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Concorde; European Airbus; VW 614; T BAC 3-11; etc. For further details and prices contact. By appointment to RFD-GQ LIMITED, GODALMING, SURREY, ENGLAND Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth manufacturersRFD-GQ Limited; of , InflatablGodalmine Boatg s J-gf- Qodalming 4122 JeleXt 85233 {so! Also, in N. Ireland, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, °rfr YEARS ^5- Holland, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, U.S.A, Thursday 27 August 1970 Editor Number 3207 Volume 98 Founded in 1909 J, M. Ramsden First aeronautical weekly in the world Assistant Editor Humphrey Wynn, BA Official organ of the Royal Aero Club Technical Editor Incorporating "The Aeroplane" Michael Wilson. BSc, CEng, FBIS. AFRAeS (FyiKTir © IPC Business Press Ltd 1970 Assistant Editor (Air Transport) IIMTEPIMATiarsJAL David Woolley lbpa Assistant Production Editor Barry Wheeler International Business Press Associates Editorial Staff John Bentley Hugh Field Charles Gllson Peter Mlddleton Tony Smith Publishing Director Maurice A. Smith. DFC Tom Hamill (air photography) Advertisement Manager Photographic Librarian David Holmes Ann C. Tilbury Air safety communications In an air safety feature in this issue inadequacies of the British air perience, but is seen to be doing a member of the Civil Aviation De­ safety system have evoked a voice it, gains the respect of the customer. partment of Australia, a country of protest. This comes from a pro­ Safety is really communications, with one of the best civil air safety fessional airline engineer, Mr G. D. and MDR—lightly but firmly ad­ records by any measure, describes Peacock of Monarch Airlines. ministered by an expert and trusted his country's system of mandatory It is very rare to find individuals body like the ARB—could help to defect reporting. The United States, who will rebel against authorities, improve communications. Certainly probably number two in the world and risk incurring the displeasure of it is a subject worth more open air safety league, also has a man­ those who rule them. In the United debate, and our article in this issue datory defect reporting system, States, for example, the system pro­ may well serve as a stimulant. administered by the Federal Avia­ vides a place for the proper expres­ tion Administration. sion of professional dissent. Mr So far Britain has rejected MDR, Peacock believes that mandatory probably for the same sort of defect reporting, particularly by reasons that it rejects arming its smaller airlines, would raise the police force. The British philosophy whole standard of British civil avia­ is that the best discipline is self- tion safety and reliability. Although discipline, that most people are the voluntary flow of defect informa­ responsible citizens who will, in the tion is good it is not, in Mr Peacock's case of airlines or aircraft manu­ view, comprehensive enough, creat­ facturers, report serious defects ing the conditions of "unsafety" and without being made to do so with inviting the needless repetition of menaces by nosy-parkering officials. incidents. Watchdog of Britain's voluntary The voluntary method does IN THIS ISSUE system is the Air Registration appear to be a fail-unsafe one. No Board. The ARB has in fact made doubt the mandatory defect re­ World News 296 a careful study of MDR and, porting system does involve more Air Transport 299 although its report was never pub­ paper work, but we are talking Light Commercial 304 lished (in accordance with a less only in terms of between 20 and 30 admirable British characteristic), it major defects on average per week Private Flying 306 came to the conclusion that, on —provided headings are clearly Air Safety 307 balance, mandatory defect reporting defined (e.g., in-flight fire or smoke, Cessna 150 Aerobat in the air 312 would not help very much. It would engine damage or shutdown, fuel Letters 317 snow everyone under with paper­ system failure or leakage, sticking Books 319 work, and would expose the failures undercarriage, brake failure, struc­ of British products to unfavourable tural failure, crack or corrosion, Industry International 320 publicity. etc). And the objection that pub­ Spaceflight 321 There the matter would have lic ty would damage manufacturers' Defence 323 rested without public discussion of reputations belongs to a bygone era Straight and Level 326 the possibility that the ARB was of technical arrogance which should certainly not be revived and pro­ Front cover: approaching 23L at Heathrow, mistaken. But one man has not aircraft fly over the approach lights mounted allowed the matter to rest. Just as tected by a Government authority. on frangible poles which minimise Impact A manufacturer who not only does damage in the event of an undershoot. This the "we-know-best" route-licensing week's issue has a review of air safety develop­ system has produced Citizen Luck­ something about the problems ments, including an article on "Human Error" which all engineering products ex­ by the principal psychologist at the RAF Insti­ ing as the voice of dissent, so the tute of Aviation Medicine 296 FLIGHT International, 27 August 1970 noise. If progress were made in this US attack on Concorde direction, the US SST might become a much more attractive commercial propo­ A report by a Congressional sub­ failure; that it will have insufficient sition, and the need for direct Govern­ committee which seeks to show that payload/range performance for the North ment investment might thereby be Concorde will be an economic failure Atlantic, even to the extent of having eliminated. was published in Washington last week. no room for any significant payload; and The line adopted did not come as much that only British and French airlines of a surprise, bearing in mind that jhe will willingly buy it, and even they may subcommittee was headed by Senator be subsidised to fly it, although other Ten-ton Concorde William Proxmire, veteran opponent of airlines may be forced to operate it un- On Saturday, August 22, Concorde 002 SSTs. Reportedly, two of the four mem­ , profitably in order to offer competitive reached a speed equivalent to 1,000 m.p.h. bers of the subcommittee indicated that fleet equipment. during the fourth flight in the current test they had not been concerned with com­ "We found no convincing evidence," series. Take-off from RAF Fairford was pilation of the report, while the fourth says the report, "that a commercially at 1845hr local time and the flight lasted member issued a statement of dissent. viable Concorde will be developed and for lhr 47min, of which 56min was at Almost simultaneously with publication sold on the world market in quantities supersonic speeds. The highest Mach of the report in Washington, the Society sufficient to damage either our balance number achieved was 1.46, and the of Engineers in London at a Press con­ of payments or the (health of our aero­ maximum altitude was FL400 over the ference issued a strong plea for all con­ space industry. Although the Concorde North Sea. cerned to stop "knocking" the Concorde, prototype is now undergoing test flights, The captain, John Cochrane, said after which it described as a credit to British serious technical problems remain.... the flight that it was the first time that engineering. If anyone wanted to criti­ The likely sales of Concorde to US air­ the automatic engine air intake control cise it, said the society, they should do lines are far below the 300 assumption systems had been used and that they had so by reasoned argument. on which some estimates of the impact worked perfectly. Second pilot on the flight was Peter Baker. The French proto­ The report by Senator Proxmire says on the US balance of payments have been based." type reached a speed of Macih 1.53 that Concorde will be an economic during tests earlier this year. The report also attacks the American SST programme: the US Government, it says, might be faced with a total bill Aermacchi MB.336 Flies for $4,000 million, with little prospect Single-seat version of the MB.326, of a reasonable rate of return on its the Aermacchi MB.336 made its first Oriental greeting by a Hawker Siddeley investment. Further work on the SST flight last Saturday, August 22. The Harrier, flown by HSA test pilot Tony Hawkes, is premature at present, the report says, pilot was Cdte Guido Careftiato, Aer- to the frigates "Kakuzuki" and "Katori" of and research should be directed at three macohi chief test pilot. the Japanese Training Fleet off Spithead on serious environmental problems—effects The new type, developed in response August 20. Both ships have helicopter plat­ forms, but plans to land the Harrier on deck of SST operation on weather and cli­ to an increasing world demand for a had to be abandoned because stress level mate, and the need for the elimination simple, high-performance and lost-cost calculations could not be completed in time of sonic boom and reduction of engine operational trainer and close-support aircraft, differs chiefly from the single- seat version in its more powerful engine (Rolls-Royce Viper 632-Y3 of 4,0001b thrust), internal gun installation and additional fuselage tank.