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Aviation DAILY
April 25, 1968, Page 286

NAVY SET TO BUY OV-12A; TURBO-PORTER, STALLION COMPETE

The Navy expects to make a decision within a week or so on acquisition of the OV-12A counterinsurgency aircraft. Two models are now in competition, the Fairchild Hiller Turbo-Porter and Helio Stallion 550 made by Helio Aircraft Corp. of Bedford, Mass.
One of these commercial off-the-shelf aircraft would be armed to operate in riverine warfare in place of Bell UH-IBs which now help Navy and Army boats in clearing water channels in the Meking River Delta. The Navy sought $2 million for the OV-12A in the FY 1969 budget but his was taken out and moved to the 1968 supplemental because of heavy losses among helicopters. It is not known how much money was shifted.
The Navy reported that Fairchild Hiller, at its own expense, provided a military version of the Turbo-Porter. Both planes have previously gone through an evaluation by the Air Force for its Special Air Warfare force.
Fairchild is producing about 100 Turbo-Porters at Hagerstown, Md., under license from Pilatus FLugzeugwerke AG of Switzerland. The planes are available with AIResearch, Canadian Pratt & Whitney or Continental engines. The aircraft cruises at 137 mph and has a landing run of 560 ft. Its maximum range is 1,170 miles and maximum takeoff weight is 6,100 lbs.

TIA PLANS 'FEEDER' ROLE FOR 727s
Trans International Airlines said it will use 727s for two major assignments. The first of two an order was delivered last week, R. Bryce Colclasure, v.p.-maintenance, said. TIA will assign the 727s to carry small groups of travelers to New York to feed into its overseas charter flights, operated with DC-8s. "And we will also use the Boeings for domestic charter assignments, from East Coast cities to vacation spots in the West, for example," Colclasure said.
Trans International also sees extensive use for its 727s in charter flights from Eastern sea-board cities to the Caribbean, a rapidly growing market, and to South America. The line will take delivery of its second trijet July 12. Trans International does not now plan to buy Boeing 747 superjets, he said, but the day well may come when the line might use planes of such capacity for combined military and civil-charter work. "We've been able to use our stretch DC-8s on charter, so the 747 may not be as far (in the future) for charters as some people think," Colclasure said. He added, however, that because of the great capacity of the 747 that a supplemental air-line operating the superjets "might have to own a hotel" at a destination to provide the necessary accommodations for travelers. Colclasure said TIA, working actively to develop overseas markets, is opening nine new sales offices in the United States and Europe this year.

GENERAL PRECISION EQUIPMENT CORP. posted first quarter sales of $105,579,000, and net in-come of $5,045,000 or 57 cents a share of common stock on 7,888,000 common shares. This compared to sales in the first quarter of 1967 of $108,344,000 and net income of $5,067,000, or 58 cents per share on 7,719,000 shares, stockholders were told at the annual meeting. (Earnings per share and total shares reflect the effect of the two-for-one stock split of common stock which became effective Jan. 31, 1968)
J.W. Murray, chairman, said the proposed merger of General Precision with the Singer Co. would be the subject of action at a special meeting of stockholders to be called in the next few months.

AERONAUTICAL RADIO, INC. has appointed David H. Featherstone as an avionics engineer assigned as project secretary for the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee.