Yesteryear

The Airbus Industrie partners on June 23 gave approval to their sales personnel to proceed with an Authorization to Offer (ATO) for the 555-seat A3XX-100 enabling firm commercial offers to be made to customers. Interest has been expressed publicly by Air France, Emirates, ILFC, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. On June 30 Qantas confirmed it was one of three undisclosed launch customers and could have an initial requirement for up to ten aircraft for use on the Kangaroo Route and trans-Pacific services. Qantas chairman James Strong said the airline had been evaluating the requirement for an aircraft larger than the 747-400.

On June 1 Aer Lingus and LanChile began offering full oneworld customer sevices and benefits. The eight oneworld member airlines operate a total of 1852 aircraft to 559 destinations.

On June 29 Boeing and Southwest Airlines confirmed the order for up to 290 Next-Generation 737s. The contract covers firm orders for 94 737-700s plus 25 options and purchase rights for up to 171 Next-Generation aircraft over the next 12 years. Southwest has an existing fleet of 323 737s and has been influential in the fortunes of the 737 family as the launch customer for the 737-300 in 1981, the 737-500 in 1987 and the Next-Generation 737 series with its January 1998 order for 737-700s. A steady stream of orders will see Boeing increase 737 monthly production from 24 to 28 in the third quarter of 2001.

The first flight of the Boeing 777-228ER F-GSPL powered by the new 94,000lb st (418kN) General Electric GE90-94B engines took place on June 14. The aircraft will serve as a test bed prior to delivery to Air France. This engine incorporating new technologies is expected to reduce fuel burn by more than 1%.

25 Years Ago

Air Queensland has placed an order for four ATR 42-300s and placed options on a further three with deliveries during April-July 1986. The new aircraft will replace four Fokker Friendships leased from Ansett.

Side cargo doors, a cargo handling system and strengthened floors are to be fitted to up to 19 Pan Am Boeing 747s by the Boeing Military Airplane Company to be used in emergencies by the USAF’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). The aircraft will continue to operate in an all passenger configuration after these changes, while part of the CRAF fleet available for military use in an emergency. Airlines receive compensation for higher operating costs arising from the modifications.

On June 19 the USN selected the name Goshawk as the popular name for the British Aerospace T-45A trainer, part of the T-45 training system (previously VTXTS), to replace Training Command’s T-2Cs and TA-4Js. The name Goshawk was previously used for the Curtiss F11C-2 fighters built for the USN, first flown in September 1932.

The formation of the USAF’s first operational Rockwell International B-1B bomber squadron is taking place at Dyess AFB, near Abilene, Texas with the delivery of the second production aircraft on June 29. Four B-1Bs are due to be delivered to Dyess this year and by November 1986 the base will have received its full complement of 29 B-1Bs.

Sir Peter Abeles, joint managing director of Ansett Airlines, announced the order for eight Airbus A320s plus a further nine options at the Paris Air Show on June 2, valued at US$380 million. The aircraft on firm order will be powered by GE/Snecma CFM56-5s with the engine selection for the options yet to be decided. The aircraft will be delivered from September 1988 and in Ansett service will be referred to as the Skystar.

With the opening of Mount Pleasant Airport in the Falklands, the services provided by RAF Handley Page Victor K.2s tankers will no longer be needed on the route. When the Falklands conflict began in April 1982, detachments of Victors from Nos 55 and 57 Squadrons arrived and had been in continuous service on Ascension Island. On June 10 the final Victor on Ascension returned to its home base at RAF Marham, Norfolk.

50 Years Ago

The first English Electric Lightning F.1 all-weather interceptor, XM165, was handed over on June 29 to No 74 Squadron at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, the first of 12 for the squadron. This is Fighter Command’s first supersonic fighter and will eventually replace existing equipment such as Hawker Hunters and Gloster Javelins.

American Airlines’ Vice President and General Manager G Marion Sadler has requested that the Convair 600 jet airliner will be known as Convair 990 in AA use, to remove any impression that the aircraft is inferior or older than the Convair 880. The 600 designation had been originally selected to indicate the aircraft’s speed range.

A Kawanishi H8K2 (Emily) maritime flying boat presently located in the USA may be returned to Japan. After service with the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service the Emily was taken after the war to the USA and maintained at Langley Field, Virginia in good condition.

Avro Lancaster R5868 (“S for Sugar” in service with RAAF’s No 467 Squadron and “Q for Queenie” with RAF No 83 Squadron before that) which flew 137 sorties over enemy territory during the war, has been placed on permanent display at the RAF V-bomber base at Scampton, Lincolnshire. The aircraft is believed to have completed more missions than any other surviving RAF bomber and the emblems of a DSO and three DFCs awarded to its aircrews appear beneath the port window together with 137 bomb silhouettes. Below that is inscribed Hermann Goering’s hollow boast, “No enemy plane will fly over Reich territory”.

The maiden flight of the first flying prototype Avro 748 (later H.S.748), G-APZV, took place from Woodford, Cheshire on June 24 flown by chief test pilot J G Harrison. In January 1959 the Hawker Siddeley Group decided to build the Avro 748 as a private venture with construction of four prototypes starting one month later at Chadderton, comprising two flying examples and two for static tests.

The Australian DCA has followed the US FAA’s ruling on speed limits for Lockheed Electras and Electras operated by Ansett-ANA, QEA, TAA and TEAL are subject to speed restrictions until the modification program is finalised. Two of Ansett’s three Electras have the highest hours of the type in the world. VH-RMA introduced into service on March 18 1959 had flown 3972hr 44 min by May 14 1960 plus 56hr on delivery and VH-RMB introduced on May 13 1959 had flown 3793hr 36min.