SAFETY OF AIR TRAVEL

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27576, 5 February 1955, Page 6

SAFETY OF AIR TRAVEL

SEATS FACING REAR “BOUND TO COME”

COMMENT ON AUSTRALIAN DECISION (New Zealand Press Association) “Tn, WELLINGTON, February 4. The case for rearward-facing seats in passenger aircraft is unanswerable iney are bound to come, in new p lanes, but technical difficulties rule out the change in airlines fitted with conventional seats,” said the Director ?£J^ vll .. Aviat L on (Mr E " A - Gibson), commenting today upon Australia’s decision that passengers there will face the tail of the plane. Mr Gibson agreed that a rearward - facing seat gave very much more protection—at least three times, possibly five times—in the event of crashes not followed by fire. Unfortunately, he said, it was not practicable to take out conventional seats and replace them with rearward seats. To gain the benefit of greater sa f ety the seat itself had to be designed to stand greater stresses; it had to be locked more firmly to the floor of the plane; and the floor had to be built stronger and to be attached more strongly to the airframe. Finally, the skin of the plane had to be affixed ♦o the frame to be able to take greater i stresses. I ‘lt would be extraordinarily diffi-

cult, if it were possible at all, to change over the seating of a DC-3, such as is flown by N.A.C.,” said Mr ffiksq l !. “Apart from the difficulty of building in the greater seat, floor, and plane strength, the DC-3 sits down on its tail. “It might be possible in a DC-6, with a tricycle undercarriage, but I don’t know of any DC-6 that has been so converted. It comes down to this: the airliner has to be designed specifically for this safer seating.” Tasman’s Solents were an exception to that general statement, for the flooring and framing in certain parts of the flyingboat would have made possible n change-over from 'orward-facing I'’ rearward-facing seats. The International Civil Aviation O‘ganisation had discussed the chang - said Mr Gibson, but had not mac • any firm requirement that airline j should change over, because of th~ d faculties of conversion. R.N~\ f - Hastings transport r’ ■- -- had the ■' seating, he added. *