March 7, 1960

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SPECIFICATIONS

Leading Foreign Aircraft, Military and Civil

ARGENTINA Fabrica Militar de Aviones (Itistituto Aeroteenico) Cordoba AUSTRALIA Commonwealth Aircraft Corp. Pty., Ltd. Lorimer Street, Port Melbourne. Victoria Government Aircraft Factories Fishermen's Berd if Melbourne, Victoria BELGIUM

286

FOREIGN

Civil, ASW Orders Stir French Optimism

Paris—Recent international acceptance of French civil and military aircraft coupled with the explosion of France’s first nuclear device have given new stimulus to the aircraft industry. French companies admittedly are still faced with some immediate transitional problems.

By Robert E. Farrell

106

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

U. S. Space Effort Matures in Dual Pattern

Washington—Basic operational, technical and scientific pattem has emerged from the chaos of early U. S. efforts in the space age, and within this pattern the nation is moving along separate civil and military paths into space. The mandate for building U. S. prestige in space exploration is now clearly in civilian hands.

By Craig Lewis

MILITARY

USAF Molds Mixed ICBM-Aircraft Force

USAF is struggling with the problem of building a combat capability across the expanding technical spectrum of ballistic missiles, hypersonic aircraft and space technology in the face of constant level budget ceilings and rising costs of weapon systems.

246

HELICOPTERS

Change, New Concepts Set Helicopter Pace

Helicopter development, with the influence of the turbine distinctly evident, is forecast to intensify in tempo in the early 1960s. Sales over the past year generally were down as the industry converted from piston engines to gas turbines.

274

FOREIGN

Britain Slims Industry for Leaner Days

London—Apparent smoothness of the recent regrouping operation and the confident new look appearing on the face of Britain’s aircraft industry only masks the critical situation still facing the industry, even assuming massive government support.

By John Tunstall

206

SPECIFICATIONS

Write-Offs Swell As Industry Diversifies

New York—If 1959 was the year of the great write-off for the aviation industry, then 1960 should begin an era of reaping the returns—maybe. One executive of a major aviation company ran down a list for AVIATION WEEK of half a dozen projects his company had developed with its own funds.

By William H. Gregory

142

AIR TRANSPORT

Jet Acceptance Spurs Trunkline Gains

Washington—Domestic trunkline business, sparked by a rapidly growing public acceptance of turbojet and turboprop aircraft, appears headed for another record year. Despite a rash of highly publicized accidents during the opening weeks of the year (AW Jan. 18, p. 37), the trunkline industry got off to a fast start toward producing a projected 33 billion revenue passenger miles in 1960—an increase of 14% over last year’s estimated 28 billion.

By L. L. Doty

156

AIR TRANSPORT

Growing Local Carriers Face Cost Bulge

Washington—Broad expansion of local service airlines’ equipment and route programs last year served to accent the concern of the industry for a subsidy formula tailored to meet the needs of the carriers’ growth rate. A gain of more than 29% in route miles, plus replacement of more than 25% of the industry’s DC-3 fleet, combined to produce a 25.8% gain in total operating revenues for the airlines, but had the end result of boosting 1959 operating expenses by 30.2% and breakeven need by 29.7% as compared with the previous year.

By Robert H. Cook

MILITARY

Army Weighs Aviation Policy Decision

Washington—U. S. Army aviation research and development policy for the first half of the decade will become firmly set next week, aiming to ensure that the Army will have modern aircraft to operate in the last half of the period. Army leaned heavily upon industry’s estimate of the current and future technical state-of-the-art to help it meet its self-imposed policy formulation deadline of Mar. 15.

By J. S. Butz

February 291960

MARCH 141960

March 7, 1960

March 7, 1960