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• The practice of the airlift flying straight down the corridor and right through any and all weather is feasible, but commercially passenger comfort is a very definite consideration and rigidity of flight conduct is not possible.

• Controlled air speeds at below-normal cruising speeds (170 MPH going to Berlin and 180 MPH returning) are decidedly successful on the airlift, which is composed of an endless chain of planes at three minute intervals, but on the air lines would increase scheduled flying time considerably in addition to running into the complication of air line equipment with cruising speeds varying as much as 150 MPH.

Reaction to GCA - Neither Captain Strait nor Captain Wood seemed to feel that the use of GCA in the airlift proved itself as being feasible for adaptation on the air lines as a sole or primary aid.

On this aspect, Captain Strait commented: "The entire operation appeared to be run in a most orderly fashion and the only recommendation I could make would be that the pilot be supplied some instrumentation that GCA was properly aligning him on his approach. This could be accomplished with ILS (instrument landing system) localizers or compass localizers or compass locators on the ends of runways. I don't wish to take issue with the Armed Forces as to which they should use as the primary instrument landing aid, but I do feel that very definitely one should be a cross check on the other."

Captain Wood's observations on GCA were: "GCA is the only facility used for instrument approaches in the American operation. I witnessed several runs and in general they were not impressive due largely to the inherent time lag in the controllers issuing necessary corrective headings for the pilot to fly. However, most of the pilots seem satisfied with GCA approaches with the exception of those I talked to who have had commercial air line experience."

"I am inclined to agree that for a military operation, with the many completely different factors which must be taken into consideration, GCA, and good approach lights, is a desirable system. However, my observations have also strongly reaffirmed my conviction that it is far less desirable than ILS for civilian air line use. In either system, the importance of adequate approach and runway lighting is, in my opinion, of considerably greater importance than the systems themselves. There would be nothing too unreasonable about may of our present minimums, using well-placed range stations as the facility, providing powerful approach and runway lighting available."

Surveillance Radar - The ALPA representatives' reactions to the use of surveillance radar, as incorporated in their reports were:

Captain Wood: "For control of traffic in the approach corridor, I was deeply impressed with the use of CPS5 surveillance radar, which picks up the flight while it is approximately 50 miles out and gives the pilot his traffic separation. This equipment, when installed and in use at our busy terminals, will do much to minimize 'holding' and 'stacking' and the safety factor in such congested areas will be immeasurably improved. Just one of the benefits, for example, is that a Constellation could descend almost immediately after passing a DC-3 or DC-4 where at present it is frequently necessary to 'hold' pending a definite fix on the slower airplane. Procedures for using this equipment by the airlines will naturally be more complex than it is on the airlift where the traffic all originates from one direction, is going to one destination and involves only one type of equipment and one airspeed. Nevertheless, to know that an accurate check can be made on the location of all traffic in a congested area will bring confidence and peace of mind to everyone in the pattern."

Captain Strait: "Surveillance radar may prove advantageous in our heavy traffic centers for backing up position reports for traffic control. I do not feel, however, that it should be used, at this time, as a primary controlling device. It may, however, after a long period of use and practice, prove to be a perfect control facility."

Impressive Factors - Concise ATC clearances, strict and highly concentrated maintenance control, and the airlift's highly effective method of utilizing weather reports stood out strongly as airlift methods which commercial air lines could readily and advantageously copy.

"The airways traffic control used (in the airlift) is the most gratifying to me of all that I witnessed," Captain Strait declared. "All clearances were short, concise, and completely devoid of legal phraseology and advance alibis. The clearance was given and from there on it was left to the pilot to conduct the flight."

This, he stated, is in direct contrast to our domestic picture where "there is entirely too much meddling with the conduct of the flight by the ATC" adding: "The domestic centers definitely do issue...



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Something New Catches On - The Skycoach
The air lines - those of them that have started air coach service - are finding that there is a vast new market of air travelers waiting to be tapped by the cheaper, though frilless and less luxurious, service. Credit for pioneering this new 4-cent-a-mile air travel, making air transportation economically competitive with the railroads for the first time, rightfully belongs to President J.H. (Slim) Carmichael, of Capital Airlines, which began the service last November on its New York-Pittsburgh-Chicago route. Since then, TWA, Continental, Northwest and WAL have followed suit. CAB figures released on a recent survey bear out the success of the venture. Two-thirds of the passengers, the survey showed, would not have bought tickets on the regular, more expensive 6-cent-a-mile flights and thus would have remained surface instead of air travelers if coach service not available. More than 20 per cent of the 6,730 sky-coach passengers were making their first flight while only 10 per cent of the passengers queried aboard regular flights were making their first air trip.


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"GERONIMO"
PARATROOPERS IN ACTION
Their Aim: Split the Enemy
Paratroopers of the Continental Air Command demonstrate how their assigned duty of mopping up an enemy is accomplished as they literally pour from planes over Ft. Bragg, N.C., in recent maneuvers. In the demonstration, some 1,500 fully equipped parachute infantry and artillery troops were dropped behind the lines of a theoretical aggressor to split its forces for a final mopping up operation. They were transported in 60 C-82 Fairchild Packets.

PAGE 4      THE AIR LINE PILOT