Search results

Held at the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the international conference on “The Future of Aircraft All Weather Operations” attracted contributions on a wide variety of topics. The first was on operational requirements and G. E. Selves and J. O. Clark of British Airways referred to the ICAO objectives used as a guide in provisioning equipment and approving operating procedures. All weather operations are based on a total system including the ground equipment, and the aircraft and its equipment as well as the procedures referred to. Crew training is of great importance, and the lock of suitable ground facilities outside Europe and the USA gives cause for concern.

With Sir Peter Masefield in the chair, the Royal Aeronautical Society's discussion of Third Level and Regional Airlines was opened with a Keynote Address by N. D. Norman, in which he sought to define these two types of operations by referring to the traffic progression which transforms a “commuter” airline into one which finds its aircraft too small and not capable of flying longer sectors. There appears to be three main causes for increase of traffic: the reduction of surface travel; the rising cost of surface transport; and the emergence of new industries (eg oil in the North Sea).