Viewing page 335 of 468

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

10  National Aeronautics

registered its objection to a CAB proposal that would extend for one year a special regulation permitting the Administrator to grant deviations to Civil Air Regulations for military charter operations, the Board granted an interim extension of the rule for three months and started a new investigation and sought additional industry comments as to its needs.

CAB's Bureau of Safety Regulations has proposed an amendment to CAR Part 62 covering notification and report of aircraft accidents so that Subpart A applies to all aircraft of 12,500 lbs. or more instead of just to air carrier aircraft.

CAA is making a study of the numerous type of agreements now in effect which give the Federal government rights of one kind or another on airports which have received some form of Federal assistance over a period of years. Agreements include WPA, PWA, AF4's Surplus Property, and FAAP grants, and some airports are operating under two or more of them, Legislation will be sought to remedy the situation after completion of the study.

Industry comment is due by Sept. 4 on CAB's proposed one-year extension of the Sept. 19 expiration date of Special Regulation SR. 386 allowing pilots to serve in more than one type of flight crew without incurring penalty in maximum permissible flight duty.

CAA has published Aviation Safety Release #377 on the design, installation, and maintenance of radio noise filters in aircraft magneto primary circuits.

CAA reports solid progress in the standardization of flight aids on the air routes of the world is being achieved rapidly, particularly in the European area, where CAA International Region representatives use a DC-3 fully equipped for flight checking and demonstrating U.S.-type aids. Aids being installed are largely of the U.S.-developed and ICAO-sponsored common system types such as VOR and ILS.

An application to conduct scheduled helicopter services in the St. Louis area has been filed with CAB by Aloys P. Kaufman and Milton M. Kinsey, doing business as St. Louis Helicopter Service.

The Aircraft Engineering Foundation, which represents all civil operators of C-46 aircraft, has submitted to CAA and CAB for their study a corrective program of measures which they described as "the most appropriate and most practical solution to this special situation," referring to the plane's alleged performance deficiencies. The agencies have the proposals under study.

A temporary CAB authorization which has permitted air taxi operators to perform "irregular service" between points served by certificated helicopter passenger lines has been adopted by the Board on a permanent basis, effective Sept. 16. Regulation has been "liberalized" to (1) re-define the term "point" as it effects taxi operators in the continental U.S. to include an area within a three-mile instead of a 25-mile radius of an airport or place, and (2) prohibit helicopter service by taxi operators between points served on a scheduled helicopter line.


News in Brief

New Planes

North American Aviation's FJ-3 Fury, swept-wing, carrier-based jet, has successfully completed its initial test flights and is now in preliminary stages of production at North American's Columbus, O., plant.

Douglas Aircraft's high speed delta-wing jet fighter, the XF4D, is undergoing carrier adaptability tests at Patuxent Naval Air Test Center.

The Douglas DC-7 turboprop transport is well along with its CAA certification tests. Two planes are being used for the tests, which are being conducted at Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Tulsa.

Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. is well pleased with the flight test performance of its hydro-ski equipped XF2Y-1 delta-wing jet fighter, but is going slow in the test program because of the revolutionary character of the plane.

Canadian industry sources recently reported that there has been a sharp revival of interest in the Avro Canada Jetliner, which is powered by four Rolls Royce Derwent engines and has logged more than 600 hours since its first flight in 1949.

Robert E. Gross, president of Lockheed Aircraft, has predicted that his company's forthcoming C-130A turboprop cargo plane will carry cargo commercially for four cents a ton-mile. Prototype of the plane will cost $40 million, he said.

The Mooney Model 20 four-passenger personal airplane has begun CAA certification tests, following a successful first flight in August. Powered by a 145hp Continental engine, the plane is expected to cruise at more than 160 mph, climb over 1000 ft. a min., and land at 45 mph with full load. Range at full load will be about 500 miles. Full production is scheduled to start in early 1954 at Mooney's plant in Kerrville, Texas.

It has been disclosed that Sikorsky Aircraft's projected transport helicopter will be a twin-engine craft, powered by two turbines driving a single five-bladed rotor. It will cost $550,000 to $600,000 to build, will be capable of carrying a 10,000-lb. payload (50 passengers) over a 200-mile range, and will have a gross weight of about 34,000 pounds.

Records

Capt. Craig Keller established a new Los Angeles-to-San Francisco record of 29 minutes in a Lockheed F-94C delivery flight to Hamilton Air Force Base. He averaged 670 mph over the 324-mile route. Old record was 33 minutes, made by an F-80.

A USAF Boeing B-47 jet bomber set a new trans-Atlantic record of 4 hours, 45 minutes from Limestone AFB, Me., to Fairford, England. Previous mark, set by another B-47 last June 7, was 5 hours, 22 minutes between the same fields.

Two Air Force B-47's last month flew non-stop from England to Florida and Georgia, one of them setting a distance record for a jet trans-Atlantic hop. One plane flew 4,450 miles from Fairford, England, to Tampa in 9 hours, 53 minutes, at an average speed of 454 mph; the other put down at Hunter AFB, Savannah Ga. -- 4,151 miles-- in 9 hours 26 1/2 minutes.

Manufacturing

Republic Aviation Corp. closed down the production line of the famous F-84 Thunderjet fighter-bomber after building 4,457 of the planes for the Air Force and allied nations.

Bell Aircraft Corp. has re-