CROYDON - EARLY LONDON AIRPORT | AIRBUS A300 - A LEGEND IS BORN KLM CSRs UME aad Australian Dynasty PLUS | Sik FREDDIE LAKER - Skytrain entrepreneurAIRLINER. Welcome Peres a nee rat eee or een Pe eee ete ee eee ey was easy as security was at best limited and at worst non-existent, and the sight and sound of some of the classic propliners going about their daily business must have been mind-boggling. (One ofthe images from Croydon, see Contents Page 3, shows two ten-year-old Pe ear tea scsi watching proceedings. The Editor remembers being at pore am eee eg BreU hee eee Loca) a commentary from someone ina litle booth explaining which aircraft and airlines would be next to land! a ee ee) Pe ree re eer Peer ee eee se) Pe ee eee gr a eet ery eres tinny and KLM, and aircraft featured include the BAC One-Eeven, Lockheed Constellation and Airbus A300. In addition there are articles on Croydon and Bimingham airports. We hope you enjoy them. SNe ac a ete nel Pee En eee acs Caan Loco geared Pager ea aero at orety Ce eee cerca nero Skeet teka tener tecat seca Premarin ona Poneto nto ate a preety tee pa ntes parity pea esecersinr arated Eat erated Fcof gta eer erent oI? Ferien -— Pecan t ansehen rena ace | en Dic costar o tetra Senrcn erm eine. et ie eet ces poem J - Pees speach eae PoCU i eae eee ee ey ete) relearn are t oy) neon Perovic th ay aiAIRLINER ontents 6 News from the period. Notable events from the 19405, 1950s, 1960 and 19706. 12 British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC ‘The predecessor to British Airways was formed in November 1939. 22 Lockheed Constellation Distinctive tx-tailed propliner with worldwide sles success, 30 Croydon Aerodrome London’ ‘Air Pot’ of the 19205 and 19308, 42 Airbus A300 ‘The forerunner to the Aitbus ‘dynasty’ of jet aitiners 52 COMPETITION ‘Win - Exclusive BOAC Boeing 747 prints. 53 Bristol Brabazon ‘The fist Jumbo. Ahead ofits time ‘or white elephant? 60 Birmingham Airport UK Midlands hub passes 70 years ‘of operations. 64 Fokker Factory ‘The delivery apron at Schiphol in 1970. 66 Ansett Australia ‘The story of Australia’s second largest aitine 74 Douglas DC-3 Survivors ‘Active and preserved aircraft from this icone design 76 Sir Freddie Laker Entrepreneur extraordinary and founder of Skytrain. 86 KLM Dutch national carier celebrates 90 years of operations. 92 British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven Sccessfil British tie. - - 2040 Votes O10 land e 40 Stow cf FanbcahS88 News Review- = Reigeseneacvecy, 77 TOE eee ee eee Ceol ae ee a ea ey ‘time on July 27, the de Haviland commercaltypesonshowincludedthe 5, Miles Marathon and the Vickers oo neta ICAO Formed 1947 -EMERGING FROM an agreement ‘madeatthe 144 Chicago conference, the Internationa ivi Avation Organisation (1CAO}wasfoundedin Monten Canada conf aim wastoregate ar ans portonawordwidebasswithits author ty limited by the number of sianatory ‘ations which numbered Sina. Tn ns New Airlines BOR ere Alltalia September 1946, Trans- My ‘Australia Ailines September 1846, Finishes 1949 - FOLLOWING THE reopening of surfacelinks othe city by the Soviets, thelast sortisofthe Brin AlrLtwere ‘made bythe United States AiFoce in September. There had been 277,569 fightsovera period of monthscary ing23milon tonsof freight. Transport airraftof the RAF, USAF plus othersas wellasciilan companieshad ensured the lifeline tothe inhabitants of Berlin had been maintained, a fee 7 1946, Scandinavian Aitines System OURAN SIAM 1949-FOLLOMINGTHENypesfistiighe on Apr 1, by carrying 86 passenger EC AAT MEE on July 8 1947, Pan American World from San Frandsco to Honolulu. The OR eT MME Arvys (Pan And started fights with ere ro January 1948, IAINovember 1948, IMRT Saran Seance ain cabin on the upper core a Ce ies Coen et pean cone matte Pesan terol BEA Siarts fo Paris 1946 A NEW British cartier - British European Airways started scheduled Services to European capitals—includ- ing Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Pats. Initially the European arm of British Overseas Airways Corporation (seeartde statingon page 12),tsoon bbecamea separate entity, Both airtines continued tobe flly state-owned. First Flights Cree ed ee tener Bristol Brabazon, Vickers Viscount, Cree eects et ete) Freighter, Pressssseeesseees NOws Review: 70504 Lufthansa Restarts Services 11955 ~ GERMAN NATIONAL carter Lufthansa restarted operations ~ post Worl War Two intial with domestic fightsbetween Hamburgand Munich, lus Frankfurt, Cologne and Dusseldorf from Apr 1. International routes fl lowedtoLondon and Madrid soon after and transatlantic fights to New York bbeganin une. Theaiine used 44-seat Convai CV-340s on its domestic nk. FAA Forms ~ 2 1958-THEFEDERAL Avlation Agency 11954 -HERALDING IN a new era In ° ramewasappledtotheprotorypeoniyl | FAA) wasfermied on October tin th USbulkaicra BoeingsModel367-80 _ andwithinthecompany the projec talaimsweretocontoland equate Dash -flewforthefisttimefrom known a the B70? beng the all commercial and military flying Seattle, Washington on July The Model designedby the mange iy Ce or er Cea ferenoeie rte SR Wau Tore cee rsNews 1967-ONAPRILS, the fs Boeing 737 Cu atc Pe nee Peter cece ences BAC One-Eleven First Flight 1963 - THE BRITISH Alrcraft Corporation's BAC One-Eeven made Its successful fist ight fom the com pany’sHurnaifild, Bournemouthon ‘August20. The arcraftbeganlifeasthe Hunting H107 but folowing BACS tke ‘over of Hunting it as extended from the original 32 seats to 89, The manu factuer viewedthe One-levenasthe Jetsuecessortothe Vickers Viscount Cold 1968-ON JULY 15 theft diectairine Services between the Soviet Union and the United States began ten years after negotiations had started. An Aeroflot lfyushin 62 flew from Moscow to JF ARUN a Review - 960) - ea ene tars Cet rar Poca eas than 100 aeroplanes, the success of, In-flight Films 1966- INTERNATIONAL ARLINESinto duced another attraction fr passengers totaketheboredom outflong dance flying in-ight moves. Cabins were equipped with Yomm projectors fitted Inthe celings ofaeratand msshown lonetractableserens, The moves were Contanedincasetesthatcould beeas ly changed by cabin staf. Passengers ‘who ddnatwishtowatchamoviewere ‘notdsturbed =the soundtrackwasonly ‘vaabe through headphones pluoged Into seat armrests Kennedy Airport, with astop-over in ‘Montreal, Canada. Going the ather way were two Pan Am Boeing 707s—onea iP fight — both landed at Mscows Sheremetyevo Airport. rere! cae ree poet eras Pree ee aad ocho etd Ce ere yee) etree tres ararrns ry cere et Tea United Grows 1961- INTHE largest mergerofaitines to date, United Ai Lines took over Capital Anes on June 1. Capital, which had been suffering severe financial problemsfr sometime had survived abd by major shareholders to sack the entice board of directors in May 1959 following a fist quarter loss of $5 milion. The merger made United the largest atin outside of the Soviet Union, exceeded in size only by Aeroflot. United then served Nseites, including 17 ofthe top 20, destinations intheUS. Rhada leet of 267 aeroplanes covering 1,000 miles (28968km)ofroutesand folowing the merger cred the argest numberof passengers of any Wester ailne, ro cae ee en SentaTrans World Troubles 11960 - THE TROUBLED Trans World Aiins (TWA) which had seen ts mar: ket share ip below 20%as wells suf fecing rom severe nancial problems, was saved from bankeuptey when all stock of majority owner, Howard Hughes was confiscated and later transerredtoa voting trust dominated by the company’s creditors. Ernest R Breech, who effectively rebuilt Ford, was appointed to revitalise the cartier’ fortunes Bouse, Backs Boe ng Launches th OLA a ee ee tee eer cnet Pere ear a ooets Reena ng Pea ty eens Pree conn Dee ein amd eee Cree yer er red Government Funds Der ees eee a Perea hanes Cera er represented a significant step for errr Sore erase Pee carrying 374 passengers ‘zap f he RET cain bing bal tas yes Dey fy, vas this egies sescapnent tt resent Sn sce fhe cempry inthe 0s as else eee yates pereeeee ereanyfat bcktom ies on ae. 1969 -ROLLS-ROYCE, whichraninto Aifieuleswithits new RB211 turbo fanengine being developed to power Lockheed’s new L101 atines, was saved from bankruptcyby the Bish Government during August. Launch cost forthe engine were est ‘mated £65 millon andthe govern ment agreed to pay 70% of certain osts backdated to Janay 1, 1967, Upto maximum value of £4713 lion, As pat ofthe deal Rolls-Royce wast repay the oan from levies on engine sales. Review - 960i Oe S:ae 3:29) 1960- Ie U5 Court of hppea pl the Federal vation Agency eso oar pts ove the age of 60 ftom fhing comme dines. The US A ine Plots Asdaton apessedts sappantest ith te decsion 1961 astern Nr Lines ound 3 new vente ito cheap mas atv with its ro tc fist sere st eves on as between He Yo osten an ew Yor Wasting DC 1962. t's Kc Yano cena Bos ‘ade Bish United Aways (8) 2 (Canard Eagle ways he opr oy Schetled Seve to destinations in Europe preisy monapded by Bish acpen ways (BE 1963 - sh wiser of aan, Peer ‘homey stoked aeraip wey announce formation of new company OAC-Canard Id, with 708 eld by Bish esas ays Carport the render the Cad Steamsip Company. 7963 iste yes in dedopnert and shaded in see, shin sues ets pray 162 ang range turbojet iin. Theat ecke emt sindst othe Bt desgned ide V0 1964. etauané aota vnetedalonger ad uprated eso of he companys OHC 4 Carboy, the OHCS Buf I hal snr apbites tos predecessor bat could cay re passengers ad eight, 1965. datas ceed oe est nan top Sched commer ight cos the Pac hen one ofthe caer’ Boing 70733885 Completed the 7424 mie (1.948) fight fan ney to San Handa, Cif, 14 hours 3 ments 1966 - itans Labour Goreroment Proposed atoaing the Beth Aicaft Corporation and Hawker Seley Aion, whch ete thm srw monooled the Eth asp nds. eft eagle ren rma, andy Pe, Sot Bes, Westnd anda Rane of smaller capanes asthe oly dependent art produces, 1967 -wosing ceiveed its 100 et aie, 3 BT07323 to American Ades owes wast al ean, a ar United Lines, which est oun theater the 0th Being ok dlr a727 jst mits ee 7968 Te wos fes sipersonic ransprt (1) tof the Tuple Tu-14 to of fom the Zuko ray nea Meow fr the Fete on Domb 3 1969 - ve etsh Goverment piled ot ofthe European Abus wie Bodied ater Programme, Batsh teeralogy inter Aathony Wedgwond Benn hod been ave thatthe its wut sllNews Review DC-10 lake | ace WA Sic . - ot ad cer Pe Co PP ETSSTERSIES p07) wisrhasbecomethewort’s Sr ae acre eo gic flight from Long Beach, California Te ee mer ee rt In August. ulti anumber of ver Rr ee eer eee ee ae cue ae meter Rete cole renter era rs irre trols cee) peers aerate ee) wae Proton worst ai disaster, two Boeing 747s co ided onthe ground in fog at Tenerife’. Los Rodeos Aiport on March 27, result ing in the deaths of 575 people. The LM aircraft had erroneously started is take-off and hit an acraft belonging to arene COURCERERTGEOMER Pon Arecicanthatwos backtracking the Bao larcg le REARS "025. onicaly, bot ght had been ctr petition wih Lockheed’ Tita snd, IIMS aa bothtypeswereseenasaltematves UA ea Se Pad Palmas on Gran Canata Problems at Tokyo/Narita 1978-ENVIRONMENTALPROTESTORS passengers were all searched twice at Tokyo's new Narita Alport caused Plansforthe construction ofthe airport ‘major dsruptiontothearivaloitsfist had iitily been put forward in 1966 Inbound fight on May 22,by burning and construction finally beganin 1969. cartyresandiaunching large balloon However, the protests pushed backthe tointerupt fights ‘completion ofthe runway from the Security forpassengersatthe terminal planned 1971 to 1975, Between 1967 \wasunsurprsinglytightwithhundreds and 1978 there were S6 separate major oftotpolceinattendancewithbatons _incdentsat Natta with four policemen andshields Vitorsaswellas'meeters and one demonstrator killed, 3,100 and greeters werebannedfromenter- policemen and 000 protestesinured Ingwhileakportstafffightcrewsand and 1900 people arrested Boeing 747SP 4 Revealed OL ete te ee Teg ee cee ree arn een eae crete? eeayues ole long ge Boing 7458 4075 A sialler version ol the Boeing hat Was GHAR (TAP ENBMSEIRGAUGREATBRESISGE enabling ittooper- 6740 les (10,8464m) and was used TaPAjumibo etwas revealed By the — the standard craft with ataplane _atefromshorterunways~pariculaly by caters tg opetate nonstop On ‘manufacturer on July 4 The B787SP spanincreased by around JOR (Gm). It_ those hotandhigh ates TellghteNFOUtes that had previously needed a (Special Performance) had fuselage _asoinclude single slotted apsandavewarattasShadagresterrangeofupto refueling sto. annum ca+ News Review: 7070: BS 70s in BRIEF 1071 ~ Fer tapes tet 3 aire eg sere at guroted veg ey arya In the USA. Hower lets wee rt ect ipting wh Ws fet of Da Fakon fephescangn pasar tet day. Geter gs were cane ee. PO78 — Toe bs Highs of the Canadair Gullenger business jet tok place on ovens 8. The company propedal aston praca. Te art cols hare been a'r it as designed by i lex wo timate the proucton ight tathe Canadian company POPP - We V5 Senste withdrew funding forthe supersonic transport (SST) pie, desea reammedaten fom the Howse of Represestates fr 3 $58 millon sibs so thee aso Boeing campetor to the Asati once. 1977 ‘wie hr woes Skyaln Serves between LondolGatwick and New ‘oko September 26 ng Douglas 15 The eet erie os 5 le a5 59 fora single jurey. (Se arte starting on page) y 1979 - Bosing nce sown twin eng wide boty ~ the 8767 ~ folowing a PMGANO(C ASIN ioe crtteswe sees gett Mh Lae RROD RPE 277-019 tsi aon beeen ‘rt ecepeestents freee as service on Transbrasfs routes. The See eee cence ee $0r tothe Brasila andthe extensive co ecie) A300 Eniers Service 1974 Air France stated services on May 23 with its new European-built ‘Arbus A30082 (se artic starting on page 40). The frst igh linked Pais Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with London/ Heathrow taking jst 41 minutes. The 250 passengersincded Joseph Portal we had flown the same route n 1921 witha Breguet XIVin time of3 hours and 50 minutes. The A300 was the fisttwinjet wide-bodied commercial aitnes. PatisDG Airport tothe north ofthe city had only officially opened two months eatlier and was designed to relieve the passenger and cargo burdens on Le Bourget and Orly. It ultimately replaced Le Bourget as a commercial airport.ONE OF THE MORE DISTINCTIVE AIRLINES OF THE 1950S AND 1960S WITH ITS DARK BLUE COLOURS AND ‘SPEEDBIRD’ INSIGNIA, BOAC (ALONG WITH BEA) WAS ONE OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF TODAY'S BRITISH AIRWAYS. TONY DIXON EXPLORES ITS HISTORY. Se eee etn ee)eo te Boing 314 ying boo used by BOA Ie mae depen fe Came! te Cane 4 ns intocad on ‘owes bese London ans New Yok 1958 and se ute ms. ona poge Hoon ©-ANOU Fiend OAC in July 1946 and was he ope cn conesian oe Haan‘Ae ianeosenG AGL (eA FS) ws used by coi bewoen ‘oa 865 rd het 188, 0 il ! | rnsAIRLINER Dunkirk evacuation, For moet of the War, regular flights also linked RAF Leuchars in Seotland with Stockholm n Sweden. The retun ght cared ae ball-bearings (vital to the war effort). ota ate ‘Aca sed onthe route iced oe unarmed Lockheed 14 Super Becta, i de Havilland Mosquitos and eventually Douglas DC (fom November 1944). Continsng on fom Inpera Airy. aenbateee operations ng ange routes ing : sateen fying oats were maitained and = Sa isotwe he inated South Aca, India and ee Saconernkasote Australia, Land-based Consolidated Pa Liberator and Boeing 6A fying boots a came out trasatlante serves from pce September and December 19¢1 onwards. After the sucess by round oops in Worth Afia in 1963, the number of routes aces the Meitenanean was increased and th inks to Cio with S Consolidated atalnas an Lodesar, asthe war progres these sence including DC3s and Avo Yorks, and by the end of 194, shorter colar services inked the UK with Fats, Brasels and Lyon, These were progressively extended to Maceles and Naples and new fights wee begun to Athens Prague, Warsaw, Copeniagen andAIRLINER Imperial Aiwa Daimler Airway, Handley Page eA peers Its land operations were based at Coydon Pees rete ee een ere een Pee eee oy Poses ee errs peer eee ern pees Speen toey eee eee on (using Avzo Lancastrians) and there was a three-times-weekiy tink 0 the USA (va Bermuda) with Boeing As. Ferry Pilots 1n 1940, small transport aircraft destined for the RAFs Coastal Command were shipped acioss the Atlantic, However ‘he Bie bl Vrs E10 was opts ht ad igh ues. cag links to South America 7 Pomerat Dement Premier tr Air Mail Programme 937, delivering anywhere for yea perpen enreaty promote use ofthe Aie Mail rater eee emt ever ety ten ray Pet noe aa ea gen tose ere ares ‘ofthe New York to New York route. Pan American provided the service from Ne roar tener oon) then from Hong Kong to San Francisco, while eer eet ny ert Sk are ec) covee hat an cee Seto ea ees British Airways were merged into the new state-owned national earier: British Overseas ‘Airway pees eee eed ort. quicker and simpler. The Atlantic Ferry Organisation was setup using some BOAC pilots, with Catalina, Hudsons and Liberators flown from Canada to the UK. the organisatio Canadian Pacific Railway, the contol vas transferred to the UCs Ministry of Aircraft Production in May 1941, For the return fights westbound one of verted Liberators was used, manned by BOAC crews. Up to 18 passengers could be caried inside the converted bomb bay on mattresses. Following approval by the US President the fights were manned by American civilian pilots from June 1941, and BOACS involvement, which had included up to 33 aiterew, ceased. The Atlantic ry Command evolved through RAF ry Command and then RAF Tra Command. Immediate Post War (n November 1, 1945, the new Labour goverment decided that BOAC was toYork departed Bournemouth Hum fr Castel Berto in Liye from there it went via Cairo (Eypt), Kartu (Sudan), Nairobi (Kenya) and on to Sohannesbug Other long-distance Rights sued in 1946, including a five-anda-qurter-ay service to Sydney, Australi, with Hythe ving oats and Lancasians ~ operated Sn conjunction with Qantas. Mesrwile, SAA linked to Montevideo Unuguay) via Bathurst (Gambia), Natal and Rio e Janeiro (rai) with Lancatiane Te yas the fist oficial caer to use the new London Airport at Heatnow fon January 1, 1946 with a departure ound for Buenos ies aso witha Tacastian)~ although the airport did ot effcially open ntl May. BOAC then moved its operation tothe new fact Operation fom the hu at Hur had ental pasengers beng taken fom london by tain and coach, hone operation by Lanestiians could only cary nine pasenges during daylight fights (and ix on night-time legs in sleeper berths), and ths imitation made the services uneconomic. Larger and more efficient areraft were needed and the eater looked to the British alcrat be spl into three separate entities (as of January 1, 1946). The ‘revise BOAC would provide links to the Empire Far Eat and North America, while the newly-formed British European Airways (BEA) Division was to operate services to Europe and domestically within the United Kingdom (this division became "hee Hotons 0S ant bcane eft ‘Repowored commercial ‘nao M2 1952 ‘ier BOAC Row ne Son itr aoe fom tendon poo ‘rest, the BEA Corporation on August 1, 1946). ‘The third carter, British South American ‘Airvays (BSAA), added links to South ‘America and the Caribbean, One of the first BOAC destinations to be restarted was Johannesburg conjunction with South African Airways and on November 10, 1945, an Avzo British European ty Se tear (BEA) took over the services operated by the British European Airways Division of BOAC on August 1, 1946, fying short-haul routes from an eens Ce Ce Og af former indep oes Pee oe ees rea Cen ese SU ea rere Cree toro) Services, Inle of Man Air Services and Scottish Cea ec eee) Douglas DC-3s and Vickers Vikings covering an eas ‘On August 1, 1946 the Civil Aviation Act ev care Pe hee eer CMeieeenmbie ered es rarer . etre short- and medium-haul airliners of the 1950s Pre set nas Pee ene ceva’ paren See mas re lst. Pee oe era oe oan pe cera d ‘Aigport began in 1950. These ultimately peter) cee cere issat eC eecuee nage Cans was formed to provide inclusive tour holiday eee ‘merged with BOAC toClasses industry for its future let. However, despite promising candidates under development in the shape of the Avro Tudor, Bristol Brabazon and the Saunders Roe Princess, there was no type actually ready fr service atthe time, so five Lockheed L 049 Constellations were ordered in early 1946 and acquired almost immediately, Services started {in July 1946 and linked London with New York’s La Guardia Airport. The aircraft could carry 43 passengers and was routed via Shanon in Ireland (soon changed to Prestwick, Scotland) and Gander in Canada ‘ther US acquisitions incuded the Boeing Stratocruser in October 1949 The frst double-deck attne, it carried 60 passengers on the transatlantic services and included a downstairs bar/ lounge. Ina fll Economy Clas fit, up 0.81 people could be caried. The End of the ‘Boats’ BOAC, and its predecessor Imperial Airways, had used flying boats from 1924, ultimately from its Marine Air Terminal at Berth 50 at Southampton, using Short Empires and 8 Caleutas. During World War Two mary ofthese had flown in military guise inthe form of Short Sunderlands and its variations, and the Short Solent after the Wat. However, the improvement in the range of airtners and the construction of AIRLINER 2s better aiports worldwide meant the end of these classic ways of transport. In January 1948, the last Boeing 3148 Cipper was withravm from service and the Danell's Island seaplane base fon Bermuda was closed as land-based aircraft could now fly to the USAS conventional airports. In November 1949, the lat flying boat route fom Southampton to Johannesburg (via Tripoli, Kano, Brazzaville, and Livingstone) ~ was withdrawn and the service transferred to Handley Page Hermes. It was truly the end of an era The 1950s BOAC was still under some pressure to ‘buy Britis’, and a fleet of Handley Page Hermes had been ordered in 1947, with the firs aircraft being deivered in 1950. However, its planned replacement was already in production, in the shape of the Canadair Argonaut (a converted ‘DC-4) and the fst of these was actually delivered in 1949, Under government restrictions, these had to be powered by British Roll-Royee engines. The Hermes flet was only used until 1953, although the Argonauts continued until 1960. The Constellations (later the 1-749 version) and Stratocrusers were augmented by Bristol Britannias in 1955 and DC-7Cs in 1956. Following the absorption of BSAA into BBOAC in July 1949, the newer propeller 5040 wi 0 ‘re, ad sed ‘Seworofr 19s ‘oye aged Boeing ‘Tanase hNoventer Rt. Test ven ‘rice was 0 May 27 19 am New Yr lod Same of BAC fog ou Bot oh soon in 73 aircraft were also used on flights to South America and the Caribbean, although the older Constellations and ‘Stratocruses also continued to provide good service until they were withdrawn from service in the late 1950s. The Jet Age ‘The de Haviland DH106 Comet became the first jet-powered commercial aitines, starting fights on May 2, 1952 when BOAC flew the world's fis jet service from London Airport to Johannesburg, via Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe and Livingstone. However, the aircraft suffered from a series of unexplained crashes - later found out to be problems with new technology and fatigue cracks ~ and by the time the remodelled Comet 4 was introduced in 1958 on services between London and New York, airlines had chosen to order the Boeing 707 instead, This included BOAC, a, with no alternative available, it had signedAIRLINER roceryt ree ere tree E I (BSAA) was a British state-run ailine of eC ears eee vi arn pists Src ee Seer ae ores] ee Ales Vou wos used cannecing his nd mah opened ino Pest in Senta Sas Ce de neta eeeAIRLINER flew in March 1969 and BOAC would have Become one of the first operators he azeaft had it not merged to Seer ec eee . British Airways (eee box) Se eee Lancastrians and Tutors, and flew to Bermuda, the des actually carted the Steet een ECMO MRSOREMIEMEE ecictations of G-BOAA through G-BOAG ents Pee ees core arate with the first one registered G-BOAC. ir Coser ne Extending its supersonic capabilities, See er Sanh the aifine also had six options for the ieee Boeing SST (Supersonic Transper He ee ete ony! The Beginning of the End In the late 1960s, a Partamentary committee of inquiry was set upto look into th future ofthe United Kingdo's air anspor industry, The Edwards Committe recommended that a second fore’ aine be set upto combat the virtual monopoly of the Us tate owned main eaters - BOAC and BEA which Rad 99 percent of al operations and thatthe two caries be mer The government announced the merger in 1972 and the fomation ofa new entity ~ British Always Tatablished on September 1, 1972, the Buiish Airways Group eventually took. over al operations of BOAC and BEA wich offically disappeared on March ae, ee revenue service was on May 27, 1960 ‘wove ant i Se — from New York to London. ‘Under pressure from the goverment, the airine also bought British in the shape of the Vickers VC-10 and ultimately the Super VC-10. Optimised for hot and high operations, such as the Gulf region and Nairobi, the aircraft was overpowered elsewhere, and therefore thirsty. The increased cost of fuel in the carly 19605 meant that it did not ful its potential in tems of sales. However, its introduction meant the end of Comet operations, which ceased in 1965. ‘The airline again looked to Boeing for its next aircraft type. The US manufacturer had begun to market the 'B747 Jumbo and BOAC received its fst aircraft in early 1972, withthe frst revenue flight taking place on April 14 Concorde —— On December 111967, the pote among Acveopatile Concorde wasled eat Seen at Toulouse, France, The aircraft frst ry BA Rar) eat ct eee ELL)(©) Pa CLL ee etree RadarBox,,, 2009 Virtual Radar on your PC! Invest in a system that delivers what it promises Se ae See ee oS Sy for Virtual Radar. Shortly we will be adding Google Earth to the system. Just look at the screen shots onthe right. 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But as the proposed Excalibur grew PASSENGER spine nt aa Hehe" T AIRCRAFT EVER BUILT sta ta! et (rs one ; = REPRESENTED THE inc yee sting re neuf tld an , ULDMATE IN'19608 , Sestgeesiienry terran PERFORMANCE at speeds of 300mph (4akmh). Partly because 10 AND LUXURY, ther manufacturer thought it could be done with ere. ion os ones restora ng amanAIRLINER erfection he technology available atthe time, Lockheed accepted the challenge What began life as the Model 49, and later became more commonly known asthe Constellation, was probably the largest design and evelopment project the aviation industry had witnesses to date. The whole venture was made even more complicated by Howard Hughes insisting that he maintained a hands-on role during the whole process. The new ailines wing was essentially a scaled: up vetsion of those used on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning Bghter that was also unde 3m by the company . atthe time, On each wing, two 2,200hp Wright R-3350 35 Duplex Cyclone engines would drive 25ft(4.57m) Hamilton three-baded propeller. The Constellation \ had a very distinctive and gracefily curved fuselage dictated by the pressurization ofthe passenger cabin wrnatinerwortd combestowing a curvaceous fish-tike profile though this gave the aircraft aslek look, it offered very little advantage aerodynamically and made both the design and manufacturing processes far more difficalt Tin early 1940, Hughes ordered nine Constellations on behalf of Trans Continental, at an unprecedented {425,000 each, and a short time later = as his confidence inthe project grew ~ he upped this to 40 exam Pan Am not wishing to fall behind its rival, fllow of the new airtner well advanced, world events overtook the building ofthe fist prototype, and following the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US entered World War Two before the airraft had even flown. All commercial aireraft production was suspended as ‘manufacturers turned their efforts to producing military types for the Armed Forces. In 1942, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) was in need of long: range transport aeroplanes and so ask Lockheed to continue developing the Ie uncanp ‘ated aot concord wim hve of ya bth oes roe Gxpraon (040) Gorton Constloion L748 Eean on 43) oging Tinos lores Eros. Theor nr do ed oe Spans car ‘hy enn aircraft it had been building for Trans nental. However, it changed the aircraft's designated to (-69 and quickly followed this up with orders for 202 on top of those that Lockheed! had been contracted to build for Trans Continental and Pan Am, By the end of 1942 the fist prototype was nearing completion and Lockheed hired Boeing test pilot Edie Allen, to head the flight test crew (n January 9, 1943, the prototype C-69, 18K25600, with Eadie Allen and Milo Burchan at the controls, comple maiden fight from Lockhee facility, California, and although it w an olive-drab colou-scheme and caried niltary insignia, it was essentially the most advanced commercial airliner in the world. Amazingly the C-69 completed five futher flights that day before finally landing at Muroe Army Air Field, California (now known as Edwards Force base), (On April 17, 194, billionaire Howard Hughes demonstrated the Lockheed -696 coast-to-coast capabilt he flew an example from the California factory across the USsix hours, 57 minutes and 51 seconds giving an average speed of 331.54mph (533.56kmh). Aboard the areraft were 12 VIP quests invited by Hughes, the US Anny Air Force and Lockheed, Since becoming a majority shareholder in Trans Continental six years earlier, Hughes had sought to qualify himself to fy all the airline's aeroplanes. He did, however, experience some difficulty {in gaining his licence to fly the C9, finally succeeding after additional training in Palm Springs. Post-War Developments By V0 day, August 15, 1945, only 14 69s had entered service and these were declared surplus to requirement, converted into civilian aircraft by Lockheed and allocated to the original customers, TWA and Fan Am. Lockheed elected to buy back government-owned tooling and completed the seven C-695 that were already on its production line. By converting these seven airframes into civilian airlines, this gained Lockheed valuable time in the battle for orders cover its rivals, Douglas and Boeing. Tae Lome Consolation, NBs (e254) wos eet Seon of ype be ‘ithared we Cheopo {8 Souter Arties ‘agit 1950. Aero tena wn a wos oo Fon td Srvc win Ta December 164 whan ‘twos wing oné ‘sored toncey Tecate nd srpped ne 168 in Oata ‘A ines 1802 our Scheme ono he ca ‘ers Contotons Caplred os thes ‘emai rune ‘The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) ranted the astner its civlian type certificate in on December 11, 1945 and the fst 1-049 Constellation, a it hhad become known, joined Pan An's fleet two months later. The cater started Constellation services between New York and Bermuda on February 3, 1946. Meare, three days later, TWA launched its maiden Constellation fight across the Atlantic, flying to Pais on February 6, 1946, On July 1, 1946, the fist of five 1-049s for BOAC, G-AHE, Bristol, inaugurated the carrier's London to New York service ‘The L-049 variant was basically a 43 to 48-seat aeroplane, although with a high-density cabin configuration it could accommodate up to 60 passengers. The fist true commercial Constellation was the Model 1-649, which made its maiden fight on October 19, 1946, and entered service with Eastern Air Lines in May the following year. The ariner featured uprated Wright R'3350-C18-BD1 engines which produced 2,500hp enabling it to accommodate a maximum of 81 passengers, although the usual number ‘was between 48 and 64, It also had a ‘Speedpak cargo pannier attached to the underside ofthe fuselage, which enabled it to cary more baggage. Developed alongside the L-649 was the 1-749, Though basically siilar, with ‘the same seating capacity, the 1-749 had additional outer-wing tanks that could take an extra 1,130 Imp gallons (6,137 lit) of fuel fr tong-range fights, such as non-stop rotations between ‘New York and Paris although not fully loaded. Air France took delivery of the fist production 1-749 in April 1947 and operated the aircraft between Paris and New York. Two months later, Pan ‘Am leased an L-749 and launched its inaugural Round the Wor’ service.AIRLINER {2417494 Costelasion PHO (ch 288) wit Te Png Dutt’ es pane cong fe ses os slge, Teo woe ded a he cane Janay 19) ars ‘ean saree feel ers bare eg se Unguoyn epee CAUSE os (288 on Decanter 26 196 take-off weight to 107,000tb (48,543kq). wrap ticket | a a ee some point ding th "mrss San oho hed ote a so dower Loehed asst om | Meola er tind Ds om 2 dining oréer book an in 1947 the as manatee serous considered canceling the project The US At Fre Stepped in and signed a deal fr ten Cras (degnated C1214/B5), whch kept the production ine ging unt fhe manatee seed fer Sine contotsLocthee then fad take hard ok tthe ftureof he ogame and whee was going nex The Locheed 049 Consteltion had rowed weltsited forthe developmentvm mi ein drags dw te Casteltn slappers slek. Ho one of Bish Ovens Aways (Copan O40 feats Sean fe sh tas ong weeds of post-war airtines as they began toze-establish their networks, but they now wanted moe. the problem its new area the very fist Constellation ever built 1961 from Howard Hughes in May 1950 for $100,000. The airframe was id into what became he Super Constellation. Its fuselage was lengthened by 18ft 4n (5.59m) by he addition of two constant diameter ayloads were struggling to keep pace plugs forward and aft of the wings with demand and operating costs were and this inereased seating to around too high. ‘The aifin’s required larger 100 passengers. It retained the Pratt aircraft and reduced seat-mile costs & Whitney engines installed back in from their next generation of piston 1945, though additional wing-tip fuel airliners, In 1949, Lockheed tackled i take-off Arrival of the Super Constellation Many carters had been mildly citcal f both the Lockheed Constellation Douglas’ DC-4 desians, saying t po ape eters sete wnt fe oats {oy oma Sonam weight from 86 250lb (39,123kg) 120,000) (54,432kg) while allowing for 40% more payload. ‘The L-1049 made its maiden fight on October 13, 1950. After 22 hours of testing, it was realised the original engines were too sluggish and were replaced by the R3350. Tt vertical stabilisers were al 18 inches (46cm) eac tional stabi -kheed incorporated more than ges into its Super nthe first production aircraft few on November 29, 1951. Tt ‘vas hardly surprising to learn that the‘major driving force behind the aitiners evelopment vas TWA, although the fist camir to order the type was Eastern ‘Air Lines, which signed a deal for ten in ‘April 1950, The thicd example of the production Une, N6203C, entered service with Easter Air Lines on December 17, 1951. The arine eventually operated 14 L-1040s while TWA had the other ten. Services were launched fon December 15, 1951 (New York to Miami) and September 10, 1952 (New York to Los Angeles). Prior to 1953 all turbo-compound R3350 engines were earmarked for military use, so the 1-149 hha to use the 2,700hp CA2, which proved to be underpowered for such a lazge airliner. ‘The 1-10498 was a purely military variant ofthe Super Constellation, so the next civil version became the 1-10496, the fiat of which flew on Febuary 17, 1953. This particular ‘model put new life back into the design; the original Cyclone engines were Variants Coa) replaced by 3,250hp Wright R-3350-DA1 Turbo-Compounds. The extra power increased speed by 10mph (16km/t), bout more importantly allowed even higher take-off weights. ‘The wing structure was further strengthened to cater for maximum take-off weights of 133,000lb (30,328Ka), which had the aided benefit of allowing extra fuel to be carried, thus greatly increasing its range. KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines was one of ten airtines to operate the type, its frst 110496, PH-TFP was detivered ‘on June 10, 1953 and it entered service between Amsterdam and New York in ‘August 1953, with TWA stating its “Ambassador non-stop flights from Los “Angeles to New York two months later (on October 19, 1953, ‘The L-1049D was a freighter version of the Super Constellation, capable of carrying up to 36,000lb (16,329%c) of cargo. ‘The first variant made its maiden flight in September 1954 and the main operator of the type was Seaboard & Wester Airlines. This was followed by the improved L-1049E although only haf the orders were actually completed as it was quickly superseded by the 1-10496. ‘The L-10496 was the bestseller of al Eee) oa ry the Super Constellations macs, and was essentially the same airframe as the 110496, but allied with four 3,250hp ‘Wright R-3350-DA3 Tusbo-Compound engines giving better climb performance ‘than the R-3350-CAL. Intended for long-range routes, the 1-10496 could be Send eth 900 Ig pm (2271 tip-tanks as pioneered on the ori L-1049A. The cabin layout could accommodate 71 Ftst-Cass or 95 Coach Class passengers. ‘The first 1-10496 flew on December 17, 1956 and the type entered service with Northwest Airlines in January 1955, The final variant ofthe Super Constellation was the L-1049H, which made its maiden fight on September 20, 1956. The H version was basicaly ‘a convertible model ofthe 1-10496, with the fuselage stressed to carry loads of over 44,780Lb(20,312kg) oF altetnatively up to 96 passengers. The last aircraft tobe built, an L-1049H, ‘was delivered to the Flying Tiger Line in November 1958, Lockheed was able to evolve the Constellation design through eleven variants before artiving at its final derivative, the L-1669A Stariner - what some people have called the ultimate piston-engined airliner. For a brief petiod during which eary jet engines seemed too flawed for use by long-range heavy aiteraft, Lockheed was asked by TWA to develop an advanced version of the Constellation. It would have an increased range and capacity allowing it to compete on even terms with Pan Ams new Dowalas DC-7C, which promised to fly across the Atlantic, non- stop in almost any weather conditions. Lockheed started work on the long- range 1-1649A in May 1955 giving it a completely redesigned wing, of thinner section than the ealier models and with square wing-tips. The one= piece wing was constructed from long machined panels spanning a remarkable 150Ft (45.72m). Tt had the largest fuel capacity ofall Constellations, 8,002 Ip gallons (36,378 lit), which gave it a maximum range, with reserves, of 6,320 miles (10,170km). It was equipped with 3,400hp R-3350-EA2 turbo-compound engines that were geared down to drive 16f 10in (5.13m) propellers mounted further away from the fuselage to reduce cabin noise and vibration. This improvement was further enhanced by the inclusion of additional soundproofing material in es i 7454 (onsielaon, 2-088 (e202, named Cape Sow se hor ‘xaos ha wor oper ‘ed Su Rtorae- ‘iar rig he ‘any 19805. Rey wore ‘mahi sd on eco ‘ers Spingk sence ‘eteon Sat cathe cabin linings and by synchrophasing the Hamilton Standard propelirs. The fuselage’ length was also sightly increased and with additional fuel capacity this raised the ateraft’s take off weight to 160,000lb (72,576ka). The L-1649 offered only a modest improvement over the DC-7C, and Howard Hughes TWA deliberated long and hard before finally placing an order for 25 ofthe former. The Starliner originally accommodated 58 First Cass ar 75 Coach Class passengers although the layout was soon increased to 92, as well as having 593cuft (16.8) of cargo space. The prototype’s maiden flight took place on October 10, 1956, with TWA introducing the L-16494 on its transatlantic route from New York to London and Faris on June 1, 1957. ‘TWA was the largest user of the type with 29 examples, while other operators included Lufthansa and Air France. However, the Starliner as quickly overshadowed by the introduction of the early jet aireraft such as the de Havilland Comet, Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Consequently, Lockheed lost money on the 1-1649 programme, selling only 46 examples and failing C2 to breakeven on ite development costs, Most 1-1649s had been withdrawn from front-line passenger services by 1963 ‘with a number converted into freighters and many going to second-tier airlines and travel clubs. ‘Although swiftly superseded by jet transports, the Super Constellation continued to be operated by the nitary, with the US Air Force flying them until the late 1970, while the US [Navy retired its last example in June 1982, Commercial use ofthe Super Constellation ceased in 1993 when the Federal Aviation Administration finally stopped Dominican Republic companies from fying its airraft in US airspace. Overall, Lockheed sold a remarkable 467 sub-types ofits Constellation design to the United States Air Force and Navy, which helped to boost the total number of aeroplanes produced, which finaly totalled one prototype, 233 Constellations and 578 Super Connies. ‘There are at last 55 survivors of the mass scrappings of the 1960s and 1970s and 2 handful of these graceful airliners remain airworthy to remind us ofthe sights and sound of these glorious Piston props of the post-war erCroydon VM 7 ALT? BOB BLUFFIELD TRACES SOME OF is igea Calli ACTIVITIES THAT SHAPED BRITAIN’S. FIRST COMMERCIAL AIRPORT. rere tee Peete ey ore Seen Sean eek Cee eer ee eee Seen cers safety and advances in navigational aids have eee ee eae) ees td pioneering days ofthe 1920, it was possible to fly between London and Pass in less than three LR ago side to teach the Croydon or Le Bourget airports from the relent city centres. Today a comparable Seen ess a ‘axe now different but just reaching Heathrow o: Charles de Gaulle can take infinitely longer than ae ae eo eng etn See ree g ns er ee can be judged in different ways and itis worth comparing that the long, arduous, Croydon-Cape eee eae) Cre ee ee eas ee eae’ poe eT eer CtryAIRLINER | ——AIRLINER as has cut the overall distance from 8,000 miles (12,874km) during the period of Imperial Airways, to 6,139 miles (9,879km) today (Commercial air travel only began to develop after the Great War when some forward-thinking men first decided to operate passenger fights across the English Channel. In 1919, the Government, less enamoured by the prospect of a free-for-all in the skies cover Britain, were pressured to make changes to The Air Navigation Acts (1912 & 1913) to permit a Limited form of commercial fying. This provided work toa few ex-military pilots who offered joy fights toa brave public prepared to step aboard a frail biplane, Some pilots were fortunate to be offered jobs with the original arines. Before dawn on May 1, 1919, the first commercial flights were ready to take- off. Frederick Handley Page, famous for building long-range bomber aircraft, and George Holt Thomas, founder of The ‘Aeroplane Supply Company that built Gnome and Rhone engines and Farman aireraft under license, were set to lock hhoms on the airways. Holt Thomas had reoistered Air ‘Transport and Trave Led (ATRT) on October 5, 1916 and carried military mail on relief fights between Folkestone (Hawkinge) and Ghent, Belgium. (nthe day commercial restrictions were lifted, one of his de Havilland DHSS lft Hendon witha cargo of newspapers bound for Bournemouth. The aircraft crashed at Portdown Hil near Portsmouth and Captain Howard 1 Saint, the fst pilot to be granted a ‘commercial licence, broke his jaw — his passenger was uninjured. Later that day Lieutenant-Colonel Sholto Douglas flew a rval Handley Page 0/400 carrying Daily Mail newspapers and eleven passengers from the company airfield at Cricklewood to Manchester. On July 15, ATRT flew Major Pilkington, (of the glass company) on a charter across the Channel from Hendon to Paris (Le Bourget). As the aiteraft flew cover Hounslow he saw a Handley Page preparing to take off after it had landed to clear customs. Tn his rush to beat his competitor, pilot Lt ‘Gey’ Shaw in the DH9 broke regulations by neglecting to land for clearance and in so doing asthe frst to reach Pais. On August 25, Lieutenant ‘Bl! Lawford completed what was arguably the worlds ist {international scheduled ar service by flying one passenger and a consignment of leather, grouse and Devon cream from Hounslow Heath to Le Bourget in the ATAT DHGA (G-EANC). Tn 1919 the Government listed 237 UK aitfields although only Hounslow; Tympne (Kent) as the Channel entry field; New Holland (Lincolnshire) for Scandinavia flights; and Hadleigh (Suffolk) forthe Netherlands were approved as Customs ports. To reach Hounslow Heath, designated the airport for London, cross-Channel fights followed the course ofthe Thames from ‘ibury to Richmond where pilots looked for, and hopefully located, the small aerodrome Handley Page continued using his Cricklewood atfield for fights to Paris and Brussels, but his twin-engined 0/400s still had to land at Hounslow to complete formalities before Cricklewood ‘was granted Customs status in 1920. ‘This was withdrawn atthe end of May 41821 an from then on passengers > used Croydon. But Cricklewood was hazardous plots had to negotiate a tight gap between the hangar and factory to take-off and they flew ‘barely Soft (15m) above Cricklewood Broadway as they lumbered towards 500R (150m). If this height ‘vas attained by Central London without an engine failure, it was considered safe to continue. An carly commercial pilot, Robert Meintosh wrote of his experiences {in his autobiography: “ followed the mumber 20 buses. Usually I kept pace, but the only time I could overtake them was when they stopped to pick up anyCroydon Aerodrome 4s tafe increased, a more suitable faclity was needed, if only to substantially reduce fying distances between Hounslow and the Continent Ten miles south of London, the RAF airfield at Beddington, near Prey, which opened in 1916, offered the best option. Consisting of to adjoining fields; Bedlington to the west and Wadldon Aid to the east the sites were dissected by Plough Lane, a rural thoroughfare used by pedestians and trafic. Until a level eosing was rected, a man waiving a red fag prevented publi access whenever Zircaft manoeuved from one side cf the Geld tothe other. The gass Strip uray on the Wadon sie was iden in adi, rendering it invisle to anyone on the Beddington side ADMINISTRATION { = where the facilites for aircraft parking, ADNBUILDING. =" ‘maintenance, customs and terminal were C located. It was less than ideal. Hazards GROUND LOOR: FLAN were posed on the northeast comer by the wart National Aircraft Tactory” — Aigotmm'pon makeshift offices and Customs sheds. required?" {opened in 1918), which was by 1920 est 928, Pos However, there was potential, and it ‘There was no real answer to that, ced by the Aicraft Disposal Company; vas quickly spotted by Must House, but the leence was approved and anu beyond that bythe Walirgton ‘hich acqive the old, angalow-siyle the ba became a jovial meeting water tomes. Plots regula endured are canteen in ower to convert point for Euope's most amboyant ‘ious moments when the notorious itinto a hotel. When it applied fora pilots. Wallington residents were les South-eastely wind blew though the liquor licence, the smart magistrate was Impressed by ther neighbour, but the Parley Valley At fist there was no Fear to enquire “iit was suggested Borough of Croydon had no misgivings control tower, and surplus wartime huts that pasengers might ave in such a when they adopted the aerodrome as, | along ough Zane were convested to contin tata litle alohol might be their own. The faclity was zenamed aAIRLINER Coytion and officially opened by Lord Londonderry on March 29, 1920; and former RAF Major, § TL Greer was appointed manager ‘By then, ATET was already in situ and had been allocated two large, ex-RAF hangars to house its DH9s and DH6s. Robert Brenard, an ATAT employee, colourfully recalled his impressions of Croydon: “Te frst little party of pioneer airwaymen to invade Croydon, diving in an old Ford cat, lost themselves ina maze of roads between Sutton and Wallington, and it was some time before they located the aerodrome, then known as Waddon, which had housed a war-time fighter squadron. They set to work to tur it into a proper commercial airport VA. Lonoon One ofthe most urgent needs was office accommodation. ‘This was provided by purchasing old wooden army huts and eecting them om either side of what became a sort of main steet leading fom Plough Lane to the aeroplane alighting-ground. Other people followed the first arivals, erecting their particular kind of temporary wooden buildings. These were all of different shapes and sizes, until the final appearance of this ‘main street’ strongly reminded one forcibly of a Wild West township. This resemblance was, in fact, so striking that some peopl visiting the aerodrome for Imperial Airways Limited No. LP 9550 | Al "oats Af tt tear. fee iki thas Dac Pane — gh 121 Tinto Sess rem FePil — 4 6b uoa 0 ‘AIRWAYS LiMiTED, ©ROYOON AERODROME. CONDO ae ee OS Wendy Page 8" 8H Pe Hea of Inpenal arwoys| “Suton in sven ‘ana ous! Ini 19208 ‘nd 199 een op ‘ope aes were gh aracotnret An arte tom {onden Ps wos £8 ‘nd atogs in 1927poplar Vicker Viny Commer ty london (EAS! resplendent init Ble and sve very. ng in the 1520 emaied precroas, Pts bound LANE USP See TORO aoae | (o2 Channel costing were regard COMPANIES PRIOR TO 1940 eS ts teptoneLympae a eheck the coastal weather conditions. On their : return, after crossing the Kent coast, they watched for a flare to be fired that ated they should land because poor visibility at Croydon would make it unsafe to continue. Engine failures were common and emergency landing grounds vere established at regular points on ‘oth sides of the Channel. Until more sophisticated aids were developed, pilots 4 had only an unieliable compass, and to assist them find their way, the names of the railway stations at Ashford, Edenbridge, Redhill and Tonbridge were painted on their rofs. Once directional finding equipment and a two-way ado were installed at Cioydon, confidence grew as flying became safer and fener flights were cancelled, | Unt the ploneering Hye had demorstted the ale . of heavier than a machines, GMP, chips were considered the od wnt ee anspor for long distances. In 1223 2 mooring mast 49% (Cm) tal the int ime said they ther expected Goverment later elented, provided OMEN a ul at Croydon specially fora to see a group of cowboys come temporaysubidie to Daimler, Handley wooo vist of the 33, a fouregine,633f¢ dashing founda comer fo shoot the Page and Instone and fights resumed on fonoesantowe _(193m) long drgile tat vised in ‘heed ‘tne ser Vn place up.” The country atmosphere March 19. The progressive Fren Suly drenching the gathered public that prevailed was such that pilots its airlines tothe hilt, firmly believing fmupr'sauearo’ when water ballast was discharged. The wth time to spare would indlg in a they were vital tothe countrys economic chm fitation with ache was shorted ite grouse shooting crow Despite tel efile, by and ater it was discovered the mas {TET opened the fst Croydon» the end of 1922 the its had bounced had been built on pat and twat Amsterdam service on May 17,1920, back by earying 65.6% fal Coydon removed. but twas already having financial” Pais passengers, but compared tothe ‘On December 5,192, the Air Ministry Aificates and ad been aque by burgeoning Geman anesthe Bish paseed a motion requiring a state the Himingham Smal Ams (BSA) industry was small andthe combined sisted atne to be formed to develop company. following the shortsighted companies only employed 18 pilots and routes tothe distant Empire. The jit remark made by the Secretary of State, 117 others. Two de Howilnd assets of The Instone Airline, Daimler Winston Church, when he sid the "New area statd to av at Dopo Rest ey rway, and Handley Page Transport aitines “must fly by themselves, Croydon. The French operated tui ‘Ar Senet pated were combined with those of the British the fate ofthe British companies we engined Farman Goliath, KLM few Fokker SUMO RE easton Company (who flew already in doubt. Without Government FC monopanes and Instone had the for Southampton-Guernsey with fying funding it was impossible to compete evenly with foreign aitines that were qe i heavily subsidised. niall, tree TA NILSEN NS British companies (ATT, Hanley age = ‘Transport and The Instone Airline) q 7 inansp hicemnneeeigle had competed against the French o ” DSN i the Paris route. A fourth, Air ost of Banks, founded in 1920 by some Mall 7 | od 4 of the banks to carry documents and passengers using two Westland Limousine aircraft, survived only from September 13 to November 2. ATT was bankrupt by December and was laced by The Daimler Airvay during ‘an untenable period when Instone rmothballed its aircraft and Handley Page made only occasional fights. By February 28, 1924, international services were suspended, leaving the foreign airlines unchallenged to exploit Coydon’s faites Theboats), Impeil Aways evolved with milion State subsidy spread over ten years. Flying operations were due to Bein on Apa 1, 1926, but were delayed bya vehement pilots ck that lasted ‘ntl Apsil 26 when Capt H S Robertson flew the companys fist oficial schedule from Goydon to Le Bourget ina D4 (G-EBCH),. Regular Croydon-Brssels- Cologne, Croydon-Anstardan Hanover Berlin (with Deutarhe Aero Loy) and Croydon-Pai-Bale-Zrich services followed. Seandinavian services wee opened jointly with AB Aerotansport cf Sweden in 1925 and Alan Cobham surveyed vast teritoies tht would link Croydon with Egypt, the Middle East, India, Cape Town and eventually the Far ast and Australia Tassengers arriving at Coytion were diseetly weighed with tel luggage withthe da of the sales tured from public gaze to protect customer modesty. By the mid-192s, local residents were complaining about aft noise, in particular that eased by The Aiveraft Disposal Company’ practice of testing engines during the ealy moring The question of safety overtook the ruisance of tose fllowing the crash of an Imperial Airways Di36 (-HBBY) on wasteland near the airport, lig all tight on brad. Goyéon became a popular venue, hosting the Imperial Air Conferences, of the eay 19206 and air races including the Aeial Deby, Air League Challenge Cup and the Kings Cup fom 1921. Legendary fiyers came and went. Chats Lindbergh was mobbed when be aztive from Pais aftr his 1927 epic trans-Atlantic fight and in July 1929 Chares Kingsford Smith landed from Australia with Carles Uim in their Fokker F VIE-3m Souther Cos. {As traffic increased, so too did the need to improve the facilites at Croydon, Work began in 1926 to convert it into moder facility and a magnificent new Portland stone-aced terminal building with control tower, hotel, hangars and a hard standing area for airerat was built. The project cost £267,000 and by January 1928 it was ready and offically opened by Lady Maud Hoate on May 2. The spacious booking hall provided offices and desks for the aitines, a newsagent, refreshments and a central obelisk with clocks showing world time. The airport was @ popular spot for sightseers who came to watch the lunchtime departure of the Imperial Airways Siver Wing service to Pars. Introduced on May 4, 1827, the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy (G-EBLF) operating the service offered dining facilites anda hitherto unprecedented level of luxury. This competed with the Rayon d'r (Golden Ray) operated by Air Union with a Lioré ct Oliver Le0 213 twin-engine biplane ent 19208 (inert ws conde! ‘niisimpesl Ares aboard an aircraft and offered London Tecan UKHoot® that boasted a restaurant and dance foot. Imperial Airways took part in tive radio broadcasts with a small orchestra sightseeing fights, charters to sporting ‘events and honeymoon specials (On March 30, 1929, Imperial Airways ‘inaugurated the service to India a tiresome journey taking seven days. ‘Argosy operated the Croydon-Basle sector where passengers boarded a train to Genoa and thereafter needed to transfer between different aircraft at several points along the route. Some foreign artnes were already operating all-steel monoplanes that made the Imperial Airways fleet of biplanes look antiquated in comparison, Domestic aircraft design was lagging seriously Debind and Imperial had to wait unit the summer of 1932 to take delivery of its first monoplane. This, the Armstrong Whitworth A¥N15 Atalanta, was flown by Herbert Brackley and his crew on surveys to Australia and Cape Town. Toe fair, the company was hampered by the government directive to buy British. With a restricted choice, it was forced to operate an assortment of lumbering biplanes, suchas the slow but safe Handley Page HP42 that served reliably from 1931 until 1940, becoming synonymous with the arine despite only eight being built. By 1936 the Shorts flying boats were favoured to Aly the Imperial Airways Empire routes. (Once these became operational, only the company’s European services and charters remained at Croydon. In 1935, Spartan Ailines, Hillman’s Airvays and United Airways merged to become the orginal British Airways. This operated variously from Heston and Gatwick before transferring operations to Croydon in 1937. New monoplanes were finaly introduced on Imperial Airways) European routes in 1938 with the atval of the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign and de Havilland Albatross. KLM had been flying Douglas DC-3s to Croydon eight times a day on the Amsterdam-Croydon route since 1937 and British Airways already had moder Lockheed 10, letras and the Junkers Ju-52The Golden Age The 1930s has been dubbed the golden age of air travel and by 1935 Goon was a busting place handling 3,500 passengers a wet, In 1936, 2 passenger on an Imperial Airways fight fom Paris made history when he became the ft tbe fined (£10) for smoking on board a commercial aircraft ying on an aiinr was stil beyond the financial reach of most. Royalty, Members of ParGamet, sporting personalities and star of stage and Sereen, among them Chale Chaplin, Doublas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and the Arsenal footal team all came and went from Croydon. The closest that ‘ost ordinary people got to an aitiner sto take a short pleasure fight or to view ateraft movements om the Popular roof tenaces of the teminal bulding or Aerodrome Hotel. As World War Two approached, the airport reported heavier taffc than normal. More than 1,000 passengers took ropean fights over the Easter holiday in 1939 and bookings remained heavy until war was delaed, Tis astonishing that during this period of tension Deateche Lufthansa was permitted to perate its Oslo-Copenhagen- Hamburg service to Croydon with its Focke Wulf 200 Condors, brazenly sporting a Nai swastika painted onthe tail These fights continued uni August 31, 1938, but the authorities appeared blasé that the passengers were plain-othed 8 AURLINER 2s Luftwaffe personnel who they later discovered were reonneitring British installations. As Croydon prepared to be etumed to wartime duty, initially 35a fighter base and later used by RAF Transport Command, Imperial ‘Airways transfered its aca to Cadi (Whitehureh) and Exeter. In 1940, the Act was absorbed into State ownership when the British Overseas Airways Comporation (BOAC) was created as a result of the BOAC Bil that merged Imperial with Bish Airways (see article starting on Page 32). The airport vas attacked several times by German aireaft during the war and sustained considerable damage and casualties. Railway Air Services returned, operating the frst wartime evan Aight from any Loncion airport when it few a Schedule to Belfast via Liverpol on November 13, 1944. Number 10 Wing RAF Transport Command also operated passenger fights with DC-3s until 1946, Morton Air Services, Jersey Airways and Scotish Airways based alrraft at roy after the War, but it was not long before scheduled Rights moved elsewhere, Heathrow opened in 1946 to take over the mantle asthe designated airport forthe capital and Gatwick \ was also prospering. British European CROYDON AERODROME 1925~ 1959 ‘Aways (BEA), which aso used Northolt, briefly operated from Croydon mPolacrtas Tarek | amino | fein cee etn Helsinki (via Amsterdam, Copenhagen, ‘avout of Croydon Aiport, Today the terminal building, now Gothenburg and Stockholm) in 1946 and : called Airport House, has been restored. Sate Reeves ested Raha he me hrm Inna faopeanAiwoy ya andthe Gyn Apr Vists Ge Sie on some Gomer dung PROMS), (Opened Ocaber 20) conta sce November 1946. The BEA station at remonDoreatia model of the airport during its heyday. Coon coetin et tetra stot ReGen” You sndne nth atone Rasp while retained the Croydon-Deauville baiting. Or café and visit the control tower scoconeg fo Syed Hoesen maemo Gap tet fon Oey A Severs Feuer» nme’ of eae fom the Te a perl roan ai coin m aircraft were unable to operate from ion and the airport became Tandat adeno cae wed Leen only by charter and cargo operators, flying clubs and privately owned aircraft, When the facility closed on September 30, 1959 the remaining airlines transfered to Gatwick; theClassicAirlines The Art of Classic Atines is the World's largest collection of high qualty airliner profile illustrations. 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By ontne our secure onli kore, or phon or ws 8 P. & PUK & Workdwide: 1 DVD- £1.50, 26°3 OVDs- £2, 4.01 exe - roe! aseerViniAienea ant hk:Tl 442 880978 Fam) cities Sic omr AON VEO Can Cogn Grinen UPTON PE Clevelands Wholesale Ltd, Unit 5 Woodcock Hill Industrial Estate, Harefield Road, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 IPQ a eee een Seer sears Creek lte eM ItL) 200 Wiation Houses 200 Aviation _400 \Aviation www.clevelandsdiecast.co.ukseean iY 1 at { Ss. an EK gy tO ta EE q{twas a brave decision by the then French Minister of Transport, Jean Chamant, and the German Minister of Economie Affairs, Karl Schiller, to sign a formal agreement on May 29, 1969 at the Pazis Air Show to launch a new pan-European widebody aircraft programme. Even three and a half years later, when the fist prototype Airbus {4300 took to the air on October 28, 1972, nobody could have predicted the impact that the development of the frst twin-engine widebodied jet would have on the commercial aviation industry. At the time, short-range routes were operated by sinale-asied aittnes, especially the Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 727. On longer routes, tee- and fous engined types, such as the Douglas C-10, the Lockheed L1011 TriStar and the B747, were replacing the old 1707 and DC-8 workhorses. ‘There was, however, an obvious gap in the market for a nem, medium-range aifine: and several European manufacturers were looking at projects in tis sector ‘The aerospace industry had long been dominated by the US. European manufacturers ~ such as British Alzeaft Corporation (BAC) and Hawker Siddeley in the UK and Brequet and Sud-Aviation in France ~ had a Limited presence in the market, but with the formation of Airbus, in December 1970, things were about to change. Now, some 40 years on, the pan-European company {s positioned as one of the leading manufactures in the wor SP ot Bt rected tt ‘00R2 ate 1982 (7a 1983. he lo ‘tr oes mea oe ‘hay Brn eng - Designs Dod ies wih ange ce slge wath Diy te ame consru ‘on wa hed bop ‘os scton 890 ‘oben sot -Ameotng of Ineo map eet ‘Tae ‘arpa Concae ‘New Force in Aviation In the late 1960s, the governments of France, Germary and the UX were convinced that European manufacturers needed to collaborate if they were to afford to develop a viable long-term commercial aviation strategy that could compete with what the US had to offer. Indeed, BAC and Sud-Aviation ‘were already working together on the Concorde supersonic airliner project, so widening the partnership seemed a logical step. (On a political level, however, the formation of a pan-European serospace organisation was bound to have its problems. In fact before Airbus was even established, governments were regularly changing ther strategy, some even abandoning the collaboration only to retum to it ater. The Frenchgovernment actualy walked away fom the project because it wanted to work independently with Dassault on the Mercure project, but eame back to the table just three days later, having reversed its decision, The UK pulled out altogether, before returning once Aitbus had been established. Tt was the Germans who took the lea They wanted to re-enter mainstream commercial aircraft production and formed an Airbus Study Group in 1964, comprising local companies Dorniey, Hamburger Fugzeughau (HFB), Messerschmitt Siebelwerke and Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) However, it was not until six year late, in December 1970, that Aisbus Industrie vas finaly formed, and incogporated a ‘number of changes in its constituent parts In France, Sud-Aviation and Nord-Aviaton had merged to form ‘Aerospatiale, whist Dornier had withdrawn from Deutsche Airbus, leaving the remaining companies a: ‘MBB (Messerchnitt-Belkow Biohm an amalgamation of Messerschmitt, Siebel and HB) and VEW, which had also Linked up with Fokker. VFW-Fokker eventually elected QANTAS not to be a member of Ais, simply becoming a supplier to the company, but Spanish manufacturer CASA di join the Group, taking a 4.2% share - the value ofthe horizontal tailplane that it was to produce. In the UK, an amalgamation of Hawker Siddeley, BAC and Scotish ‘Aviation resulted in the formation of British Aerospace. ‘A that time shareholding in Abus Industrie consisted of Aerospatale (47.9%), Deutsche Aitbus (47.9 and isa 20) The United egos sje 107) and ok 8204s, Spat equaly fo Arrpotle nd Truce Ab Uw tater eel Mondo, fing a Devache Aerspae, Amee tough Daimler-Benz Aerospace, to DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Alybus. TO) WEED? en 60) 170. Wore exc. ‘eto pe Continental Collaboration Semen [Abus concept ofa new medium rage atinerexpaleof seating around ssont08 250 passengers was not anew one and work on the A300 actually pre-dates Wad 135 nos the formation of the company. During Abani the mid-1960s a number of European thmaty mone manufacturers were tentatively working Gamesin 1998 on new aircraft projects. Hawker Siddeley was looking at the 160-seat Pena oye 8 UuRuunaNnunanaNt H9132 and 206-seat HS134, whilst BAC was studying the 2-11 and 3-11, as developments to its short-haul aliner the 112. In France, Breguet ‘was proposing the double-deck, four ‘engined, Br124; Nord-Aviation the high wing, 12-abreast N600, which had two cabins separated by a central bulkhead, and Sud-Aviation the Galion, which was planned to be constructed as both a conventional single-deck 200-seater and potentially atwo-deck 250-seater. While collaborative iesues over the nisation ofthe Airbus consortium {dominated discussions between the manufacturers, the new European aircraft was quietly taking shape in the background. Initially dubbed the HBN 100, the original aitner was loosely based on concepts already under evaluation around the continent. During 1967 a memorandum of understanding vas signed between France, Germany and the UE to further develop the project, but a lukewarm response from airlines ultimately led tothe formal project launch being repeatedly delayed, ‘The problems related tothe size of the aifcraft. The proposed 300-seater hence the selection ofthe name A300 in late 1967 ~ although favoured by the French and supported by local airlines Air France and Air Inter, had not been warmly received by others. Eventually in face of overwhelming pressure for a smaller capacity model, a scaled-down ‘A300 was announced in December 1968, with seating for around 250 passengers Although no firm orders had been secured, airlines had expressed strong interest in the A300, This resulted in the formal go-ahead to move the eee eean se 8 © eaeeeses 4 aner aa fap oe oe nto Pow tam ccntnssen inno ones Fewer eg ht or {mwa parting \WFeommanaron os 8 seuseeege arese aoe sas rae onoge bs ‘Cota ean air ‘ics pone sng 26 se ister or sam ng Dowrmoute eopechae Mon an enor reec o92 brs ‘i get ‘Shoat Gra ace 68002 ene ho Wite 90-72 or RIES atone ‘weengre nen ‘Cnman oot pn eon Ponte nts 5 Pon alg ‘Shoo wg ena on Tec pos ete set 24 el 26 etn rimdcese ou) Ae sen sete srg Constened en Sng UWsteogne cota: wpe 2 Sale stat aod gear ‘Weg spot certesacten sony toon ono onan ks (hc) We ere txt ot a ‘Sine eh tz ma ft re St ft emaly 13426 mp oa (6200009 Daring sn gone on | ual gsem pro esse eating corecons eg es Foaltoaet sas Foatok ga Leatngge sane ot Tassnpmat mo oe ea, pen Wg ce Serscmwlots (sk wraoe ga k Falak 1» 10 m ns ha ns Ns W ha sseeeereeces ‘Sout migoten ah ee) Wnt ra. Satan ung en Tat nage es ro (ae) Saiocxagen foe pont Yea 2 ‘neice singe sites Fol pep, cou feson poo ts Fallen oe eo alari pes oe me) toa eas Sapa er) Soteramete sou eas op sens ape sat ‘Soa oapedaleon ‘ren le tol ck. nner eso) a ep egret (xno yon eienton ‘ese Narco et oy feorsgar anche an haene 10 ma te 1 1 138 11 132 133 134 13 1% 17 186 i Totplne nln oe caonty 132 nog (61001) ise ier hou xo, ‘Pveqipmet 2p (Gana ICP 250 oe poner) Talne rg Wet et Poteet eosncton Boa apache ots Site ders Potion re canineton lecargge er Fon gl el nk Tedpan pc owe pone ating ete “elle cone sectn com Ee.gh Tsipre ne ck Fsppronsaze eres sues 12 6 4 186 186 18 1 1 7 m i w SUReRRBaRS nm 23 Foro eldseam. etm Renan ons cone gre ied or cng (err Bec 2002 uta ge Engr Bowes 2 arg i ring le owas ng Dette ena conn prs Boater st pecs in asegoge Bees o coer atrg lew a roe cten ced ngs ot ect wg Wg et 3 or top ge top ote Wopretiige top eens SBRSNSNSANSS op down poston op ge as Foe oon pe Foptonttonrgs Fotconte potest armpas Fnasporer ong ge Tring conosco Sete osc Tel rove sites (te) Pot wnptiteen ‘Wag eg os mt ght es) feo’ (er nig pre cosucn eter ‘eMetteh Ae Woni202 wewaitinerwortd.com 45project into the construction stage being announced in October 1970, two months before the Airbus consortium was legally founded, Building the Dream During the development proces, designers had flirted witha range of wider fuselage widths, but by the time construction work had begun on the fist production version, designated the A300B1, a ciose-secton of 18ftéin (6.64rm) had been selected. Tis became the standard fuselage dimension for subsequent Airbus widebody programmes the A330 and A340. The A300B1 was 167 Zin (50.85m) in length and had a cruising speed of Mach 0.84 witha load of 250 passengers, its typical range was 4,200nm (2,222km). ‘The aircraft was tobe powered by new engines from General Blctric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce in the 50,0000 (222k) thrust range. Dusing the development stages, the Rois Royce 18207, which evolved into the RB211, was the preferred engine, but eventually the Genera Electric CFS-50A was chosen as the launch powerplant, thanks to Britain's wavering commitinent to the project. ‘The assembly ofthe A300 certainly presented new challenges fr the Buropean manufacturers. Although international partners had collaborated on projets before ~ perhaps the most famous being the supersonic Concorde ~ ithad not been done on such 2 large scale. Airbus adopted an entirely diferent approach, with component parts, such as the wing assemblies, taken to the production plant at Toulouse ready to fy. All the cabling pipes and equipment that would normally hhave been fitted in final assembly were already in place. As a result, only 4% of construction man-hours were actually spent on the final assembly ine. ‘One ofthe main problems of the workshare was how to get ll the constituent parts to Airbus's chosen assembly location at Toulouse in southwest France, The wing assemblies were produced at the British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) plant near Chester in the UK. These had to be transported to Bremen, Germany, tobe fitted with roving surfaces, such as flaps and slats, by VEW-Fokker. They were then shipped by barge ten miles downsiver to Lemwerder to be flown to Toulouse, along with the rear fuselage sections built by MBB. The central wingbox and nose section were constructed at St Nazaire and Nantes in France, and were tuansported by road to begin with, Tail assemblies came from the CASA plant in Spain, and the engines from the US. ‘To overcome these transportation Issues, Aitbus sourced four Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft ~ a conversion ofthe military Boeing K-97 ~ to cary all the sub-assembles to its Toulouse facility in the south of France. Son he A300 has toyed on ecnded Iespen wn omar of examps beng ‘aver rt ‘ee one abot fost erso wr ult oesich Aids vos ‘dsppaniod ih Be ‘rors sees orton: ‘nee ey 170 ‘oak he pope ‘een frie Soo Foul Dia. olmple ‘roy f Gece sed Pe ear AS0084 mod ‘es ont Pan ox fre of lage ond fongerage 4300 ohne From Orders to Birth Although a number of Europe’ flag carriers had confirmed a tentative interest in the A300, no orders had actually been placed before the frst prototype was assembled. In the development stages the Airbus partners had stated thatthe project would not be launched unless orders fr at least 75 units had been received. These never materialised, but stil it was decided to proceed with the construction of the fist alzeraft ~ a major isk, Tt was not long, however, before airlines began to commit to the project. ‘The long;awaited launch order was finally signed on November 9, 1971, when Air France agreed to acquire six ‘83006 ~ it subsequently announced orders for a further 17. Theria followed not long after, agreeing a contact for four A300s in January 1972; while Lufthansa, which had been campaigning for a smaller type, settled on an order for three A300s plus four options in May 1973, ‘The fist A300B1, F-WUAB, was rolled out at Toulouse in August 1972. Ground tests were then completed ahead of the public unveiling on September 28, 1972. The maiden fight was on October 28, At the controls were Aerospatale's Senior Tet Pilot Max Fischl, and the Head of Fight Test Berard Ziegler, with two fight engineers anda fight observer. By the end of the folowing month, eleven flights had already been undertaken, ‘A second prototype airframe, F-WUAC, Joined the certification programme in February 1973, while a third areaft, E-WUAD, joined in June of the same ‘year, The latter was a B2— its fuselage had been stretched by Bit 8in (2.65m) to create room for 2¢ more seats, thus increasing capacity to between 281 and 345 passengers, depending upon the configuration. This went on to become the initial production version Disappointed with sales performance,to attract more customers - particularly in North America ~ and in September 1973 the prototype flew to South ‘America to participate in the $30 Paulo air display in Brazil. This was followed by demonstration flights across the Americas at various venues, including Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Port of Span, Kingston, Caracas, Mexico City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, St outs, Boston, New York, Washington and Montreal. The tour certainly highlighted the reliability of the new aicaft, with ttle emerging in the way of engineering problems ~ an engine was changed in Chicago, but only because of foreign object damage. However, the effort failed in its primary function of generating further orders. With the fourth prototype, another 2, F-WUAA, joining the certification programme in November 1973, Abus embarked on more tials and sales tours. The frst example had completed a tour of India in September, before fiying to Southern Aftiea fr ‘hot and hight tials. Mearurhile the second had travelled to Helsinki and Rovaniemt in Northern Finland for cold weather trials After almost 1,600 hours of fight testing, type certification was awarded to the A300 by the French and German authorities during the first quarter of 1974, allowing its European customers to launch operations. US FAA approval followed in May. ‘00.s228 81802 eh 539 wos clvoed ‘hina ines 98% ‘rege conguaton ‘nea oars ‘fdapon i 2006 ont feomig edie fhe cer ae serge. ne derlogmest stoges be its iar ies oe fee! woul note ‘aimed ul or fer Thad been actioned sain heppen but nope conan po rari penn oie ra ited Pred ea eeu es oat i ‘Adding to the Orderbook ‘The oll crisis inthe early 1970s further hindered sales prospects, with only three airlines ~ Air France, Lufthansa and Iberia ~ placing firm orders by the time of type certification. Sterling of Denmark, SATA of Switzetand and spares ra ae uer rere Us ss ry pee er eee ‘TransBrasil had all signed Letters of Intent fora total of six aircraft, but they did not subsequently order, or ever operate, an A300. ‘The first production mode, F-BVGA, was delivered to Ai France on May 10, 1974, and entered service on the caries regular Pars-London route on May 23. By the end ofthat year, Belgium's Trans European Airways, which had leased the second prototype, and Air ‘Siam, which had order but only took delivery of one ~ had also {introduced the A300 into their fleets However, despite the successful, trouble- free certification and entry into service, arders were still stor to materialise During 1975, Air Inter, Indian Ait Korean Air Lins and South African Aistines (SAA) joined the programme and agreed to acquire 13 arcaft between them, In 1976 just a single additional commitment was added to the order book. Finally there was a breakthrough into the US matket. Although Los ee eeTT ee ei pow termine aris Fopeses eran ayers heieepeerenes Emenee emery earners Pope eratey array Peeper ener sae yonen Se Pen BU ae tg Se ee eg Prec reer eer try es Powered by four unspecified engines eerie doralinaiectl Seared ae eS respective banners of A330, A310 and et ears cere ese a eacns BC eer eke ny PRS etd Cee pallets and containers on both the main ene ee ges ea In December 1980 a new upgraded Roatan Ree we Damon Ree ec having purchased several second-hand os ‘The growing number of orders fr the eo eer) rodeo yr) oer ay ey eget ee resets Portree rey Eee ecn rs produced, as Airbus partners Aerospatiale eet ase aar tg Mi management Recsimulation PO ed eee etn een eet ares Pee eee ee eet —-~_ a CaS = pee nieiieonlng| ed Resort erenette cr yA ee eee Become a pilot on your PC! Cero ee Oe ad Me EC eU RUCSRCUCE er eey BY check out our seca offers in December! oOach deastomdtiel eter r al eye eee peepee era rece pleslt puebull gad! Cu eoceccecececere ooAIRLINER BOAC BOEING 747 Q) IN WHAT YEAR DID BOs Airliner World has teamed up with Dynamic Arts Gallery to offer Closing dates for entries received is 15:00 GMT readers the chance to win this exclusive punt. on March 5, 2010. The winners will be selected at random and notified no later than March 19, To WIN, just provide the answer to the question opposite... 2010 Simply send your ANSWER, name, address telephone number and email (if you have one) to Airliner Classics Competition, Key Publishing, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshite, FE9 2X0, Altematively you can enter by email by sending a message to then please contact Dynamic Arts Gallery for more details richard.masten@keypublishing.com with Airliner Gassics WwW .DYNAMICARTSGALLERY.COM Competition’ in the eubject lin. we aap ls ea Woes ts caRONCEN Wo Spero a Tae anaphase pate The Rolls-Royce “Trent 900 engines powertheworlds Fergest airline, the Airbus A360 In February 2001 Rolls-Royce announced.” the thunch of one of the most ambiious engineering programmes in the company's el aeospace history — to devel the Tent 900 engine to power the Airbus A380, new and exciting aircraft which would Become the largest chil airiner ever bull ‘The Trent 900 is che fourth member of the Trent fami, and holds pride of place as the largest jt engine ever produced by Rols-Royee. Powering the Whispering Gane plot the Trent 900 Journey in photographs from concept to desig, development, testing frat fight on the A240 fying est bed igh ext onthe A380. route proving, serves readiness and entry into service n October 2007, “This colourful pubistion combines the best images taken throughout the programme, with descripeions of each major step slong the way, to oer fhe reader 3 unique insight into one ofthe most publc and mor exciting ew jet engine programmes ever undercaken To order your copy visit www.keypublishing.com/shop or call +44 (0)1780 480404The Brittoe — BRABAZON Technological Marvel? GERRY SWEET ANALYSES THE DEVELOPMENT AND ULTIMATE FAILURE OF WHAT WAS - IN ITS TIME - THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMMERCIAL AIRLINER. he Bristol aicraft Companys ‘Type 167 Brabazon first flew in 1949 and was hailed as a major British technological triumph Constructed with advanced engineering rethods and materials, powered by ight engines and having a wing span ‘greater than today’s Jumbo jets, it was the largest commercial aircraft in the world and capable of caying up to 150 passengers, nan-stop, actos the Atlantic. But the Brabazon had been he Ratazonaponeh- conceived in the days when air travel ‘ssaveribe olen of ‘Samu! Coys ovo! Frrbouphin 187, twas the preserve ofthe privileged few and in the six years since it was ‘mooted, the aistine market had changed ramatically. The Lockheed Super Constellation and Douglas DC-7 were smaller, faster and more economical, the Jetage was fast approaching and it is now clear that had the Brabazon gone in to service with British Overseas Airvays Corporation (BOAC), it would have been uickly superseded, ‘iii Wee Background During 1942, Bristol produced an cutlne design to Ai Staff specication 32/41, which defined avery lage Bombe witha range of upto 5,000miles (8,065km), capable of penetration into Russia or Japan, With an estimated all up weight of about 225,000Ib (10,230ka) ithad a wingspan of 25f(7ém) and would fly a 300mph (483/hu) tn the event, the Royal Ait Force (RAF) prefered increased production oftheLancaster and the project was never pursued, At about the same time, the wartime Brabazon Committee was deciding upon the types of civil aircraft that Bitain would need after the wa in stop Express, was given priority in design and implementation, as, possible after hostilities had cease. ‘Accordingly, Bristol's Chairman, Leslie Frise, proposed that the company could put forward a Type I format, sd around their recent expertise in the B./41 design. This was eventually approved and in May 1943, the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) indicated that they would order two prototypes and a maximum of ten production alcraft, with a ction date of mid 1968, Development many pe accommodate. BOAC, which was till thinking in terms of prewar air travel,opined that with a cruising speed ‘of 260mph (420km/h), passengers ‘would not tolerate a non-stop fight of 15 hours without added comforts. It stipulated a volume of 200cuft (6.6m) per passenger in tourist clas and 270cuft (7.56m°) for luxury class (about three times that of a small car). By comparison, a current Boeing 747- 400 provides about 7Scuft (2.1m?) per passenger ata full load of 421 seats (based on total cabin volume), ‘The frst layout offered by Bristol Aescrbed a huge, 25ft(7.62m) diameter, air-conditioned and pressurised cabin with two decks and sleeping berths for 80 passengers, plus dining room, promenade and bar. (In comparison, a 2747 has a 2ift3in [6.47] diameter.) However, this size would have produced too much aerodynamic drag and the final sie accepted by the Ministry, the Brabazon Committee and resignedly by BBOAC, was for a 17K (5.23m) diameter oi sleeping compartments accommodating 40 people; a fuselage mid section above the wing, having 38 seats arranged. around tables; a pantry; galley and in the rear, an aft facing cinema with 23 seats, a cocktail bar and lounge ~ fairly luxurious by modem day standards! BOAC would have prefered a more lavishly appointed aircraft to cary only 25 passengers ~ quite underestimating the potential increase in passenger traffic over the next five years. By November 1944, the main features of the Type 167 had been determined. Generally, inline with the B8/41 bomber design, the wings had a 230ft (70m) span and a lage aspect ratio Of 10 to reduoe drag and were placed approximately halfway along the 17 (4m), streamlined fuselage. The 55ft (16.8m) tailplane was of conventional design and a nosewheel landing gear configuration was specified from the outset. ‘or condtering tm poate 1820 monwsacge rh shape tn. heart on ts ‘ina von. AIRLINER 2,500hp (1,853KW), 18-cylinder Bristol Centaurus radial engines, These were mounted as four pais and drove eight, contraotating, 16ft (4.86m), three ‘bladed, Rotolpropeliess. The engines ‘were mounted close inboard and submerged within the wing structure to reduce drag Construction Work started in early 1945 and although Bristols Weston Super Mare factory wes the prefered sit, the subsoil atthe airfield was too soft for such a heavy aircraft to operate from and hence the nearby Filton plant had to be used. Here, the runway at 2,000 (610m) was expected tobe to short and had to be extended to a safe 8,000 (2,440m). This caused all sorts of politcal and environmental problems because the runway had to be built over a new bypass and would demolish part ‘of the village of Charlton. In spite of local protests, approval fr the work to wnt atinerwortd.comIhe overt was he gest commerce! iinet ws te ee Lo: The isl Centura engines erred close tars oe fesege ant steed wi emg ‘commence was finaly given at Cabinet level, but had taken a year to negotiate. In addition, a huge B-acre (3.24 Thectare) assembly hangar had to be built. This was also delayed due to poor weather ‘conditions in early 1967. For such a lage aircraft, with a final gross weight ‘of 200,0001b (131,818ks), Great care was taken during Construction to save weight ‘wherever possible. This, the aluminium clad, light alloy plates and sheet were made to very tight tolerances and ‘were constantly checked for ‘uniformity. Even the rivets ‘were graded to accurately fit ‘While the prototype was being built (now named the Brabazon Mk 1 in honour of the Committee that inspired it), a tremendous amount of support ‘work was needed. This included static structural tests on a half-sale wing at the Royal Aitcraft Establishment (RAE), pressure testing ofa front fuselage section and tests on a coupled engine, mounted on a wing rig. The Brabazon ‘was the fist aircraft to be designed with 100% powered fiying controls, high pressure hydraulics and electric engine controls. Tt was alo the first moder aircraft to be designed with cabin pressuisation, set at the now standard, 8,000 (2,440m) equivalent, with ait conditioning temperature at 18-24°C. In 1966, it had been agreed that the fist Brabazon prototype would be used. as an unfurnished testbed, although it could be used commercially later. The second prototype, the Mk 2, would be fully fumished and equipped to carry 100 passengers. Tt was also planned to be fitted with eight, coupled, 7,000ehp (6,215kW) Bristol Proteus turboprops incidentally also specified for te Saro Princess fiying boat. These engines ‘would boost the Brabazon's cruising speed to 330mph and reduce the 45-hour London to New York fying time by three hours. MAP Specification 2/46 defined several other changes for the Mk 2 and a tender was submitted in June of ‘that year. A major innovation, designedto allow this faster aizeaftto maintain its optimum height and speed, was a so-called gust monitor. This comprised a detector, ted to the nose, 6oft (26m) ahead of the wings, to detect severe wind tuzbulence and then automatically adjust the allerons, Inherent problems with the operation of this system are thought to have contributed to Cancellation of the second prototype. Tn October 1947, the fuselage shell with inner wing sections and tliplane vas towed half a mile (800m) to the new building for final assembly. During this period, tests were also carried out with a Lancaster bomber to prove the operation ofthe hydraulically-contsoled flying surfaces and the de-icing heaters nally, in December 1948, the complete aircraft was rolled out for engine runs. Unfortunately, the Brabazon was now well overdue for its intended Introduction to service and by the time it made its frst appearance the following September, the American manufacturers were well ahead. In preparation for flying the huge aislnes, A. “Bill Pegg, Bristol's newly appointed test pilot, had obtained some piactise by flying the US Air Frees Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber, which had a similar wingspan. Finally, on September 4, 1949, Brabazon Mit -AGPW, took off on its maiden fight egg was delighted with the aiteraft’s performance, fr although loaded with Instruments and water Ballast, it needed only a quarter ofthe new runway, taking of in 2,100 (640m). Cheered by hundieds of Bristol staf and watched by the worlds media, Fegg citcled the new airliner at 3,000f (914m) for 30 minutes and landed genty, throttling back at Soft (16m) above the ground In site of some commentators asserting thatthe aircraft was too big and the project cost too high, it was an ‘exciting event for a nation looking for any uplifting news in that austere, post war ere, The BBC broadcast the event worldwide and the crew were presented to some of the Royal Family, Four days later the Brabazon was demonstrated at the Farborough Air Show ~ dwarfing all other aireaft on display before starting serious fight testing ‘The folowing year the prototype again appeared at Famborough and at London ‘Airport, with praise levied fr its smooth and easy handling on the gr ering its size, it had amazingly short take-off and landing capability. Flying demonstrations also took place at the Paris Show in 1951, ater, partial fumishing of the rear fuselage, with 30 seats for potential buyers, proved that a large aircraft provided silence, comfort and freedom from claustrophobia Critically, however, recurent fatigue cracks on the aiscrew mountings AIRLINER Ihe et Bs Conan dot enpnes ce a8 ere. ‘ing roe Bates at) pets FUTURE AIRCRAFT The Brabazon Committee was formed in 1943 to investigate the future needs ofthe British Empire's ea et cn gob e er heen Ce eee eee deere gies Seca ee ae ere ee ene gnats et nh ees ys Corporation (BOAC) and later British European Airways (BEA). The committee published ver eg eee er Oey ree eee tn eee cae ee eee ea eer road i ee eng Bristol Brabazon rin Medium Range feedertiner (Piston) Airspeed Ambassador ry Medium range feedertiner (Turboprop) Vickers Viscount m eee nity Bristol Britannia (eventually) Vv end eee rts rr eure cg eer bry vr Medium range feedertiner Miles Marathon‘erachase poe ist 20 Pepto oe Me se ofthe ‘av esmoy conte (ped ye sete ‘mechan bce he ates wasn it aero | ested win 10% Powered ig onl, ‘igs press souies ag acre ge co fais Boyce ® AURLINER oa ‘not coming up to requirements and the Handley Page Hermes was stil under evelopment. Asa further portent for the future, the de Havilland Di106 (Comet prototype had flown in July 1949 (Gee ful article on BOAC, elsewhere in this magazine). It was clear that no one would want to spend 12 hows fying to the USA, even in relative luxury, when they could get there in seven, flying hhigh above the worst of the weather. By 1952, the overall cost of the Brabazon project had reached some £53 Imllion in today’s money, much of which Thad been used on the infrastructure at Fiton. Thus, with no orders orthcoming for the Mk 2 turboprop Wersion, the government announced that all work on the Brabazon would ase. In 1953, with only 400 hours flying time completed, both airframes were scrapped. As an interesting aside is that a 1/16 scale model, with a 14ft wing span was flown in 1990 Certificate of Airworthiness, which ‘was a pity a British European Airways (BEA) would have been interested in using the prototype as a 180-seat peak load carrier, for its London to Tice sevice, Later tests also indicated that the airframe fatigue life was only 5,000hs, Sadly, by tis time BOAC had lost all interest in the Brabazon = if it hhad ever had any ~ and already in 1947, with a penchant for American airliners, the operator had already started to use the Lockheed Constellation. In 1949, it also purchased its frst batch of ten, transatlantic Boeing Stratocruisers ~ causing an outery in Parliament and the press for its ‘anti-British’ approach. On the other hand, there was no British astner immediately avilable, apart from ‘by the Avon Model Aircraft Club ~ its reportedly still arworthy! Postscript One of the definitions for a White Hephant given in the Oxford Dictionary is “an elaborate venture, construction etc that proves useless” ~a harsh but pethaps apt description, which was used by the press to describe the Brabazon. ‘The type was, nevertheless, very innovative and its creation introduced many new skills and advanced technologies which came to be used tHoughout the areraft industry. In particular, Bstos Britannia airliner benefited areatly from the experience ‘gained. As forthe Filton site, this was left with the, then, longest runway and the largest hangar in Europe. Tt became an important asset for the British Aneraft Corporation when it was formed {in 1960 and later, British Aerospace ~ playing a key role in the Concorde ‘evelopment programme. aliane ee) Air liner STS RON mel ON Ler ELUM EPA Cathay > BU Co eo ie Pacific INTHE SPOTLIGHT ff 1): SAAT oi Ma Rasi (visit ) www.keypublishing.com/shop CULES) ait +44 1780 480404AIRLINER Birmingham International Atipod assenger operations at Birmingham Intemational Airport in the UK moved across the runway to their curent location in 1984 when a new terminal complex was opened. Tt then had a maximum capacity of just three milion per year, but further expansion made it possible to handle cover nine and a half milion passengers in 2008. The airport opened a new extension to its Intemational Pir in September 2009 and welcomed the frst vist of an Airbus A380. History ven though Birmingham City Council decided in 1928 to create a municipal airfield to serve the city, investment in the scheme was slow to:materilise asthe country was suffering from the effets of Great Depression. Tt Is ihe wy ro. prte meus poh eT eee ere was not until 1933 thatthe project got off the ground and a site close to the village of Eindon, 8 miles (11km) south-east of the city was identified. Construction was completed in 1939 and services started in May to Croydon (with connections to the Continent), Glasgow, Liverpool, Ryde, Shoreham, Manchester and Southampton ~ although the airport was not officially opened until July. ‘When war was declared in September 1939 the facility was requisitioned by the Air Ministry and it was not until July 1946 that civilian flying recommenced. In 1960, contol of the airport passed from the UK Government to the City of Birmingham Council. This contol tuansferred to the newiy-formed West Midlands Metropolitan County Council (incorporating the seven metropolitan areas of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihul, Wasall and Wolverhampton) in Apsil 1976 ‘The original terminal was expanded in 1961 and the runway was extended in 1970, but due to lack of space on the western side ofthe runway, plans for alarge new terminal complex fon the easter side were put forward, Ownership transferred to a newiy formed West Midlands District Joint Aizport Committee (hich still comprised the seven district coundls ofthe West Midlands administrative area) in 1986. Following the introduction of the Airports Actin the same yeat, municipal alsports with a tumover in excess of £1 million had to become Public Airport Companies and the name was changed to Binningham International Airport. At the same time, ownership transferred to a public limitedCELEBRATING ITS 70TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2009, THE UK’S MIDLANDS HUB HAS SEEN MAJOR CHANGES SINCE ITS CREATION. EARLY FLIGHTS TRANSPORTED FEWER THAN TEN PASSENGERS WHILE THE RECENT VISIT OF THE AIRBUS A380 CARRIED NEARLY 500. TONY DIXON REPORTS. AIRLINERcompany, patially-controlled by the seven West Midlands district councils and a numberof private companies. ‘The new terminal was opened on the eastside ofthe site, adjacent to the Birmingham Intemational railway station and the National Exhibition Cente, and was first used on Apri 4, 1984, A second terminal, urohub’ was ‘opened on July 26, 991, more than oubling the airport's capacity. This was designed intially for use by British ‘Airways and its partners as part of a hhub and spoke system, and is now used predominantly by Flybe. ‘On March 3, 2000, Her Majesty, The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, offically opened a £40 nillon terminal development. Its two- storey anivals concourse linked the two passenger terminals forthe frst time, and a new pier had three glas-sded air 62 RURLINER Os A sy ion ran ne 1980s wih hee Big 737-2008 — ‘wo tom Oren on one ‘tm Bion Sway bridges. In addition it contains 16 new checkin desks, a baggage reclaim all with six carousels, 12 catering and retail cutlets, and Customs and Immigration falls The Future In the 2003 Government White Paper, ‘The Future of Air Transport, it was ‘proposed that Birmingham would need a new (shorter) rnway and an extension to the existing runway by 2030. Bimmingham Airpor's management reviewed these proposals, but in its 2007 Master Plan, Towards 2030, Panning a Sustainable Future for Air Transport in the Midlands, concluded that that the ‘there was no need fora second runway ‘before 2030 just an extension to the existing one. A planning application was submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Counci in January 2007 to extend the runway by 1,320f (400m) which would make it suitable for onger-range flights to the ‘est Coast of America, South America,Ine LocteedinStEmaon in 1972. he

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