500 Cubic Ft. for Luggage in Airline Half-decker
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WITH . an enviable reputation for W economical operation, K.L.M. (Royal Dutch Airlines) has never been slow in ;accepting new methods of dealing with old or well-known problems. Thus, for example. in operating aircraft seating appreciably more passengers than the average short-distance Continental airlines use. K.L.M. has found the problem of transporting a full load of passengers from London Airport to the terminal . building in Kensington one which needed a new approach.
This week the first run was arranged of a new vehicle which may provide a solution. Possibly the first of many, the vehicle is a Foden 36-seat half-deck coach with bodywork by the Lincs Trailer; Co.. Ltd., Scunthorpe. in addition to a large passenger capacity, the vehicle, which is 30 et. long and 8 ft. wide, has a 450-cubic-ft. rear luggage locker occupying the whole height of the coach. It is capable of containing 11 tons of luggage—a not unusual quantity for the 36 passengers carried in the Convairliner aircraft used by K.L.M. on the Amsterdam-London flight.
In addition, a locker of about 50 cubic ft. is built into the sides of the body (*Or hand baggage.
It is believed that operation of this type of vehicle will result in an annual economy amounting to several thousand pounds, compared with the cost of B2 running the smaller buses previously used, two of which are sometimes necessary to deal with one aircraft load.
Operated for K.L.M. by United Service Transport, Ltd., 143, Clapham Road, London, S.W.9. the vehicle is finished in K.L.M. blue. Unladen weight is 7 tons 16 cwt., and the standard of comfort afforded by the interior appointments is well up to airline standards. On the upper tier of seats, 20 passengers can be accommodated, with 16 in the lower tier, all seats being upholstered in light blue moquette with Dunlopillo filling.
A Clayton V25 heating system is fitted under the central gangway, feeding heated air through grilles under the lower tier of seats, whence it rises to the upper tier and is withdrawn by the eight Ashanco Hies ventilators in the roof. Lighting under the driver's control is arranged in the roof for the upper tier of passengers, but in the lower tier it is individually fitted and is under the control of the passengers.
The bodywork was developed to meet the requirements of United Service Transport, Ltd., which has operated K.L.M. road services for many years.
Powered by a Gardner 6LW engine, the Foden chassis has a wheelbase of 19 ft. 6 ins. At the rear the frame is cranked to provide maximum luggage space. Special attention has been paid to the suspension in the interest of comfortable riding, and a new type of shock absorber, together with an anti-roll bar, is fitted.
The success or this type of vehicle will undoubtedly be watched closely by many operators and may eventually result in its adoption for airport-to-city services elsewhere in the world.