Yesteryear

Executives from Pilatus and Pratt & Whitney flew from their respective headquarters recently to meet half-way at Nuuk, Greenland to sign an agreement regarding Pilatus’ proposed PC-21 training aircraft. Powered by a more powerful version of the current PT-6A-68 engine the PC-12 is a follow-on to the PC-7 and PC-9 using the PC-21 designation to highlight it as an aircraft for the 21st century.

Impulse Airlines is looking to buy at least four Boeing 717-200s or 737-500s to increase capacity on flights linking Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as the fleet of 19-seat Beech 1900D Airliners is inadequate to meet traffic demands.

A contract was signed in Pretoria on December 3 for the purchase of 28 JAS 39 Gripen fighters, 24 Hawk 100 lead-in fighters and 30 Agusta A 109 light utility helicopters for the South African Air Force. This is the first export order for the Gripen and comprises both the single-seat and two seat versions with initial deliveries set for 2007.

The new low-fare carrier jetBlue Airways based at New York/John F Kennedy took delivery of its first aircraft, N503JB ex test registration F-WWBR, an Airbus A320-232 in 162 seat single class configuration, at Toulouse on December 3 and flew the aircraft to JFK the following day. This aircraft is one of two examples leased from Singapore Aircraft Enterprise in addition to five other aircraft from ILFC. The airline has commitments with Airbus for 75 A320s including 25 firm orders and is using the leased new aircraft to launch operations.

On December 8 Airbus Industrie said the company had received authorisation from its Supervisory Board to approach interested airlines to indicate their interest in A3XX versions, the number required and when they would be seeking delivery slots.

25 Years Ago

The maiden flight of the first of two Grumman X-29A research aircraft with its swept forward wings, 82-0003, took place from Edwards AFB, California flown by test pilot Charles “Chuck” Sewell on December 14. To reduce costs existing components from other aircraft have been incorporated in the aircraft. This includes the main undercarriage from the F-16, the forward fuselage and nosewheel undercarriage units from Northrop F-5As 63-8372 and 65-10573, and the single General Electric F404-GE-400 turbofan from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 program.

The first of ten new Lockheed P-3C Orion Update IIs, A9-656, due to be delivered this month to No 11 Squadron RAAF Edinburgh has been undergoing testing in the USA with temporary registration N64854.

The maiden flight of the new 155 passenger MD-83 with its 2900 miles extended range, N19B, took place from Long Beach, California on December 17 in Finnair colours and officials from launch customers Alaska Airlines and Finnair were present. At the ceremony an additional order for 25 aircraft from two new customers was announced, one of which was for 12 aircraft from a new company Irish Aerospace Limited, a 50/50% venture between McDonnell Douglas and GPA Group Ltd of Shannon, Ireland.

Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) signed a contract with British Aerospace on December 14 for the lease purchase of two Super 748s for immediate delivery which saw the aircraft arrive in Antigua on December 20 and 24. LIAT will be the first operator of the Super 748 and have been using 748s for nearly 20 years.

In the 10 years to November 1984 since the the delivery of the first McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and with 830 now in service, the type has established itself as the safest fighter serving in the USAF with an accident rate of 4.3 aircraft per 100,000 flying hours. Second place goes to the F-4 Phantom II with 5.3 accidents per 100,000 flying hours.

The first de Havilland Canada Dash 8 to enter revenue service on December 19, C-GJCB, commenced operations with norOntair on a route from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Sudbury, Timmins and Kapuskasing.

The Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) said that during 1984 the British aircraft industry delivered 219 aircraft including 26 helicopters, plus two airships. Some of the more numerous deliveries were from BAe with 44 Tornadoes, 24 Jetstream 31s, 20 BAe 125s and 10 146s plus 41 sets of wings for Airbus A300s and A310s, Pilatus Britten-Norman with 16 Islanders/Trilanders and Shorts with 31 360s and Westland with 12 Sea Kings.

50 Years Ago

The USN’s Bureaux of Aeronautics and Ordnance ( BuAer and BuOrd) were both abolished on December 1 with the Bureau of Naval Weapons absorbing their functions.

The L B Smith Aircraft Corporation of Miami, Florida is offering the Tempo II executive transport modified from a Douglas B-26 Invader bomber. A new pressurised fuselage lengthened by 9ft 7.5in will utilise the B-26‘s basic wing, nosewheel well structure and tail assembly. The 10-13 seat aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 “C” engines using 67 per cent power will cruise at 350mph at 20,000ft. A Tempo I version powered by R-2800 “B” engines will be unpressurised.

Over the past five years the USAF has lost 3471 pilots and 7062 aircraft in accidents, two-thirds of which, “should never have happened” according to Major-General Caldera, the Deputy Inspector-General for Safety of the Air Force.

The British Foreign Office announced on December 2 that it had refused a request for the supply of 15 Hawker Hunters from the Cuban Government. The present equipment of the Cuban Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria (FAR) comprises North American F-51D Mustangs, Republic F-47D Thunderbolts, Douglas B-26 Invaders, North American B-25 Mitchells and T-28A trainers and Hawker Sea Furies. Reports indicate the FAR has lost many of their experienced personnel by dismissal for their “Batista sympathies” by the Castro Government.

Qantas Empire Airways has applied through the Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Paltridge, to the Commonwealth Government for three additional Boeing 707-138s with newly-developed Pratt & Whitney J-57 turbofan engines and for a US dollar allowance to re-engine its existing seven 707s with the same engines. It’s believed the amount involved is $40 million, about half for the three additional 707s, the remainder for the re-engining, spares and overhaul equipment. A decision is expected early in the new year.

Mr R M Ansett has said that he would like to introduce what he terms an economy fare for introduction in mid-January 1960 on services between the mainland state capitals. The service would be operated by 95 seat Ansett-ANA DC-6Bs with fares set at 65 per cent of existing first class fares with a break-even load factor of 60 per cent.