March 12, 1956

March 12, 1956

View Full Issue Table of Contents
FOREIGN

British Airpower Falls Farther Back

AIR TRANSPORT

Prosperous Trunk Lines Enter Jet Era

By Craig Lewis14 min

AIR TRANSPORT

Air Transport Booms Around-the-world

View Full Issue
More Features
294295
FOREIGN

British Airpower Falls Farther Back

LONDON—The Society of British Aircraft Constructors described 1955 as “a year of steady achievement” for the British aircraft industry. It pointed out that exports reached an all time high of $188 million, a $28 million advance over 1954.
106107
AIR TRANSPORT

Prosperous Trunk Lines Enter Jet Era

The past year has been a turning point in the history of the nation’s trunk airlines. It marked tire end of one tremendous period of growth and the beginning of an even greater and more vital era of expansion. Airline business in 1955 was the greatest ever by a wide margin, capping a ten-year period of development in which revenues more than tripled.

By Craig Lewis14 min

148149
AIR TRANSPORT

Air Transport Booms Around-the-world

Air transport boomed worldwide in 1955. Some 69 million passengers were carried more than 38 billion passenger-miles by the scheduled air fleets. In 18 major countries, exclusive of the United States, gains in passenger traffic ranged as high as 30%, while air cargo totals soared as much as 39% over 1954.
240241
AVIONICS

Automation Techniques Could Remedy Air Congestion Headaches

The solution to the pressing, and sometimes depressing, air traffic control problem can be summed up in one word: Automation. The Common System urgently needs more automaticity in routine communications, in plotting and displaying the air traffic situation and in managing traffic flow.

By Philip J. Klass12 min

270271
BUSINESS FLYING

Business Flying Enters ‘golden Decade’

New York—Business and utility aircraft manufacturers have entered a golden decade that will see their sales more than triple to about $240 million annually in 1965, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s Office of Planning, Research and Development.

By Erwin J. Bulban12 min

7879
MILITARY

Usaf Fights to Offset Russian Progress

U. S. Air Force today is deep in a fight for technological survival. Victory is essential if America is to continue to hold the airpower necessary in this age of the Atomic Deadlock. In this battle, USAF faces the dangerous combination of unbelievable progress in Russia and something bordering on complacency at home.

By Claude witze12 min

168169
ENGINEERING

Engine Art Ready for Tomorrow’s Needs

Propulsion art is now better equipped to meet the growing demands of aircraft and missile designers than ever before. After slowing down a bit to recover from early growing pains and to increase reliability, powerplant progress this side of the ocean is ready to make new jumps in performance.

By Robert Cushman12 min

176177
ENGINEERING

Fail-safe Designs Set for New Airliners

Structural designers of civil transports are putting a new accent on safety, designing fail-safe structures for the turbojet and turboprop airliners just over the horizon. A fail-safe structure is one which can sustain an “honorable” load after any one major element of the structure has failed.

By Irving Stone11 min

8485
MILITARY

Navy’s 1956 Hopes: End of Frustration, Better Air Arm

Within the circle of debate—and often fear—over the relative merits of U. S. and Soviet airpower, the U. S. Navy presents a picture of almost startling, and desperately needed, improvement. After a frustrating era of funds’ restrictions and the resultant technical starvation, 1956 should be a bumper year—one in which the Navy will receive aircraft and missiles that are good enough, carriers that are sturdy enough, for it to carry out its assigned role as a “big stick” in the age of atomic deadlock.

By Cecil Brownlow11 min

9899
MISSILES

Soviet Advances Force U.s. Missile Pace

The course of the U. S. missile program has been altered abruptly. The Russians did it by test-firing a 900-mi. range ballistic missile with some form of guidance. They did it not once, but enough times during the past six months to indicate that the missile is in the developmental test phase.

By David A. Anderton11 min

March 51956 March 191956