The Viscount Era

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28481, 10 January 1958, Page 10

The Viscount Era

The arrival of the National Airways Corporation’s first Viscount aircraft in New Zealand today will open a new era of air travel in New Zealand. The Viscount, by a big margin, will be the largest and fastest aircraft put into regular service in New Zealand; and this fine turbo-prop British aircraft will bring the jet age into civil aviation here. In Europe, North and South America. Africa, Asia, and Australia, the Viscount has established itself firmly With airline operators and passengers as the most popular medium-range aircraft. Airline operators find it ar economical aircraft which uses normal, high-standard aerodrome facilities. From the civic point of view the Viscount’s relative quietness is an asset. Passengers find the Viscount’s smooth flight, without vibration or excessive noise, much more relaxing than the average flight in a piston-engined aircraft The roominess of the Viscount will enable NAC. to, give passengers better flight attendance

service than has been usual in this country.

A trunk and feeder service system, the two branches served by different aircraft will be another innovation in air travel in New Zealand, for which the introduction of the Viscounts will be responsible. Naturally, there will be economic penalties in operating and servicing two

types of aircraft. However, N.A.C. is satisfied that it will be profitable for the Viscounts to serve a trunk route from Christchurch to Auckland, with Rongotai (when it becomes usable) the intermediate point on the trunk. The D.C.-3’s will be feeder aircraft to the trunk line, and will continue to serve the shorter routes between cities off the trunk route. It is a pity that the logical termination of the trunk at Dunedin is prohibited for the time being by the lack of a suitable aerodrome for the Viscounts. This deficiency will not be remedied until the new Momona airport is in service. The economic success of the Viscounts' will depend, of course, upon the passenger load they attract. If there is some hesitancy about prophesying adequate returns for the heavy investment in Viscounts from the run between Christchurch and Auckland, there need be little when, with Rongotai in service, the Viscounts will make the trip between Christchurch and Wellington and Auckland and Wellington' feasible in an hour or so. It has been an invariable experience overseas that the introduction of Viscounts has resulted in a substantial increase in business. If this experience extends to New Zealand, N.A.C. should be rewarded for its enterprise in bringing a popular modern aircraft to this country.