NEW T.E.A.L. PLANES

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29749, 16 February 1962, Page 8

NEW T.E.A.L. PLANES

Minister Gives Facts

The Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McAlpine) last evening referred to the choice between the Boeing 707 and the Vickers VC-10 for T.E.A.L. as a "decent sort of argument for the next two years.” He was speaking to a Waitaki by-election meeting at Pleasant Point.

T.E.A.L., he said, would have to re-equip with jet aircraft. “The facts are these: “The American Boeing has been flying for seven years. Pan American Airways use it. Any aircraft of a modern type comes out full of bugs, but I believe the Boeing has been approved to the extent at which it can not be bettered.

“It is cheaper to run than the VC-10, it is a proven aircraft and has its bases around the Pacific. "The VC-10 has not flown yet. It has got the latest Caravelle-type engines at the rear. It is silent, fast, it flies at great heights, it will be very comfortable, and it will be the first of the second generation of jets.

“But it has never been proved. It will be costly to run, more durable and heavier.

“Do we go into VC-10's and capture the imagination of people in a new aircraft and get the extra four or five passengers on each flight that would make it economical? There.” said Mr McAlpine, “is a nice decent sort of argument for the next two years.”