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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0342.PDF
340 FLIGHT THE INDUSTRY Prize-giving at Brough TPHE twenty-second annual distribution of merit awards to * Blackburn and General Aircraft apprentices took place at Brough on February 16th, when 68 apprentices received some £158 in bonuses. Mr. T. Bancroft (general works manager) presented the awards in the presence of Mr. E. Turner (managing director), Mr. N. E. Rowe (technical director), Mr. T. A. Wolstenholme (apprentice supervisor), Mr. E. Jones (principal of the Hull Techni cal College) and a large audience of apprentices and their parents. In the past year 90 probationary apprentices passed through their basic training course and the figure of 55 per cent successes against enrolments was an all-round improvement. Apprentice J. Dutton gained his Higher National Certificate in mechanical subjects, K. G. Wright and R. Winter passed their City and Guilds examinations and 14 others their Ordinary National Certificates. Mr, Wolstenholme mentioned that in the past 22 years the Blackburn apprentice scheme had provided the equivalent of over 2,000 years of technical training to the aircraft industry. Mr. Rowe advocated engineering as a career, but pointed out that in aircraft engineering only the highest standard was good enough. He referred to the advantages of having products with both military and civil applications, such as the Beverley and the Turbomeca gas turbines. The directors' prize, presented by Mr. Turner, went to W. R. Porter, a tool-room apprentice; excellent reports from foremen convinced the directors that he was the apprentice who most merited their special award. Aluminium Paint Explained USED as a basis for certain "silver" aircraft finishes as well as for a vast variety of industrial purposes, Noral "Alpaste"— aluminium pigment for paints and printing inks, is the subject of a well-bound and profusely illustrated 78-page book published by the Northern Aluminium Co., Ltd., Banbury, Oxfordshire. Replacing the original publication, now long out of print, the book contains much that is new; addressed to the user as well as to the paint technologist, it contains chapters on the manufacture, pro perties and methods of application of a wide variety of protective and decorative surfaces. Of particular interest is the explanation of the nature of "Alpaste" pigments. They consist not of fine granular panicles of aluminium but of minute flat plates of the pure metal which tend to "leaf" in the liquid vehicle that carries them: the term "leaf" is descriptive in that the flakes lie upon one another in the manner of fallen leaves. Leafing properties are conferred on the metallic particles by interaction of the flakes with stearic acid during manufacture, an oleophobic layer being formed which enables the flakes to float by reason of their large ratio of perimeter to weight. It is admitted that the various factors which produce this phenomenon are not yet fully understood. Also of interest is the method by which the metal is divided in the first stage of manufacture: hot compressed-air is blown through 99.5 per cent pure molten aluminium, and the fine particles thus obtained are collected and screened; they are then flaked in a ball mill, together with white spirit and stearic acid. IN BRIEF Desoutter Brothers (Holdings), Ltd., announce a 1952 profit of £65,366 after taxation. The A.G.M. will be held at Hendon on March 31st. * * * As from the issue of March 20th, the publication day of our associated journal Motor Transport will be changed from Saturday to Friday. * * * The British Aluminium Co., Ltd., have transferred their Leeds branch office to Martins Bank Chambers, Vicar Lane, Leeds I, to handle sales of unwrought and fabricated aluminium and its alloys in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Mr. A. E. Heeley continues as manager and the telephone number (Leeds 28343) is unchanged. * * * Mr. John Tyzack, C.B.E., who, after retiring from the R.A.F. with rank of group captain in 1946, joined B.E.A. and became their director of administrative services, informs us that he will shortly be joining the board of the Concrete Development Co., Ltd., and will be appointed managing director. He left B.E.A. in July last. * * * Brynmawr Rubber, Ltd., are re-organizing their subsidiary selling company, Brynmawr Rubber (Sales), Ltd. Until further notice, correspondence concerning products should be addressed to the latter company at Brynmawr, Breconshire. Brynmawr Rubber (Sales) has an undertanding with Maj. H. L. Anderson and Mr. T. T. Ottowell, whereby these two retiring directors will revive their former business; known as the Hemisphere Rubber Co., Ltd., it will have offices at 70 Finsbury Pavement, London, E.C.3. Also announced is the appointment of Mr. R. Boole, A.M.I.Mech.E., as technical manager of Brynmawr Rubber, Ltd. P.S.C. Applied Research, Ltd., of Toronto, a company of the Hunting Group, is to move into enlarged laboratories on April 1st, making possible a threefold increase in development and produc tive capacity. The company specializes in electronic, mechanical and optical devices used in indus try, air survey, navigation and photogrammetry, and is a sub sidiary of the Photographic Survey Corporation, Ltd. * * * We regret to learn of the death, on February 18th, of Mr. J. A. Peters, founder and manag ing director of Petbow, Ltd., the Sandwich (Kent) manufacturers of mobile generating plant, air craft ground-starters and associ ated equipment. Mr. Peters designed and flew aircraft before the first world war, and made a flight from London to Madrid; he was also concerned with the design of the Robey-Peters fighter during that war. ^ ^ + The late Mr. J. A. Peters. Ease of removal of aircraft-cabin curtains for cleaning and sterilization is, it is stated, one of the factors that have led Sabena (Belgian Airlines) to select "Rufflette" fittings for all their window, sleeping-berth and doorway curtains. This brand of tape, hooks, rings and rails is made by Thomas French and Sons, Ltd., Chester Road, Manchester 15. APPRENTICES REWARDED: Below is a photograph taken at the Napier apprentices' prize-giving, reported in our issue of February 27th; it shows R. L. Allan, best student apprentice of the year, receiving a trophy from Mr. H. Sammons, the managing director. In the centre picture, taken at the Blackburn and General Aircraft prize-giving. Apprentice W. R. Porter is seen receiving a wrist watch from that company's managing director, Mr. E. Turner. The third photograph is that of David White, who, after three years as an apprentice in the engine division of the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., left to take an engineering course at Bristol University, and has just been awarded the coveted Hele-Shaw Medal given by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for outstanding success in the Ordinary and Higher National Certificate courses.
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