TRAVEL BY AIRWAYS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 60, 9 December 1946, Page 7

TRAVEL BY AIRWAYS

SAFETY IS THE KEYNOTE OUTLINE OF BRITISH METHODS In a statement he made recently, Lord Knollys, the chairman of the British Overseas Airways Corporation, said it was advisable that the travelling public should know how much care was taken to eliminate risks from air travel. What he had to say on the subject has considerable relation to New Zealand, and the steps taken by 8.0.A.C. to obviate risks are very similar to those observed by airlines in the Dominion.

From the operator’s point of view, there are three main functions concerned with safety in the air. The first is training, the second maintenance and the third experience. “In appointing new crews today, we have set ourselves certain standards below which we never go,” Lord Knollys stated. He added that most of the present-day candidates came from the Royal Air Force. “You might think that these capable young men automatically become competent civil pilots,” Lord Knollys went on. “That is not our experience, and I will give you an indication of the qualities we require in our candidates.” A pilot who wished to join 8'.0.A.C. from the Royal Air Force was required to have a minimum of 800 hours solo flying, and of that total at- least 250 hours had to be completed on multiengined aircraft. If he possessed that large number of flying hours, the candidate could appear before a selection board. His technical records would be closely examined, and the board would have to be satisfied that the candidate possessed a good personality as well as the makings of a sound civil airline pilot. His medical standard had to be very high.

Only after he had satisfactorily passed the preliminary stringent tests was the candidate able to undergo a comprehensive course of training. That course lasted for more than three months. The course started with the theory of engine and air frame construction and went on to the theory of flight, fuel and combustion, carburettors, superchargers, cooling, lubrication and hydraulics.

After those more or less elementary subjects, the candidate went on to study general aircraft performance and the detailed performance of the aircraft on which he was to be trained. Then followed more instruction on engines, airframes, electricity and instruments. The candidate was required to obtain a high standard on all those subjects before he was allowed to fly.

Civil Airline Technique Flying instruction concentrated on the conversion of a trained Royal Air Force pilot to civil airline technique. It covered such items as normal take-offs, and landings, engine failure on take-off, feathering and unfeathering propellers in flight and various other technical subjects. Exercises were carried out with the equivalent of a full load. Anyone would think that the candidate was, by this time, a qualified civil pilot. But that is not the case. He has a course on navigation lasting 3 weeks and short instruction on air-sea rescue. Further, it was recently decided to give instruction on the medical aspects of flying, including the effect of acceleration and deceleration on passengers, first aid, tropical hygiene, noxious gases, air sickness, and oxygen, including a practical demonstration in a decompression chamber.

After all that instruction the candidate was called a pilot and was posted for duty as a first officer. He flew in the right-hand seat —as second in command to an experienced captain. How long he would remain in that position depended on his ability, but 8.0.A.C. charts show that it might be anything up to two years.

A first officer must have obtained his “B” licence, and, in most cases, a second class navigator’s certificate. That means most of the four-en-gined 8.0.A.C. airliners have, in addition to a first-class navigating officer, a captain and first officer who hold second class navigation tickets.

Navigating and radio officers selected by 8.0.A.C. from Royal Air Force applicants, also have to undergo thorough courses before they take their places in airline crews. It is interesting to note from the information released by Lord Knollys that the new engineer officer has to undergo a more exhaustive course than any of the others. Generally, engineer officers joining 8.0.A.C. today come from the Royal Air Force.

The course on engineering lasts for about six months. It includes detailed instruction on the mainten-

ance and operation of engines and airframes. Then, a further month is spent on the operational control of power output. Check and Counter Check Lord Knollys goes on to detail how maintenance is done by a process of check and counter check. Aircraft of a new type are put through rigorous trials by the airline’s own development flight. Only when everyone is satisfied that the new type is serviceable, is it put into service:

When an airliner lands at an airport, the passengers are taken away in a comfortable coach, but there is a different programme for the aircraft. After every 24 hours of flying, and before the aircraft takes off again, a licensed aeronautical engineer must sign it out as airworthy. That licensed engineer has to serve years of apprenticeship before he can even sit for his examination. Unlike many other people in technic cal occupations, he must be prepared to sit for another examination at any time, if the Air Regulations Board so decides, before his annual licence is renewed. . When a licensed engineer signs an aircraft out as airworthy, all his training and experience go behind that signature. When a doctor signs a prescription he puts M.B. after his name.. When an aeronautical engineer sighs out an aircraft he puts his licence number after his signature. 8.0.A.C. holds refresher courses for engineers to allow them to keep up-to-date. In aircraft engineering a man’s career may depend upon his ability to assess the state of the tiniest of components. Experience has proved that such responsibility makes for careful workmanship and safety in the air.

When all facts are considered, it is not surprising to learn that a quarter of all money paid in fares goes towards maintenance. All parts of an airliner are subject to constant checks and re-checks, and logs are carefully kept of .all hours and inspections.

On such thorough systems the present record of 8.0.A.C. has been established. Up to September 30 of this year, service miles flown totalled 17,914,717. A total of 117,725 passengers had been carried and not one passenger had been lost.