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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0435.PDF
MARCH 2ND, 1944 FLIGHT 225 HERE AND THERE Commonweartti conferences are to report their recommendations to their respec tive Governments. Technical Hitch ? THOUGH the trouble may have been "ironed out" by the time these words appear in print, there is at, the moment of writing a delay in the resump tion of the Sweden-British air service for what are (perhaps euphemistically described as "technical difficulties." Renter quotes air circles in Stockholm as saying, " The cancellation is not sur prising, as both Britain and Germany reserved the right to withdraw the guarantee for individual flights if mili tary conditions demanded." Bigger and "Beautijtiller" IT must have been a. slight misprint, but in the February 15th issue of a British propaganda review, Mundo Grafico, pub lished in Lisbon, an article on British air craft referred to a bomber capable of carrying " bombs of 4,000 tons." We could, from known values, esti mate for your entertainment the probable wing-span, length, weight and fuel con sumption of such an aircraft, but, as a well-known radio character is wont to remark, "What's the use!" Faster U.S. Production REFERRING to the growth of the U.S.A.A.F. in the European theatre, Mr. Charles E. Wilson, executive vice- chairman of the War Production Board, recently gave some figures to illustrate the enormously increased rate of aircraft production in America. " The early fighter type required 157,000 man-hours," he said, " but mass production cut the time to 7,800 man-hours by the time the 1,oooth plane had left the assembly line. A SHAPE OF WINGS TO COME ? Publicised some time ago as a twin-nun flying- boat, the latest " gen " on the proposed Kaiser-Hughes giant, in the form of the above drawing, shows it to have changed into quite a conventionally shaped aircraft with eight radial engines. Three of these HK-i flying boats are projected, but only one is to be built " for the time being." four-engined bomber once took 200,000 man-hours, but this was reduced to 13,000 for the 2,000th plane." Diamond Research INVESTIGATIONS into the properties -»- of diamonds with special reference to their application and preparations for use in present and potential industry, is being undertaken by a new research department established by the Diamond Trading Co., Ltd.. Holborn Viaduct, London. The department is under the manage ment of Mr. Paul Grodzinski (a contri butor to our sister journal, Aircaft Production, on the subject of cutting tools) and its extensive technical library LIGHTENING THE LIGHTNING : Several man-hours in production and some 20lb. in weight are being saved by omitting camouflage paint from P-38 fighters, which are now to appear like aerial knights in shining armour—except for the dark areas, as shown, painted to prevent the pilot being dazzled. More speed and altitude are expected from reduced skin-friction and weight. is at the disposal of all users of diamond tools Disparity in Pay POINTING out that the ordinary wages of civilian workers at airfields are often as high as that of a bomber captain, and higher than that of other pilots, gunners, and those of lower rank "who are constantly risking their lives fighting," Mr. R. Purbrick (Conserva tive M.P. for Walton) has asked the Secretary of State for Air to '' take steps to remedy the disparity." One wonders why Mr. Purbrick has picked on this particular facet of the whole question of relative pay and per sonal risk. War workers in their thou sands receive much higher payment than the infantryman, the tank driver, the gunner, the sailor and other members of the Fighting Forces whose equipment they make. And does he suggest level ling up, or down ? The "Popular" Angle A LARGE proportion of Britain's air fleets are made of sea water." That staggering statement is the begin ning of an article which appeared not long ago in a popular Sunday newspapei under the equally breathless heading "Airplanes from Sea Water." Actually, the article, which was interesting enough without such sillv exaggeration, dealt with the production of magnesia (from which magnesium is made) at Ministry of Supply plants set up^ on the coast for this purpose when the war cut off most of our overseas sup plies. Actually, the amount of mag nesium used in British aircraft is not very great. Sea water contains magnesium chloride, and the addition of lime, or dolomite, rauses magnesia to be precipi tated in the form of a creamy white powder by .111 electrolytic process. So now what about an article headed "Aircralt Grown on Trees"—since quin a lot of wood and rubber is used.
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