Yesteryear

Firm order commitments are held for 140 A350s from nine customers and entry into service is planned for 2010.

Following the cancellation of the RNZAF’s fast jet capability in 2001 the New Zealand Defence Minister Mark Burton has announced the sale of the service’s Douglas A-4 Skyhawks and Macchi MB-339s to Tactical Air Services in the USA.

The 34 aircraft have been stored at Safe Air in Blenheim and in terms of arrangements Safe Air will restore the A-4s to flying condition.

The last English Electric Canberra T.

4 trainer has been retired by the RAF.

To mark the occasion, the aircraft, operated by No 39 Squadron, was painted in the colours of the prototype Canberra B.

1 VN799 which had its maiden flight on May 13 1949 flown by test pilot Roland Beamont.

Polynesian Blue, a joint venture between Pacific Blue and the Samoan government, commenced services linking Auckland and Apia on October 30.

Following the bomb attacks in Bali, Indonesia on October 1 at Kuta and Jimbaran beach in which 20 people were killed and 129 injured, the RAAF sent two C-130 Hercules on October 2 with medical teams in support of injured Australians.

There were subsequently two C-130 medical evacuation flights on October 3 to Darwin and one of the aircraft flew to Williamtown on October 5 with nine Newcastle-based patients.

To further assist, Qantas operated four special flights to Bali on October 2, 3 and 5 to bring passengers back to Australia.

Four Australians were killed and nineteen injured in the bomb attacks.

25 years ago

Following the announcement on October 15 of an order from United Airlines for 34 777s with a further 34 options, the Boeing board of directors authorised full-scale development and production of the Boeing 777 on October 29.

United will receive its first 777 in May 1995.

The aircraft is seen as a new widebody twin to compete with the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and Airbus A330.

It will initially be offered in a variety of versions seating 360 to 390 passengers.

United Airlines concluded an arrangement with Pan American World Airways on October 23 when it acquired the latter airline’s routes into London Heathrow airport for US$400 million.

Following Pan Am’s earlier sale of its Pacific and Inter-German services, its remaining routes are on the US East Coast and in Latin America.

On October 4 Dassault announced the development and production of the Falcon 2000 business jet.

The price of the aircraft has been initially set at US$13.

7 million with initial deliveries set to commence in 1993.

The Falcon 2000 program has been joined by Alenia (formerly Aeritalia) as a risk-sharing partner with responsibility for the rear fuselage section and nacelles for the 6,000lb General Electric CFE 738 turbofans.

The second Northrop B-2 has now joined flight testing following its maiden flight from Palmdale, California on October 19.

During the 2.

6 hours flight which concluded with a landing at Edwards AFB the B-2 reached a speed of 325kt and 10,000ft altitude.

Airbus is offering increased gross weight versions of the A340 enabling increased ranges over previous projections.

The new gross weight of the A340-200 and 300 will increase from 251,000kg to 253,500kg giving a 100nm range increase to 6,750nm and 7,550nm respectively.

The A340-200’s maximum zero fuel and landing weights are unchanged, but for the -300 increase to 174,000kg and 186,000kg respectively.

50 years ago

The Minister for the Navy, Mr Fred Chaney, announced on October 26 that 10 Douglas Skyhawks comprising eight single-seat A-4Es and two two-seat examples would be ordered for the RAN at a cost of £9.

2 million with deliveries beginning in late 1967.

The Skyhawks will replace the RAN’s de Havilland Sea Venoms currently operating from HMAS Melbourne and will join the previously ordered 14 Grumman Trackers which will replace Fairey Gannets on Melbourne when a refit is completed in late 1967.

A meeting of IATA representatives on October 28 authorised the showing of inflight movies on airliners.

From October 1 Japan Airlines will replace the rising sun emblem on its aircraft with the tsuru, a crane which in Japanese culture symbolises long life, courage and good luck.

To add a distinctive feature to its service the airline has decided that its stewardesses will be be attired in traditional kimonos.

On October 23 12 Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter aircraft of the 4503 Tactical Fighter Squadron (Provisional) arrived in Vietnam for combat evaluation tests.

The F-5A is a fighter version of the T-38 Talon produced for export.

Cessna has sold its 60,000th aircraft, a 1966 Model 150 to Roy Decker, a grocery store manager at Alva, Oklahoma.

The aircraft is one of 3,000 scheduled for production during the 1966 model year.

Previous production milestones were number 10,000 in 1946, 20,000 in 1951, 30,000 in 1957, 40,000 in 1960 and 50,000 in 1963.

Ansett-ANA’s first ATL-98 Carvair VH-INJ commenced services on October 26.

Carried on the delivery flight to Melbourne on September 30 was a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle replica built for the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, which will promote the film in Australia.