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advance
news
in the wake of today's WORLD EVENTS
THE AVIATION INDUSTRY
is soaúng into
the Sevcnties in grand style. One of our correspondents sends
this rcport after a trip aboard the new 747 "jumbo jet":
"A flying hotel," "a luxury lincr," ''more like a steam–
ship than an airplane," "an airborne penthouse with four
salons, six galleys and a cocktail lounge in the sky."
This is how Boeing's new 747 giant jumbo jet has been
variously described during its first week of service from New
York to London.
My first reaction when stepping inside the giant craft
was: "How can they possibly gct this monster off the
ground ?" This impression is undoubtedly universal among
thc plane's passengers.
For the jumbo jet is not just another airplane.
It
is the
most stupcndous commercial air transport ever built. It is
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Boeing 747, with seating for 362 passengers, is
capable of a cruising speed of 625 m.p.h.
two-and-a-half 707's in one plane. Its tail towers as high as a
six-story building and its gleaming fusclage is as long as ninc
red London double-decker buses.
Pan American, first to fly the plane, boasts that the 747
is "the most roomy, spacious, comfortable airplane in his·
tory." First-class passengers sit in plush easy chairs. Economy
class seats are noticeably wider and provide more leg room
than on conventional jets. The straight-walled cabin is so
spacious that live entertainment on board has been seriously
proposcd. In-flight food service proved satisfactory both as to
quality and time. One annoying fact the non-smokers
observed was a very noticeable "haze" within the cabin.
The plane's performance, however, has not been with–
out criticism. Fears of a "supercrash" involving 500 persons,
increased pollution, and greater noise, are tbe principal nega–
tive reactions. Authorities insist these comments are invalid.
Thoroughly Tested
During test trials, the airframe received the equivalent of
15 years of service. Thus, the big ship can actually claim to be
"the most thoroughly tested plane in aviation bistory." Main–
tenance is so stringent that a car given the same treatment
would last a hundred years.
As
for noise and pollution, the four powerful Pratt and
Whitney engines guzzle fue! at the gigantic rate of a gallon a
second and produce more than double tbe · power of the
engines used on the 707. Yet they are actually quieter than
smaller jets and virtually smokeless (though smoke is really
no indication as to the amount of pollutants emitted).
Surprisingly, congestion of air terminals is actually
proving to be far less a problem than anticipated. There was
little congestion at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport or
at London's Heathrow. Baggage was picked up in the
normally expected time.
One does speculate, however, what will happen when
747's are diverted from a fog-bound London. How will
provincial airports with 100-seat restaurants be able to react
to a deluge of 500 ti red and hungry jumbo passengers?
Perhaps this is a small price to pay, however, for 747's many
advantages.
* * * * *
e
War: Way of Life for the World
War- and preparation for war - continues to sap the
moral and economic life of the world's nations.
Over 50 military conflicts have occurred that could be
classified as "war" since World War II. Paradoxically, nonc
of them have been officially declared. By far, most of the
conflicts have been fought in the underdeveloped areas of the
world. We live, as a recent book was entitled,
in
the decep–
tive era of "The Violent Peace."
Enormous resources have been spent in preparations for
war in comparison to the trickle of effort for the achievement
of peace. The budget of the United Nations - billed in its
charter as mankind's "last chance" for peace- is far less