Canada's Defences
The President of A.V. Roe Canada, Ltd., Mr. Crawford Gordon, Jr., has disclosed in Toronto that Canadian aircraft designers are working on plans for fighters and bombers made "entirely from titanium," and are also studying possibilities for the Canadian production of pilotless aircraft. Of the CF-100 fighter, manufactured by his own company, he said, "So far, the combination of radar and CF-100s has been remarkably effective. Almost every night aircraft are out, ranging the skies and making successful interceptions. You have the consolation of knowing that Canada's air defence against attacks over the Pole is as effective as anything available today." Incidentally, a report from Canada describes (perhaps incorrectly) Avro's V.T.O. Project Y as a "flying saucer". An unorthodox power-plant rotates round the cockpit, and is surrounded by the stationary disc wing with peripheral jets.
Australia's Airlines
Australian airline operators in 1953 lifted a record total of some 1,900,000 passengers - equivalent of a quarter of the Commonwealth's population. Their executives estimate that this figure will be doubled in the next few years by the introduction of tourist-rate travel on internal services. This anticipated growth should parallel the post-war development from the 1945-6 figure of half-a-million passengers.
The post-war progress was due to the purchase of DC-4s and Convairs, which not only added seating capacity but almost doubled block speeds. Dollar investment was cut down by the facts of geography, which compelled Australian operators to extract from their aircraft the utmost hour of utilization. Australian National Airways and Trans- Australia Airlines have for many years gained 4,000 hr annually from the Skymasters. They have been fortunate in operating over stages averaging 500 miles under weather conditions which European and American operators would regard as sublime.
Herons for Turkey
Five new orders for Herons are announced by the de Havilland Aircraft Co., who have now sold nearly 70 of these four-engined "branch-liners" (to use the term coined by the company to describe this class of aircraft). The most important of the new orders is that placed by Devlet Hava Yollari (Turkish state airline) for seven Series 2s with retractable undercarriages. Six of the D.H.Y. Herons will be arranged as 15-seat airliners and the remaining one will be an executive version with seating for eight. Delivery is expected to take place in the spring.
Source: Flight International
