This Week In Aviation History: April 1

Preparations for the Transatlantic Flight

The termination of hostilities and the return to peace time conditions has given new impetus to attempts to cross the Atlantic by means of aircraft.

Just before the war broke out two heavier-than-air craft were being prepared for this attempt: the Curtiss America, a twin-engine flying boat which was to be flown by Lieut John Porte, R. N., and and English machine, the Martinsyde monoplane.

Launching Airplanes with Catapults

Loening Amphibian Plane Successfully Launched in Preliminary Experiments in Catapulting Large Machines.

Test were recently carried out by the Navy in the catapulting of a large airplan from the ship at sea. The new device which was tested projects the airplan on the the cariage by means of a high explosive gunpowder charge. The plane used in the tests was a Loening Amphibian plane with inverted Liberty engine. Never before had so large a plane been projected into the air by means of a catapult and the tests marked the opening of continued experiments along these lines. The plane took the air without untoward incident.

Air Transport Faces a New Era

American air transport lines last year carried as many passengers as in 1930. The volume of mail was just as great. This was in the face of sharply reduced traffic on the railroads and other passenger carriers. Such an accomplishement means something.

Measured by the general yardstick of business in the past years, it might have been expected that the air transport industry would have shown a decrease in traffic. As the newest form of travel, we might have supposed it would have been hit worst.

N.y. C. Airport Authority Bill Passed Despite Airline Opposition

State Legislature approves measure in face of stand taken by 13 carriers holding leases with city for use of Idlewild, sends it to Gov. Dewey for signature.

Although faced with opposition from 13 airlines holding leases wit hthe City of New York for the use of Idlewild, legislation to create a New York City Airport Authority to manage that airport and LaGuardia Field passed the State Legislature last week and went to Gov. Dewey for final approval.

SAS Reopens Fight for Transpolar Route

Scandinavian Airlines System has renewed its fight for use of Los Angeles as West Coast terminal for its projected transpolar route in a series of actions that promise to have wide international consequence.

Planners Concerned Over Early 747 Buy

Airlines equipment and sales planners are increasingly concerned that Pan American World Airways anticipated purchase of the Boeing 747 will spur what they consider a premature competitive round of orders for the aircraft, which they believe should not be introduced until after 1970.

Pan American's competitors, for the present, are conceding it the first move on the big jet. And another wait-and-see period may develop over which airline places an order after any made by Pan American.

Divided Control Ends at Pam Am

Full responsibility for rescuing Pan American World Airways from its critical financial situation now rests with William T. Seawell, who is taking drastic steps toward achieving that end by trimming management staffs and introducing tight cost-control measures

Forced resignation of Najeeb E. Halaby last week from the top post relieves serious tension that has been building up during past months asa result of the bipartite management arrangement originally created by the company's board of directors. Seawell is now in full charge of the airline and answerable only to the directors, wo took the action under pressure from major creditors.

Delta Expanding Route System With 737-200s

Delta Air Lines' introduction of 33 Boeing 737-200s this year is testing the carrier's traditional operating philosophy of high-frequency, short-haul service in an expanded route system.

Boeing began delivering the 107-seat aircraft to Delta last year and is continuing at a rate of three a month. They represent the carrier's latest adjustment to the changing marketplace, an attempt to regain traffic feed lost to new and traditional competitors and provide a new competitive thrust.

Airbus Prepares to Launch Boeing 747's Rival

Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce are proposing derivative engines to power the 382-seat A340-600

Airbus Industries with the next few weeks is planning to select an engine type for the proposed A340-600 high-capacity transport, in preperation for the program's launch now tentatively scheduled for June.

The proposed A340-600 is expected to play a critical role in the European consortium's strategic plan. The 382-seat aircraft , a stretched-fuselage A340-00 derivative, demonstrates the strong determination of Europeans to enter the Boeing 747-400 market and complement the envisioned 555-seat A3XX.

Performance Angst

The A380 customers are watching aircraft developments closely, as they prepare to take the giant step of introducing the 555-seat jet into their fleets.

Russian Roulette

The long-running feud over Siberian overflight charges for European carriers remain unresolved as the European Uniion must unify its airlines around a common approach, while finding way to pressure the Russian Federation to activate a deal that phases out these royalties.

Meanwhile, a potential new irritant has surfaced. On July 1, Russia plans to introduce new rules on Passenger Name Record data. However, EU airlines are not allowed to submit passenger date to any non-EU country unless that country has an agreement with the EU guaranteeing a certain level of protection for the integrity and the secrecy of these data.