service Were Delivered to Launch Customers Lufthansa and Swissair on March 29.

• the First Operational Ch- 53e Super Stallion Was Delivered to Hm-12 ‘sea Dragons’ Squadron on March 11. Fitted With a Third Engine, a Larger Main Rotor and Changed Tail Rotor, the Ch-53e Can Carry Three Times the Payload of the Ch-53d.

• Boeing is Offering the Stretched 767-300 to Airlines for Deliveries Commencing in 1986. This Variant Will Have Two 2. 79m Plugs in the Fuselage, One in Front of, the Other Behind the Wing, Plus Thicker Metal in Some Fuselage Areas and Under the Wing, and a Strengthened Undercarriage.

Seating Will Range From 254 Up to 290 in a High Density Configuration.

• the Second of Two Additional Westland Sea King Mk 50as for the Ran Will Be Shipped to Australia in April Following Its Delivery This Month. The First Aircraft Was Handed Over on January 26 and Shipped in Late February.

Both Will Join 817 Squadron at Nowra.

• Thorn Emi Electronics is Designing the Installation of a Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (Lads) in a Fokker F27 Chartered by the Ran to Undertake a Survey of Australian Coastal Waters.

50 Years Ago

• the First Prototype Avro Canada Cf-105 Arrow Mk 1, Rcaf 25201, Had Its Maiden Flight on March 25, Flown by Janusz Zurakowski From Malton. The Cf-105 is Powered by Two 23,000lb (102kn) Thrust Pratt & Whitney J75 Turbojets and Has an All Up Weight Exceeding 29,485kg.

• Aviation Traders Has Placed the 28-seat Atl 90 Accountant 1 Medium Range Airliner, G-atel, Into Storage Following an Unsuccessful Attempt to Find a Buyer. The Aircraft’s Maiden Flight Was on July 9 1957 and It Last Flew on January 10 1958.

• the De Havilland Spectre Rocket Motor Will Be Fitted to Both the Avro Vulcan and Handley Page Victor Jet Bombers. Two Spectres Will Be Fitted Per Aircraft in Jettisonable Nacelles.

• Quantity Deliveries of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Have Been Made to the Usaf and the Aircraft Will Soon Be Fully Operational. The F-104 Maintained Supersonic Speed Continuously for More Than One Hour in a Recent Series of High Speed Tests.

• the Handley Page H. P. R. 7 Dart-herald Prototype G-aode Rolled Out From Woodley Aerodrome on March 3, With the First Flight Following on March 11 Flown by Hedley G Hazelden. This Prototype Was Originally Designated as the H. P. R. 3 Powered by Four Alvis Leonides Major 701/1 Engines Before Conversion to the Twin-engined Rolls-royce Dart R. Da. 7/2 Configuration.

• the First Gloster Meteor Will Be Restored to Its Original Condition After Its Rediscovery Rotting Away at Yatesbury Aerodrome.