A summary of aviation news developments as published in the daily press and aviation periodicals during the period shown below, plus general information on Esso aviation marketing activities. Numbers in parentheses after
each item refer to: 1 — Publication, 2 — Page number. Published to provide ESSO MARKETERS throughout the world with up-to-date news on international aviation developments.
FRANCE - A Pan American World Airways' transatlantic Stratocruiser is shown above, being serviced by Standard Francaise des Petroles at Orly Airport, Paris. PAA's service between New York and Paris, now operating three times a week, will be on a daily basis by May 1.
Air France's Spring-Summer timetable lists five additional weekly flights on the Paris-New York run, thus increasing this service to twelve flights a week. Beginning May 2, one of these weekly flights will be extended to Frankfurt, Germany (1)
In negotiations recently concluded in Paris, the bilateral air transport agreement between France and the U.S. has been revised, to provide for (a): A new Air France route between New York and Martinique and/or Guadeloupe, and (b): Traffic rights at Houston, Texas on Air France's proposed service between Paris and Mexico City, via New York, In addition, the revised agreement authorizes a Nice-Rome extension on PAA's transatlantic route to France via the Azores, Lisbon and Barcelona (6-122)
Aigle Azur, French charter company operating in Africa, has purchased five Boeing 307 Stratoliners originally owned by TWA (16-3)
BELGIUM - Sabena is planning to increase its DC-6 services on the African routes this summer. Three weekly schedules will be flown from Brussels to Leopoldville, with one continuing to Johannesburg. Return flights from Johannesburg will make a refueling stop at Livingstone, thus permitting increased cargo lift from Palmietfontein Airport (14-1)
Sabena's Brussels-New York service will be increased to five flights a week on April 1, and to six a week beginning May 1 (1)
GREAT BRITAIN - BOAC has announced that five of its de Havilland Comet jet transports will be powered by Rolls-Royce Avon jets of 6500 lb static thrust, and the remaining nine by the 5000 lb-thrust DH Ghost jets (4-103)
BEA will operate a helicopter passenger service this summer between London and Birmingham (13-2)
Conditions of Entry for the England-New Zealand Air Race have been issued in pamphlet form, which is available from the Royal Aero Club in London or from the Air Race Council in Christchurch, New Zealand. Starting date from England will be on or about October 10, 1953. The Royal Aero Club will be responsible for the organization, start, and control of the race as far as the intermediate control point, which will be in the vicinity of Basra. The Air Race Council will be responsible for the remainder of the course and the finish. A competing aircraft may be a land or seaplane and may use piston, jet or propeller-turbine engines, provided that its speed and range will enable it to complete the course in the specified time of 168 hours from the start. Entrants-will race in one of two sections, Speed or Transport Handicap, but both sections will be flown concurrently. In-flight refueling will be permitted in the Speed Section (14-3)
SCOTLAND - Scottish Aviation Ltd has been authorized to operate a daily service from Aberdeen, Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland via the Scottish pointe Perth or Dundee, Edinburgh, and Prestwick (9-269)
SWITZERLAND - Swissair has announced that service on its transatlantic route to New York will be increased from two to three flights a week beginning May 15. At the same time a second weekly flight will be added on the Zurich-Geneva-Cairo route (13-3)
ITALY - Alitalia has resumed its twice a week service between Rome and Tripoli via Malta. The stop formerly made at Catania has been omitted from the schedules. DC-3's chartered from LAI are being used for these flights (13-2)
The Ministry of Defense has arranged to transfer to the Aero Club of Italy, the Air Force's Macchi MB.308 trainers which are being replaced by later types. These aircraft will be used to initiate the new program of training civilian pilots and Air Force reservists, which will be handled by the Aero Club. The Club has also requested 50 Beechcraft 45 Mentors for this purpose, and the government is investigating the possibility of financing purchase from the US with Marshall Aid funds (16-4)
SOUTH AFRICA - Work on the new Capetown National Airport at Bellville has been temporarily suspended, since the goverment's decision to give top priority to construction work and material for the Jan Smuts Airport at Johannesburg, and Reunion Airport at Durban (6-147)
INDIA - Nr. Kenneth J. Bhore, general manager of Air India International has arrived in California to take delivery of the airline's two new Lockheed Constellations. These will be flown this month from the Lockheed plant in Burbank to New York and thence to Bombay, by Mr. Bhore and one of Air India's pilots (5-112)
SIAM - To meet the requirements of the steadily increasing air traffic handled at Bangkok Airport, the government is preparing to install two new runways, each of which will be approximately 6000 ft long (2-175)
AUSTRALIA - Captain P. G. Taylor's survey flight over the South Pacific route of the- 2 -
proposed joint Chilean-Australian air service., left Sydney March 13 and was reported at Noumea on March 17, Captain Taylor is flying a Consolidated Catalina, and expects to reach Valparaiso in about two weeks. He may then continue to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires before returning to Australia. This is the first flight attempted over the 8000-mile route, which will be flown in three days elapsed time if and when regular service is inaugurated (17-4) (8-252)
NEW CALEDONIA - Pending improvements required to make Tontouta Airport adequate for Stratocruiser operation, PAA has been authorized to suspend service at Noumea. The airline had applied for this authorization to eliminate the necessity of maintaining DC-4 operations to serve Noumea, which is an intermediate point between Fiji and Auckland on the PAA trans-Pacific route (6-146)
CANADA - The Avro Jetliner is undergoing a series of flight tests and demonstrations In-The US, including inspections by Air Force authorities in Dayton and Washington. The Jetliner was also flown to Indianapolis for study by Allison engineers, and to Wichita for study by flight-refueling experts of the Boeing Airplane Company and the Air Force (16-5)
MEXICO - A satisfactory solution of the problems which have delayed conclusion of a bilateral air transport agreement between Mexico and the U.S., is expected as the result of recent discussions in Mexico between Mr. Delos Rentzel, US assistant secretary of commerce in charge of transportation, and top Mexican officials. Such agreement would permit extension of international service to Mexico by Braniff, Eastern and Western Air Lines, under certification granted by the U.S. CAB in 1945, subject to Mexican approval (1)
Cia Mexicana is now operating its three new DC-6's; and is reported interested in purchasing additional equipment of this type (4-94)
BRAZIL - Panair do Brasil has taken delivery of the first of three Lockheed Constellations recently ordered. When all are delivered, the Brazilian line will have a total of eight Constellations in its fleet (17-3)
VASP no longer holds controlling interest in, nor has any connection with Aerovias Brasil. Control reverted on January 31 last, when Aerovias re-acquired the shares previously held by VASP. The Sao Paulo State Government is the largest shareholder is VASP. The six Swedish SAAB Scandia transports purchased by VASP-Aerovias are now owned by VASP, and are being flown on the latter's routes between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (1)
Aerovias Brasil has completed a survey flight from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo and Porto Allegre, and is reported planning regular service on this route (17-4)
U.S.INTERNATIONAL - The CAB has announced that the Pan American-Eastern application for interchange service between New York and Latin America will be consolidated 'With other proceedings, in which the Board will determine whether (a): Eastern's route should be extended from Miami to Havana, or (b): Braniff's Latin American route should be extended from Havana to Miami, and (c) : If either such extension is granted, whether Eastern and Braniff should provide interchange service between New York and Balboa. (d): Wether Pan American and National should be ordered to provide compulsory interchange services between New York and Balboa, replacing the present Panagra operation between Balboa and Miami.
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U.S.INTERNATIONAL (Cont'd) - In a relate announcement, it was stated that the Board has terminated its proceedings on the proposed dismemberment of National Airlines, because of the company's improved financial showing (5-107)
Panagra is reported interested in effecting an interchange agreement with Braniff on the latter's Balboa-Houston route (7-67)
Braniff Airways' annual report shows that 1950 was the most profitable year in the airline's 23-year history. Net profit for the year was $1,228,000 (5-107)
Chicago & Southern Air Lines reached a milestone on March 14, when it passed its one billionth passenger mile without accident. This fine safety record was achieved over a period of fifteen years operations (2-86)
The Civil Aeronautics Board has granted a blanket exemption to all US nonskeds, permitting unlimited interstate, overseas, or foreign operation under military contracts (10-41)
The U.S. Post Office Department, which is encouraging manufacturers and designers to develop new aircraft for long-haul transportation of mail, indicates that one of the most promising developments fop a future long-range airmail plane is the Northrop All-Wing Cargo Pack. The Pack contains four 20-ft transit vans, so designed as to fit any standard truck-trailer bed, or two of the vans will make a full load on a railroad flat car. Thus truck, rail, and plane facilities could be integrated to eliminate loading and offloading delays, and permit practically continuous movement of cargo from shipper to receiver (2-85)
President Truman has appointed Mr. Delos W. Rentzel, Civil Aeronautics Administrator, as the Undersecretary of Commerce for Transportation. In this office Mr. Rentzel will exercise control of the CAA, CAB, the Maritime Board and Inland Waterways (5-106) The CAA's Prototype Advisory Committee's $2 million test program includes the North American B-45 jet bomber, to determine jet operational problems for commercial service; the Convair Turboliner, for passenger service; the Chase C-122 cargo plane, and a large helicopter of unspecified make (7-63)
The US Air Force designation B-57A has been assigned to the English Electric Canberra jet bomber recently licensed for production in the US by the Glenn L. Martin Company (4-94)
The US and Canada, unable to reach agreement on a site for a new Detroit international airport on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, have terminated negotiations. Detroit may retain Willow Run as its commercial air terminal or alternatively, either change to Detroit-Wayne Airport, or build a new field closer to the city limits (2-81)
1. Press
2. American Aviation Daily March 14
3. American Aviation Daily March 15
4. American Aviation Daily March 16
5. American Aviation Daily March 19
6. American Aviation Daily March 20
7. Aviation Week March 19
8. Flight March 2
9. The Aeroplane March 2
10. American Aviation March 19
11. African Air Review February
12. Aero Digest March
13. Inter Avia March 13
14. Inter Avia March 14
15. Inter Avia March 15
16. Inter Avia March 16
17. Inter Avia March 17
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