§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation requiring the fitting of radio altimeters as well as barometric ones in civil airliners registered in this country.
§ Mr. CorfieldI am advised by the Air Registration Board that they are unlikely36W to approve the installation of any automatic landing system in United Kingdom registered aircraft which does not include a radio altimeter, and I see no reason for any more general requirement to be made through legislation.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation requiring the fitting of clear air turbulence detectors to civil aircraft registered in this country.
§ Mr. CorfieldSuch equipment is not yet sufficiently developed to permit the introduction of legislation requiring its installation in British civil aircraft.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation requiring the fitting of collision avoidance systems in civil airliners registered in this country.
§ Mr. CorfieldSuch legislation cannot be considered before a system generally suitable for airline operational use has been developed.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will propose to the International Civil Aviation Organisation that it should require the fitting of rearward facing seats in civil airliners.
§ Mr. CorfieldNo. Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organisation have not supported such a proposal in the past, and in the absence of new evidence, there seems no reason to believe that they would do so now. The Board of Trade, will, however, continue to keep this matter under review.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the regulations governing the seating of cabin staff in civil airliners registered in this country, during take-off and landing.
§ Mr. CorfieldArticle 29 of the Air Navigation Order, 1966 requiresinter alia that the commander of the aircraft shall before it takes off and before it lands take all reasonable steps to ensure that cabin staff required to be carried are properly secured in seats which shall be in a passenger compartment and which 37W shall be so situated that they can readily assist passengers.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make amendments in light aircraft nagivational equipment requirements; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe requirements which the Department is currently considering for the carriage of navigational equipment will not be directed towards light aircraft as such but will apply to any aircraft desiring to operate in specified parts of the United Kingdom air space. An announcement will be made as soon as consultations with users have reached
Column A Column B Aircraft Movements ('000) Year Reports Concerning Civil Aircraft Number in Column A Concerning Public Transport Aircraft Total Civil/Military Total Public Transport 1963 … 6 2 4,540 495 1964 … 11 7 4,590 522 1965 … 9 3 4,950 544 1966 … 13 9 4,830 605 1967 … 20 5 5,590 617 1968 … 9 5 5,760 612 1969 … 17 4 5,590 639 85 35 35,850 4,034
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek powers to instruct British registered and operated airlines to simplify their emergency landing instructions to passengers.
§ Mr. CorfieldNo; adequate powers already exist under Article 22(3) of the Air Navigation Order, 1966.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation requiring all jet aircraft using British airports, whether they be registered in this country or abroad, not to use JP4 fuel.
§ Mr. CorfieldBritish operators do not use JP4 fuel, save in exceptional circumstances. I do not think that we would be justified in introducing legislation to prevent the very limited use of this fuel by foreign operators using airports in this country.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will propose that the International
38Wthe stage when final decisions can be taken about dates for implementation.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade how many near mid-air collisions have occurred over the United Kingdom in each of the years from 1963; and how many of these have involved civil airliners.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe total air misses reported involving civil aircraft and assessed as involving actual risk over the years 1963–69 are given below. The table also shows the numbers in these totals where public transport aircraft were concerned.
Civil Aviation Organisation should in future be responsible for the investigation of all air crashes and incidents, that it should be given legal immunity for its investigation and its findings, and that it should state in detail the causes of such accidents and incidents.
§ Mr. NobleNo. I consider that the United Kingdom accident investigation regulations in force and the reports submitted to me in accordance with them ensure that the investigations are not separated from Ministerial authority. The present procedures fall in with the requirements and spirit of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation so that executive responsibility for an investigation falls to the most appropriate national administration.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will amend the regulations governing the number of required emergency exits for civil airliners registered in this country so that ventral doors and staircases are not to be included in that number.
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§ Mr. CorfieldThe Air Registration Board are considering revision of the relevant British Civil Airworthiness Requirements governing the number of emergency exits required. Ventral doors and staircases are not regarded as emergency exits for the purpose of the requirements but, when provided, some limited credit for additional passengers is permitted.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the regulations governing emergency exits from Boeing 707, 727 and 737, DC 9, DC 8, VC 10, Trident I and II, BAC 1–11, Caravelle and Comet, respectively, operated by airlines registered in this country; whether he will amend them to increase their number; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldOf the aircraft mentioned, only the Boeing 707, Boeing 737, VC 10, Trident I and II, BAC 1–11 and Comet are operated on the United Kingdom register. The British Civil Airworthiness Requirements issued by the Air Registration Board relate the number and type of emergency exits to the seating capacity of the aircraft; they consider there is no reason to introduce new requirements for existing aircraft.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of aircraft using London Airport is fitted with secondary radar equipment.
§ Mr. CorfieldA census carried out at London (Heathrow) Airport on 12th and 13th November, 1969 indicated that 95 per cent. of the aircraft using the airport were fitted with serviceable secondary radar equipment. At a further check on 30th May, 1970, 98 per cent. of aircraft were so fitted.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade when he will require all aircraft using British airports to be fitted with area navigation systems.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe United Kingdom has long advocated internationally the recognition and exploitation of facilities for area navigation. It is not practicable to compel aircraft using British airports to be fitted with equipment for this in advance of the necessary agreement on the systems to be used internationally.
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§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of aircraft using London Airport is already fitted with area navigation equipment.
§ Mr. CorfieldSome British and foreign aircraft using Heathrow carry self-contained navigational equipment capable of application for an area navigation function. Some others are equipped to use the Decca area navigation system, utilising transmissions from ground stations. Owing to the number and variety of aircraft employed on the international routes concerned, operated by more than fifty airlines, it is not possible to state what percentage of them is equipped to use these various systems.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the regulations governing emergency exits from Boeing 747 aircraft operated by airlines registered in this country; whether he is satisfied that the double slide method of exit conforms with these specifications; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldI am advised by the Air Registration Board, who are nearing completion of their investigation of the Boeing 747 for United Kingdom certification, that they are regarding the double door and slide method of exist as a satisfactory means of complying with the intention of the British Civil Airworthiness Requirements.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the regulations governing the maximum time to be taken in emergency exits from aircraft registered in this country in civil use; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldThere are no regulations which specifically govern the maximum time to be taken in an emergency evacuation but the design requirements laid down in British Civil Airworthiness Requirements, in particular for the provision of doors and emergency exits, and the provisions of the Air Navigation Order, 1966, relating to escape facilities and the training of crews, are intended to ensure that passengers are afforded the maximum opportunities of egress in an emergency.
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§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek powers to require civil airliners registered in this country to be fitted with illuminated emergency exit signs of a crashproof type.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe fitting of emergency lighting systems is already required by the Air Navigation Order, 1966. Before approving such installations, the Air Registration Board requires to be satisfield that the system will illuminate the exit signs and that the equipment is, so far as practicable, crash proof. The requirements are at present being reconsidered in the light of recent developments in systems and equipment.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the regulations governing the carriage of lifejackets and liferafts by civil airliners registered in this country, whether flying over land or sea; whether he will introduce legislation to increase the number of these; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe carriage of lifejackets and life-rafts is governed by the provisions of Article 10 and Schedule 5 of the Air Navigation Order, 1966, copies of which are available in the Library. Consideration is being given to some extension of the conditions in which life-jackets are required to be carried but no legislation to increase the number of life-jackets or life-rafts is contemplated.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation to require the carriage of life-jackets and life-rafts on all civil airliners registered in this country, whether they fly over sea or not.
§ Mr. CorfieldConsideration is being given to extending the existing regulations to require that life-jackets should be carried when a significant proportion of the take-off or approach path lies over water; there appears to be no present justification for changes in the requirements as regards life-rafts but I shall keep the matter under review.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation requiring that all cushions, pillows, etc., carried on civil 42W airliners registered in this country shall be capable of flotation.
§ Mr. CorfieldNo. I consider that it is preferable to rely on equipment such as life-jackets and life-rafts which are specially designed for the purpose.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade how many air-miss incidents have occurred over the navigation beacon near Epsom in the years 1963 to 1970.
§ Mr. CorfieldIn the years 1963 to date twelve reports were received of air misses occuring in the airspace within a five miles radius of the Epsom beacon.
The air navigation beacon known as "Epsom" beacon was moved from Epsom to Stoke d'Abernon in 1968, but the call sign was left unchanged for the greater convenience of international operators.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will require a standard set of emergency instructions for British-registered aircraft.
§ Mr. CorfieldNo. Emergency instructions for the various types of aircraft are among the matters inspected by my Flight Operations Inspectorate and so are kept under review, but I have no evidence that greater standardisation would be helpful.