G.M.'s Entry

British planemakers, already well ahead of the U.S. in commercial jet transports, are even farther ahead in turbo-prop planes (propellers driven by gas turbines). They have several test planes flying while the U.S. has none, although airmen expect the turboprops to be the short-range plane of the future as well as the intermediate aircraft between current reciprocating-engine planes and jet liners. Last week General Motors announced that it was finally putting the U.S. into the race to develop a turbo-prop transport.

From Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp., G.M. bought a 40-passenger two-engined Convair 240, the same plane now flying many commercial routes. G.M. will equip the plane with two 2,750 h.p. turboprop engines developed by G.M.'s Allison division.

G.M. hopes to have the replacement job done by summer, but thinks it will need two or three years of test flying to iron out the bugs. Thus, the U.S. may not cut down Britain's lead very much. By that time, Britain expects to have its turboprops and jet liners in commercial operation.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.