/ REGISTERED FOR POSTING AS A PERIODICAL CATEGORY B i JOURNAL AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA n m. PRICE $1.55 (j, m iiiiii NOTES MONTHLY NOTES MONTHLY London-bound. Never before had Qantas carried so many passengers in a single day's operations to the British capital. The record uplift was made possible CIVIL by the operation of a special supplemental 747B flight which served London before proceeding on to Montreal as a charter to pick up the Pilots of a Fokker Friendship flying from Sydney to Broken Hill ^ustralian Olympic Games team. in the far west of New South Wales temporarily lost control of the aircraft On board the supplemental flight from Sydney were 406 passen­ when a heavy flight manual fell from its compartment behind the captain's gers. A Qantas jumbo has a maximum of 398 seats, but the passenger seat and jammed a gust lock lever, locking the controls. The Friendship, complement on the flight included infants who did not occupy seats of operated by the New South Wales intra-state carrier. Airlines of New South their own. The two other flights which departed for London on Sunday Wales, fell almost 3200 m (10,500 feet) in a right-hand spiral before the carried over 520 passengers to London and over 140 to Frankfurt. pilots found the manual and released the gust lock lever to regain control. VH-BRH Sikorsky S-61N c/n 61748 Ansett Airlines of Australia Gust lock levers are used to prevent sudden movements of rudders and arrived at Melbourne Docks by ship of 10 August from the United States. flaps in strong winds. The incident happened on 19 May as the aircraft It was taken by road to Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, Fishermens was flying over Parkes in New South Wales. The Australian Department of Bend where it was assembled and flown to Tullamarine the following day. Transport is holding an inquiry. On 24 August it departed Tullamarine for its base in Gladstone, Queens­ Air Tasmania who took delivery of Navajo Chieftain VH—WAG on land. VH-BRI Sikorsky S-61N c/n 61242 Ansett Airlines of Australia 24 June have returned the aircraft to its previous owners as it was found was noted at Tullamarine on 15 September being modded to the same unsuitable for Air Tasmania operations. It was announced on 24 August standard as VH—BRH. that Air Tasmania had ordered a Nomad 22 which is to be delivered in VH-TGW Twin Otter 200 c/n 120 Trans Australia Airlines was late September. withdrawn from service on 15 August at Mackay and the following day was VH-RMR Boeing 727/77 c/n 19253 Ansett Airlines of Australia ferried to Brisbane. There the aircraft was to be prepared for sale to was withdrawn from service at Tullamarine on 30 June. On 9 September Maslings Airlines of Cootamundra. On 18 September, VH—TGW with its it was rolled out with all Ansett titling removed sporting an all red tall and T.A.A marks removed and the white "T" on the tail removed was flown black nose. On 13 September it was test-flown as such and departed Brisbane-Tamworth-Sydney where it was handed over to Maslings Airlines. Melbourne, Tullamarine on 21 September still as VH—RMR for Noumea, The aircraft was then flown to Cootamundra for pre-service mods before Pago Pago, Hilo, Los Angeles and Miami. The aircraft has been sold to entering service with Maslings. World Airv«,'ays, Oakland, California. Trans-Australian Airlines has leased one of its 200 series Boeing 727 aircraft, VH—TBL c/n 20951, to Iran Air for 12 months. TAA's general manager, Mr. Lyn McKenzie, said an aircraft became available for lease MILITARY after the withdrawal of a 727 from service at the start of July because fewer passengers used domestic flights. Mr. McKenzie said the lease meant the aircraft would not be left idle in Australia where it could not earn Three Royal Malaysian Air Force navigators and eight Papua New Guinea revenue. In Iran the aircraft would be flown by TAA pilots and maintained Defence Force pilots were among 26 graduates from four flying courses by TAA engineers. He said the lease would provide additional income for reviewed by the Australian Minister for Defence, Mr. Jim Killen, at a special TAA and work for eight pilots, four flight engineers and eight licensed parade at the Royal Australian Air Force base at East Sale, Victoria, on 20 aircraft maintenance engineers at a time when the amount of flying being May. The other graduates were six RAAF air electronics officers, five RAAF done in Australia had been reduced. navigators and four Royal Australian Navy observers. It was the first time trainees of four flying courses had graduated together. The lease was signed in Tehran on 22 July after several weeks of negotiations, and the 727 was flown to Iran on 26 July carrying spare The Australian Government would spend more than $A12,000-million parts valued at $A250,000. The aircraft will be transferred to the Iranian on defence during the next five years to give the country "a credible defence civil aviation register for the period of the lease. Before being flown to capacity", the Minister for Defence, Mr. Jim Killen, said in Parliament on Iran, the 727 was repainted in Iran Air colours and seating was altered 25 May. There would be an immediate increase in the level of Service to accommodate 10 first-class passengers and 137 economy-class passengers activities, including more flying hours for the Royal Australian Air Force, in accordance with the requirements of Iran Air. The jet will be used on Royal Australian Navy and the Army. Mr. Killen said a White Paper on Iranian domestic and regional services. defence would be tabled in Parliament in the August Budget session. Re­ equipment projects under the program are expected to include a replacement Qantas, is to buy three more Boeing 747B jumbo jets at a total for the RAAF's Mirage 1110 fighter. The RAAF is understood to be cost of about $A117,000,000 including spares and equipment. The three impressed with the U.S. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, a twin-engined new aircraft will bring the Qantas fleet of 747B's to 15, making it the Mach 2.5 air superiority ground attack fighter, with a range of about 4828 biggest operator in the world of the improved B version of the Boeing 747. km (3000 miles). The F-15 is in service with the U.S. Air Force and has also The Australian Government's approval of the purchase was been bought by Israel. announced by the Minister for Transport, Mr. Peter Nixon, on 27 July. Mr. Nixon said Qantas had reported increases in passenger and cargo loads An RAAF Mirage 1110 crashed on approach to Butterworth Air Force in recent months and was predicting a sustained growth rate in the 1977-78 base on 8 June 1976. The pilot Flying Officer Malcolm Hurmain ejected Australian financial year when the new aircraft would be introduced. from the aircraft and suffered back injuries. Qantas would take delivery of the three aircraft on 1 September, 1 Novem­ A 17-man reconnaissance party left Fairbairn Royal Australian Air Force ber and 1 December next year. The first and third aircraft would be the base, Canberra, by RAAF Hercules transport aircraft for the Middle East on usual passenger 747B's which Qantas was now using, but the second aircraft 10 June to assess support needs for Australia's contribution of four RAAF would be a Combi, the combined passenger-freight version. The Combi Iroquois helicopters to the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in has a large rear cargo door, giving access to the main deck which is specially stressed and fitted with a power-driven roller system for the loading of the Sinai Desert. containers up to 6.1 m (20 feet) long. Passengers are accommodated in the The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Andrew Peacock, said on forward section. The Combi can carry up to 28.8 tonnes (t) of cargo 31 May that Australia would provide the helicopters with crews and maint­ including items that would not normally fit into the usually underfloor enance personnel to support the UNEF in the 11 655-km2 (4500-sq. mile) holds, as well as 267 passengers. A usual 747B carries 11.2 tonnes of cargo Sinai buffer zone between Israeli and Egyptian forces. and 398 passengers. Led by the RAAF's director of operations. Group Captain Edward Mr. Nixon said the three new 747B's would enable Qantas to Arundel Radford, of Canberra, the reconnaissance party will have talks expand its services on existing routes, extend its bulk cargo operations and with UN officials at the UNEF headquarters at Ismailia, on the west bank retire additional 707 aircraft from its fleet. The 747B's would also be of the Suez Canal. It will examine operational and engineering needs and used on new routes when traffic increases. assess accommodation, messing, health and welfare needs. The party com­ prises 14 RAAF personnel, an Army signals expert and two civilian members Qantas uplifted record loads of London-bound passengers out of of the Department of Defence. Australia on Sunday 1 August. Two regular scheduled 747B flights and one special supplemental service left for London with a total of 1,077 Mr. Peacock said the helicopter contingent would serve in the Sinai area passengers from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Qver 920 passengers were for two years and would consist of about 45 men.